Bare spot on rooster chest

[Lyn862]

My rooster is missing feathers high on his chest. Right below his neck is a bald spot on his chest. I decided he needed the spot duct taped as chickens were pecking at it. He just would stand there and let them. It is right at their eye level. I am wondering if the hens caused this or if he might have done it to himself. When we were duct-taping the chest, we noticed that also the front of one thigh is bare. So I duct-taped that too.

I really don't expect the duct tape to stick very long. He is already trying to get it off. I got the idea to duct tape him because my hens had bald spots on their backs down by their tails. I thought it was from mating and read online that you could make saddles out of duct tape. The hens have put up with their duct taped saddles and they have lasted more than a week so far. I'm just wondering what causes all this. Do I have a hen that is plucking everybody? Or just a lusty rooster? And how do I fix it? Separate them?

 

[Judy]

There are several possible causes. Insufficient protein and insufficient space are some of the more common. It is possible one of the hens is trying to be dominant over him. If you can identify one or two that are doing this, isolate them for a week or so. If not, you may have to isolate him to protect him. However, when you isolate one, then try to return them to the flock, that one becomes the lowest on the pecking order; this is why isolating the pluckers is better.

There are some good threads here on feather picking and plucking. Go to Index, then FAQ, and scroll down to the links. Good luck.