A way to stop pecking?

CoolClucker

Songster
10 Years
Mar 10, 2013
143
17
176
Indiana USA
I have 13 hens and 1 roo and have 2 issues. One is that my roo's butt is bald. My hens pick his butt feathers out. No sores or bleeding but it's bald. Also, and this is more pressing, my roo is pulling the feathers out of my girls' heads. All of them have a tiny patch but one girl in particular is bald completely! It's even to the point she's getting little scabs b/c he draws blood. I check her and see no infection and put Neosporin on her head, and none of the other girls peck her. Just my roo. He wont' quit and I don't know what to do. I can't separate him, I have no where else to put him. I feel so bad for her, she looks terrible and her feathers can't grow back. Another of my girls is starting to go bald too. Anything I can buy and put on them to detour the pecking? I guess she's his favorite to mate with or something.
 
This has happened to my hen before. I put vaseline and coconut oil on her butt to soothe the reddness. During the next molt, they all grew back. You may want to also feed some foods with lots of protein content such as eggs, mealworms, qunioa, etc.


 
Yes, up their protein. Feed a grower feed with oyster shell on the side. Or try fermenting their feed (info on BYC).

Make sure if they have a run that the run is large enough for the number of chickens you have. If the hens don't have room to avoid him he can easily corner them.

Evaluate if you really need a rooster. It may be time to re-home him or place him in the stew pot.
 
Yes, up their protein. Feed a grower feed with oyster shell on the side. Or try fermenting their feed (info on BYC).

Make sure if they have a run that the run is large enough for the number of chickens you have. If the hens don't have room to avoid him he can easily corner them.

Evaluate if you really need a rooster. It may be time to re-home him or place him in the stew pot.
Are all roos like this? I really need a roo but the one i got a couple days ago is totally disrupting the harmony.
 

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