Back protectors?

[Mahtowagal]

I found a back protector apron that works just perfectly for us. No slippage, no twisting...so that is not my question. My question is why do I see so few of them!? It seems like 90% of the chicken pics I see, the hens (even with roosters) are naked? How do they get by like this? I really hate having to keep the aprons on them especially during the hottest days. We are in Minnesota so I take them off for the winter when my rooster is no longer mounting the girls. They do get that break for their feathers...but the summer months really take a toll on the tail feathers. I tried one time clipping my roosters nails but he bled too much...so I'm simply not comfortable with that. I have greyhounds and am an avid nail clipper and dremel user ...but rooster nails seem a bit more likely to bleed. I have all Cochins...and my rooster is not an aggressive one at all... but just the regular mounting HAS caused deep wounds in the past prior to using the aprons so I just can't go that route. Wondering why my situation is so different. ? I have 8 hens and 1 rooster.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Good question.. Did you inspect for mites? Or are they moulting?

 

[Pyxis]

You don't have enough hens for your rooster to spread his amorous attentions over if they can't go bare without losing all their back feathers. Usually having at least ten hens per rooster solves this issue. Sometimes some roosters are just too aggressive about mating and even that is not enough, or there is a favorite hen who takes the brunt of it and needs protection, but in your case it sounds like it's either not enough hens or the rooster is being very aggressive about mating and is mating with them too much.

By the way, if clipping your rooster's nails made him bleed, you clipped them too much and hit the quick. Normally when you clip nails, if you do it properly and to the proper length, there is no bleeding. The wounds you saw were likely caused by his spurs, have you tried trimming, blunting, or removing those?

If you don't want to have to use saddles any longer, you can try getting more hens. That's really all you could do, aside from splitting the rooster away from them most of the time.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Good question.. Did you inspect for mites? Or are they moulting?

Nothing to do with that. It's just the puncture marks from his talons..

 

[Mahtowagal]

You don't have enough hens for your rooster to spread his amorous attentions over if they can't go bare without losing all their back feathers. Usually having at least ten hens per rooster solves this issue. Sometimes some roosters are just too aggressive about mating and even that is not enough, or there is a favorite hen who takes the brunt of it and needs protection, but in your case it sounds like it's either not enough hens or the rooster is being very aggressive about mating and is mating with them too much.

By the way, if clipping your rooster's nails made him bleed, you clipped them too much and hit the quick. Normally when you clip nails, if you do it properly and to the proper length, there is no bleeding. The wounds you saw were likely caused by his spurs, have you tried trimming, blunting, or removing those?

If you don't want to have to use saddles any longer, you can try getting more hens. That's really all you could do, aside from splitting the rooster away from them most of the time.

I used to have 10 hens...was no different then. They dont lose their feathers...that's not the problem. Just the talon punctures.. I know I clipped too much and hit the quick...but I didnt take much so I'm not willing to try it again He didnt have any spurs... he is young.. He has just the start of them now.

 

[Mahtowagal]

I'm just surprised there arent more hens wearing aprons.... and more wound issues. I've asked locals that have multiple roosters and they said they just have never noticed any wounds... I guess it's just his way. I was just curious..

 

[Mahtowagal]

I was just thinking more about it. This all happened when I had 10 hens, not 8. I started aproning them when they were here the first year. So they have not been naked over summer since then. There were 3 wounds. Two healed, the third chicken developed an infection in her shoulder and died. So I just never experimented again to see if the rest of the girls would be ok naked. I just keep the protectors on now spring to winter. Hate them. Wish I didnt have to but I just dont see another way. I've never noticed any to have bald or backs or any noticeable feather loss....other than during their molt.

 

[Pyxis]

Was your rooster also in his first year when all this happened? I ask because at that time they are full of hormones, just learning to mate, and accidents happen. Now that he's older things may be different.

 

[Mace Gill]

Just put a saddle on a girl today ... In his first year he was over mating (seven hens) and four hens needed saddles, last year was okay (nine hens), this year only two girls need. Next year we'll have eleven hens and everything should be okay.

No punctures or wounds, thankfully ... just rubbed raw.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Was your rooster also in his first year when all this happened? I ask because at that time they are full of hormones, just learning to mate, and accidents happen. Now that he's older things may be different.

Yes...it was his first and second summers.... I'm just afraid to "test" things now because once one is injured badly, that's it.... and I dont want to have to bring it in the house again etc... I had one heal up and stay in the flock but that one wasnt too bad of a wound.