puisheb
Chirping
Hi All
First & most important, this website's participants are godsends. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I did a search through the forums and I believe that my rooster is likely the culprit. However, as I am new at having chickens, I wanted to reach out to the hive mind and see what you think of what I plan to do about this.
Background: I have 9 hens & 1 rooster, all Buff Orpingtons, which I picked up as chicks on 5/14/21. They live in a 12x12 insulated coop, with 3 windows for light & ventilation vents. The outdoor run is not yet completed (a variety of family medical emergencies followed by weather has delayed us significantly). They have 3 feed tubes (I wanted to limit resource guarding & fighting). When I bring in mealworms, sunflower seeds, crack, etc, I divide it into 3 different spots, again in an attempt to allow everyone to eat peacefully. I try to put something interesting for them to eat that is different once a week. They have a large waterer and nesting boxes – though I find that their favorite nesting spots are under the boxes and next to the feed bin. I see that at night, while they have a roosting bar that extends across the coop, thus it is 12 feet long – they generally all like to bunch up next to each other. I do not watch them throughout the day, as I am in and out for my work.
Last Sat (2/7/22), I walked into the coop to find one of my hens with a bloody, featherless back area. I included pictures in this post.
After reading about possible causes, I separated her from the flock by putting her in a medium dog crate that fits within the coop itself so that she is safe from picking, but still with her flock. The crate has food, water, and I created a little roost for her by suspending a cat sling. (She actually uses it) She was quite vocal about being separated like this and continues to vocalize when I go into her crate and change her water and exchange bedding. Over the week, she produced 4 eggs.
Over the week, I became hypersensitive to my hens’ appearance. Today, I have taken note that other hens seem to be heading in the same direction: their “fluff” is showing, feathers are disappearing, and at least 2 have super short feathers around the top of their necks as though the feathers there are being chopped. I have attached picts here too.
Please pardon my newbie language here – I am thinking that my rooster is addicted to mating (or at least mating attempts) and this may be the cause of my hens’ problems. I have noticed that as I am in the coop daily, he attempts to mate with hends. It’s never a very happy sounding or looking event. Admittedly, I am new so perhaps this is not a pleasant event - I don't know.
Here’s what I plan to do tomorrow. Please tell me what you think. I am going to swap out my current “patient” from the dog crate and put the rooster in there instead. Perhaps he needs some days to just chill and not be so sex-crazed. Perhaps after a week or 2 or 3 weeks, I will let him out and see how he does. I have a camera in the coop so I could watch what happens at a few points in the day. I hope we can get this outdoor run done, though I am not certain that the additional space will reduce his teenage libido.
I am open to your thoughts and suggestions on what I plan to do and perhaps other actions I should consider.
Thank you!
Newbie Chicken Owner
Emily in Colorado
First & most important, this website's participants are godsends. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I did a search through the forums and I believe that my rooster is likely the culprit. However, as I am new at having chickens, I wanted to reach out to the hive mind and see what you think of what I plan to do about this.
Background: I have 9 hens & 1 rooster, all Buff Orpingtons, which I picked up as chicks on 5/14/21. They live in a 12x12 insulated coop, with 3 windows for light & ventilation vents. The outdoor run is not yet completed (a variety of family medical emergencies followed by weather has delayed us significantly). They have 3 feed tubes (I wanted to limit resource guarding & fighting). When I bring in mealworms, sunflower seeds, crack, etc, I divide it into 3 different spots, again in an attempt to allow everyone to eat peacefully. I try to put something interesting for them to eat that is different once a week. They have a large waterer and nesting boxes – though I find that their favorite nesting spots are under the boxes and next to the feed bin. I see that at night, while they have a roosting bar that extends across the coop, thus it is 12 feet long – they generally all like to bunch up next to each other. I do not watch them throughout the day, as I am in and out for my work.
Last Sat (2/7/22), I walked into the coop to find one of my hens with a bloody, featherless back area. I included pictures in this post.
After reading about possible causes, I separated her from the flock by putting her in a medium dog crate that fits within the coop itself so that she is safe from picking, but still with her flock. The crate has food, water, and I created a little roost for her by suspending a cat sling. (She actually uses it) She was quite vocal about being separated like this and continues to vocalize when I go into her crate and change her water and exchange bedding. Over the week, she produced 4 eggs.
Over the week, I became hypersensitive to my hens’ appearance. Today, I have taken note that other hens seem to be heading in the same direction: their “fluff” is showing, feathers are disappearing, and at least 2 have super short feathers around the top of their necks as though the feathers there are being chopped. I have attached picts here too.
Please pardon my newbie language here – I am thinking that my rooster is addicted to mating (or at least mating attempts) and this may be the cause of my hens’ problems. I have noticed that as I am in the coop daily, he attempts to mate with hends. It’s never a very happy sounding or looking event. Admittedly, I am new so perhaps this is not a pleasant event - I don't know.
Here’s what I plan to do tomorrow. Please tell me what you think. I am going to swap out my current “patient” from the dog crate and put the rooster in there instead. Perhaps he needs some days to just chill and not be so sex-crazed. Perhaps after a week or 2 or 3 weeks, I will let him out and see how he does. I have a camera in the coop so I could watch what happens at a few points in the day. I hope we can get this outdoor run done, though I am not certain that the additional space will reduce his teenage libido.
I am open to your thoughts and suggestions on what I plan to do and perhaps other actions I should consider.
Thank you!
Newbie Chicken Owner
Emily in Colorado
