Bald head from mating - looks awful - cull rooster?

[Kotiya]

Several of my girls are going bald because my second-in-line rooster (beautiful but not dominant) seems to be mating rather harshly. We have 18 girls about 7-8 months old and 2 roosters same age. All the chickens have stayed in the coop since december when it got cold. Coop is 10x12 with large outdoor run. Otherwise everyone seems great. I apologize for blurry photo, but no one wanted to stay still for me, and it wasn't very bright in coop. Any suggestions will be appreciated! Its actually much worse than photo on two ladies. Please help!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have any great advice for you. Most roosters get better with maturity, but not all do. This link may be interesting reading in this regard for you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250327

I think there is also a correlation of how much the pullets or hens resist the advances of the rooster to the damage the rooster does. And I think there is also a correlation between his dominance and the pullet's or hen's willingness to submit. The pullets are not as ready to submit to the second in charge so he gets more physical with them

If you get rid of this rooster then the fertility of your flock could drop. The dominant rooster may or may not be able to keep all pullets fertile. Introducing a new rooster has its own set of potential problems from quarantine to integration.

It is a bit of a dilemma. I don't know your goals or how important having a second rooster in your flock is to you. I think you have two primary options, either get rid of this rooster or keep him and watch for any blood or actual injury to the skin of the pullets. Him pulling out the feathers like that increases the risk of an injury but is no guarantee that the pullets will actually be injured.

I'm going through the same general problem and I only have one rooster with 7 pullets. He was the second in command at one time and the pullets still do not submit to him as well as I wish they would. I think the risk to my pullets (about 40 weeks old) would be less if he could really dominate them in spirit.

 

[MareeZoCool]

Those girls are beautiful! Maybe some bonnets on their heads, for protection?

 

[MareeZoCool]

Your girls are beautiful!

Maybe some bonnets on their heads for protection?

 

[lauralou]

Oh, I would hate that so very much! I like for my ladies to look their best...

I suppose it really depends on whether or not you need for all of your hens to be well-covered and producing fertile eggs. If not, consider rehoming the one fella. If so, give him time to mature and hope that he will develop better skills in the romance department?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

My BO's looked like yours for about the first year and a half. It finally stopped. I think it takes the hens a while to figure out what's going on and once they stop resisting, their feathers grow back. They also had bald backs for a while too so don't be alarmed. It all grows back.