My hen's acting like a rooster

[Malpower]

Lucy-fer, my oldest hen, an NHR and just one year old today, has always been top of the pecking order with the other three in my small flock -- she goes thru periods where she really jumps on them and pecks at them -- of course, mostly over food and I often isolate her when feeding choice tidbits like meal worms and feed separately. She also from time to time and now much more frequently has been mounting them, jumping on their backs and grabbing the feathers on their heads. The girls look resigned and of course put up with it. I push her off if I'm around but am wondering if this is just normal behavior? She spent her first 5 months with roosters and when I "adopted" her I took her brother too, but he was quickly re-homed -- so it's been just Lucy and the other three girls the last 7 months.

So far she hasn't hurt the girls, doesn't look like they're missing any feathers on their heads or have been pecked too violently -- they do, however, look a bit ratty and ruffled up now and again. Don't know if that's due to Lucy's assaults or not.

She's certainly the noisiest hen and while she hasn't crowed, she sure comes close to it! She's the one who sounds alerts and ushers the girls around hither and yon.

She can be a stinker, but she does have her good qualities, too. I just don't want her to hurt the other hens -- of course, having Lucy mounting them is probably a more gentle proposition than if it were a rooster -- do you think?

Should I just ignore this unless the hens start looking bald or something?

 

[Kezzie]

Does she lay?

 

[Malpower]

Oh yes, nearly every day, big brown XL+ eggs -- one off the charts last week which I thought was a double yolker, but no, just double the size of normal!

 

[cmom]

Some hens will take a more dominant roll. As long as she is not hurting them and they are putting up with her I wouldn't worry too much but still keep an eye on her.

 

[Malpower]

Thanks -- I'll try not to worry about her and just keep my eye on her with the other girls -- make sure no one starts getting bald!

Enjoyed your pictures -- boy what a nifty operation you have, astounding at how much you do and everything looks neat and clean! You're an inspiration....I feel I must go out and clean up my very small and messy hen enclosure, right this minute!

Your RIR Blue looks similar to my NHR Lucy - two bossy red heads, no!?

 

[Maureen Gomez]

I also have a hen who is acting like a rooster. She is a 2 year old white leg horn, and I have raised her and her four sisters from 2 days old. She was always the bossy, top of the pecking order hen, but after this winter she has given up laying eggs and has become more and more rooster-like. Ironically, she was my most prolific egg layer last year, often giving 2 eggs a day! Is it possible that she just won't lay anymore? She has always had a difficult personality, but when she stopped laying, my Rhode Island Red stepped into the alpha hen role. Is it common for hens to just stop laying? She is not ill, eats and drinks like a champion, and maintains her surly disposition. Any feedback would be much appreciated!