Sex changing chicken!!!!!!!!!

[scarletwitch]

We have three hens, all two years old, and usually good layers. I noticed recently that the chief hen was laying thin shelled eggs with rubbery whites. She has now bulked up in size and is mounting the others on a regular basis! Her comb is also bigger and more scarlet and egg laying almost diminished.

I have read that this can happen to 1 in 10000 hens but is there anything I can do to reverse it? Our hens are not pets so I'd like to avoid the evil necessary if possible.

[Siena]

I have heard of this actually although I haven't seen it myself. I read that it can happen when there is no rooster with the flock so one hen takes the dominant male position. I don't suppose a rooster is an option? Great if you were ultimately planning to get chicks but I wouldn't think it an option if all you want to do is avoid killing her!

Sorry I can't be of more help. John Seymour reckons that there is great eating in an old hen! Hope I'm not being insensitive. I know some people would keep her as a pet anyway.

[Sky]

I think it's when their ovaries stop working for some reason or other.
If she's not crowing and not harming the other chucks can't you just keep her. Alternatively .... if she looks nice and chunky and you don't want to waste feed on her when she's not laying then only thing I can suggest is putting her in the pot lol.

[Millymollymandy]

Sounds like her egg laying days are over as mine went through the thin shelled eggs before stopping completely. I doubt if you can reverse that!

As for mounting the others my female ducks bonk all the time which is quite hysterical to watch but I've not heard of that amongst hens!

[kimmie]

As for mounting the others my female ducks bonk all the time which is quite hysterical to watch but I've not heard of that amongst hens!

glad mines not the only one there then had a triple decker yesterday one female on another then darren the drake climbed ontop

[Millymollymandy]

That must have been really funny to watch!

[kimmie]

it was, but i felt sorry for the duck at the bottom!

[Millymollymandy]

Kimmie are they doing it on land or water? Mine are big white ducks who can only do it in the water so the poor one underneath gets half drowned - though they don't seem to mind one bit.

[kimmie]

yeap same here ...big white ducks....although they do it in the pond..the pond isnt that deep now a friend of mine decided to be helpful and us an axe to break the ice on it....and yep she went through the liner too but we still have some polytunnel liner left that we can use to fix it (lost the polytunnel to a storm last year...and although the frame is now fixed, the plastic is no good for the tunnel)...and i guess at least the duck at the bottom couldnt drown now

[sleepyowl]

I've seen a 4some between 3 male & 1 female mallard before now

[Millymollymandy]

So have I, always feel sorry for Mrs Mallard who gets gang raped repeatedly. You can tell the difference between a duck who wants to do it and one who is trying to say F*** Off to the males!