I have eleven Australorp hens and one rooster. They are six months old. One hen seems to be going bald. I *think* she is being picked on. Haven't caught them in the act, so not sure. What do you think? What should I do?
That looks like rooster damage. He must be pulling them out when he mates. You can remove him to a separate pen to give her a break from the constant harassment.
Your six-month old cockerel is probably discovering sex and he's been practicing on this particular pullet. This is typical of a young cockerel that is just figuring out his moves. He will first grasp the head of his target, then if he can get her under control, mount her. Of course, a pullet of this age has no experience with the mating ritual, and she will resist because it feels like an attack. The result is head feathers get torn out.
If you spend some time observing the dynamics, you'll probably witness something along these lines. Hopefully, the young man will get smoother with practice and time. But meanwhile, he can be awfully hard on the girls while he's bumbling around trying to figure things out.
I have a five-month old cockerel right now who has no finesse whatsoever. He locates his target and launches himself at her like a torpedo, and the result is screeching and screaming and some is even from the chickens. His little lordship is now spending his days outside the run looking in. Peace reigns.
