Blue Orpington Rooster behavior

[CloggingChicken]

I have a flock with two Blue Orp and one SLW Rooster and various hens including Wyandotte, Blue and Buff Orps. There is one particular Roo that seems to wait for hens to wander around then he is all over them with love. It has now gotten to the point where 3 hens are scratched and injured and more are showing signs of wear. He is scratching right through their sides under the wings and wearing off their back feathers. I don't think that aprons are going cover where he appears to be injuring them and hate the idea of the hens suffering. Our egg production has actually gone down since the injuries have started. Does any one know what else might be tried to keep the injuries down? I have posted in the FS area thinking that giving him away may be the only reprieve for the hens and hate to think that he be craigslisted for meat but don't know what else to do. He is really quite docile and doesn't mind being handled.

Thanks for any ideas.
Bill

 

[AkTomboy]

I have a Blue and a Splash Orp boy who can be quite uhm eager I guess. I have put saddles on 4 girls and just got two with wing protectors for the two favorite girls. I think this made a huge improvement. I have also been told about peepers working well but I have never used them. Good luck

ETA

I also keep my roos nails trimmed. And on a side note my hubby is from SC talk about a transplant

 

[The Chicken People]

Hey i have a solution...Send me one of your Blue Orp Roo! Problem solved!

 

[speckledhen]

We've had to sew up two different blue Orp hens due to my huge Blue Orp rooster's weight, even after trimming his spurs. The saddles need flaps to cover their flanks and that will fix it. I make them with faux leather fabric, which is very tough, and with extra flaps over their flanks. Works great! Here's the one I make. Ain't pretty, but it works very well. The extra flaps are what you need.

 

[AkTomboy]

Speckledhen I love that idea! I will keep it in mind if my roos start getting to the flanks. Thanks for the great idea!

 

[Diavolicchio]

Quote:
Speckledhen:

Any chance you could post a photo of one of your hens wearing your design? I'm still at a bit of a loss for how that thing fits and how it stays on.

And no, I'm not some sicko into hen lingerie

Thanks,


John

 

[AkTomboy]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=131065

If you look in this thread you will see pictures of chickens wearing saddles pg 17 and 19 are some good pics just for a few. Speckledhen's has the extra for the flanks to be covered.

Hope this helps ya

 

[speckledhen]

Mine has elastic that goes over the wings and settles right where the wing attaches to the body. It slips through the tongue back and forth for ease of putting it on. There needs to be batting or something in between the top and bottom piece of fabric, in addition to heavy fabric like the faux leather for weight so it won't flip over her head all the time.

 

[Diavolicchio]

Quote:
Cynthia,

That makes much more sense now. Thanks for posting the pic.

Now do you have any hens dressed up in a seductive French Maid's outfit, kinda like his cat?

Now we're talkin' . . .

John

 

[speckledhen]

Hahahaha, no, sorry, we don't dress up our animals for fun here at the Chicken Asylum! The saddles were completely necessary equipment for my Suede's women. Even with hens who are not with a big tank of a rooster like he is, the saddles protect their bare backs and keep them warmer during a hard molt, which one of my blue Orps in that picture is trying to recover from. Took forever!