Odd Hen Behavior - Is This Normal?

[josephdad]

I'm a very open-minded person but I don't think (this is completely aside from whatever your beliefs are in the human world) that chickens, or any animal for that matter, can be "LGBTQ" and they certainly do not have a "Community". Animals, especially birds, do not have complex cognitive ability like humans and rely on instinct and innate behaviors.

So if you're not just being silly/funny- you may want to try and diagnose what may actually be going on with your birds. However, based on your comments of "I'm losing money", etc. I'm going to guess you are more looking for attention/joking than actually giving a care about your chickens and as I write this I am not sure why I am even replying... but I am now this far in so be it.

Hens will always try to establish the pecking order however they see fit. So if your hens are mounting each other, they're just laying down the law. Likewise, if they are clustering together it is usually for protection as chickens have a flock animal mentality (AKA if there are a bunch of us and a predator comes, at least some of us will get away in the frenzy). If they're not laying and just "hanging out with each other" then perhaps they have passed their best laying time in their life (usually up to 3-4 years).

But again, your comment/title- which is likely offensive to actual LGBTQ people because you are comparing them to chickens, and likely offensive to non-LGBTQ people because likewise, you are comparing them to chickens- leaves much to be desired.

By LGBTQ i was just saying that I think my hens aren't straight. I didn't literally mean that.

 

[CHlCKEN]

By LGBTQ i was just saying that I think my hens aren't straight. I didn't literally mean that.

Chickens revert to instinct when it comes to finding a partner. This being said, Romantic feelings for the same sex are most likely not to occur.

 

[josephdad]

I'm sorry, but this makes no sense whatsoever.
What are you seeing? Post a video or some photos of behavior and birds.

If you have a hen that is mounting another, usually it's dominance. What does this have to do with selling eggs? How does this affect/cause you to lose business?
Has your egg production decreased since this behavior began?

I'm sorry I cannot post a video right now because I am at work. That's why it's taking me a while to respond. If I remember, I will do it when I come home from work if I don't have to work too late.

 

[SusannasMom]

I'm sorry I cannot post a video right now because I am at work. That's why it's taking me a while to respond. If I remember, I will do it when I come home from work if I don't have to work too late.

A multi jobbed-man

 

[josephdad]

It's not only that they are mounting each other but it's that both of them won't do anything with the roosters. When one lays an egg, it'll hide it somewhere so only both of them knows where it is. They hide it from the roosters. obviously, I move them so that the roosters can fertilize them but it's still a problem.

 

[KingD]

Chickens don’t feel romantic attraction in the way humans do. Saying your hens are attracted to each other does sound cute, but I highly doubt this is the case. If by this you are referring to the fact that they mount each other in the way rosters do, this isn’t sexual or “romantic” behavior. Simply, it’s a way of showing dominance. I don’t know how this would slow egg production though, so we need clarification by exactly what you mean with this statement.

Ahhh but how do YOU know??

 

[KingD]

It's not only that they are mounting each other but it's that both of them won't do anything with the roosters. When one lays an egg, it'll hide it somewhere so only both of them knows where it is. They hide it from the roosters. obviously, I move them so that the roosters can fertilize them but it's still a problem.

Roosters can't fertilize an already layed egg. They mount the hens therefore creating fertile eggs to be layed..hope this makes sense.

 

[CHlCKEN]

It's not only that they are mounting each other but it's that both of them won't do anything with the roosters. When one lays an egg, it'll hide it somewhere so only both of them knows where it is. They hide it from the roosters. obviously, I move them so that the roosters can fertilize them but it's still a problem.

An egg isn’t fertilized that way.... Sperm is released into the hen by the rooster when he mounts her, then fertilizing the egg in the oviduct.

 

[josephdad]

ok i dont really know how all that works I just kinda guessed. I'm not an expert on chickens I just inherited a bunch from my grandfather's farm because he died a few months ago.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It's not only that they are mounting each other but it's that both of them won't do anything with the roosters. When one lays an egg, it'll hide it somewhere so only both of them knows where it is. They hide it from the roosters. obviously, I move them so that the roosters can fertilize them but it's still a problem.

Are you saying you move the eggs so the rooster can fertilized an already laid egg?