Bare patches....caused by pecking??

[hannahsflock]

Thank you everyone for all the info. I have a rooster, but this hen is the only one who has these bare patches, so I'm thinking, if it is the rooster, could he have a favorite hen? The skin under her feathers on her neck is a bit red. I've separated her, and I'm hoping for the best. Thinking of adding a few more Amber Links hens. Do you think it would be a good idea to add some other type of breed to my flock? And if so, which one is the best?

Thank you again,

~ Hannah

 

[PSJ]

Thank you everyone for all the info. I have a rooster, but this hen is the only one who has these bare patches, so I'm thinking, if it is the rooster, could he have a favorite hen? The skin under her feathers on her neck is a bit red. I've separated her, and I'm hoping for the best. Thinking of adding a few more Amber Links hens. Do you think it would be a good idea to add some other type of breed to my flock? And if so, which one is the best?

Thank you again,

~ Hannah

It is possible she is his favorite. high protein will help the feathers grow back faster. I don't think breed really matters other than personal preference

 

[One Chick Two]

Thank you everyone for all the info. I have a rooster, but this hen is the only one who has these bare patches, so I'm thinking, if it is the rooster, could he have a favorite hen? The skin under her feathers on her neck is a bit red. I've separated her, and I'm hoping for the best. Thinking of adding a few more Amber Links hens. Do you think it would be a good idea to add some other type of breed to my flock? And if so, which one is the best?

Thank you again,

~ Hannah

Hannah, Yes, roosters often do have favorites. If you have less than 10 hens already in with your rooster, you might consider adding more.

If you add more hens from an outside source, make sure to quarantine them for a month, and worm them if necessary. After you are positive they are healthy, put their cage nearby your flock, so they can get to know each other for about a week before adding them to the flock.

It can be dangerous to just add unknown, newly purchased hens to an established, healthy flock. We had purchased expensive birds from a breeder, got the birds home, then realized they all had a very bad case of roundworms. The roo nearly passed from worm overload- we had to tube feed him and nurse him back to health. It took a month to clear them all out as you have to worm twice, and it's two weeks between wormings. It was 25 days before we could use any eggs.

Amber links are sweet birds who lay well. There are so many wonderful laying breeds out there... Black sexlinks, Australorp, RIR, Wyandotte, Americaunas, Salmon Faverolles, etc. So many wonderful birds out there.

 

[hannahsflock]

I do agree, Amber Links are sweet. My hens are all very friendly, and coo and cluck all the time! Especially this poor hen who has the bare patches. Her favorite thing in the world is having a cuddle!!

What size flock would you recommend?