Breeding

[parents dairy]

Hello everyone,I am a new chicken owner since this spring. I have 8 hens and 2 roosters. All doing very well. Hens are laying every day but my roosters are really tearing up my Hens feathers during breeding and on a few it is very bad. I am worried about the Hens since cell a few of them have lost so many feathers they are running around naked. Does anyone have any suggestions on treating the Hens wounds,and are these roosters doing this because they are young? All my chickens are free range and go in the coop and roost at night. They are all tame so I can doctor or treat them just not sure what to do. Thanks for any info.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. You have too many roosters for the number of hens you have and your hens are being over-bred. The recommended ratio of roosters to hens is 1 rooster for every 10 hens. The youth of your roosters is not the problem: in fact the problem will only get worse as they age. Too many roosters are very hard physically on hens; over-breeding them, biting and plucking the feathers from their necks and backs, battering them, and potentially, seriously injuring them. The only reason you really need a rooster is to ferilize eggs for hatching and 1 rooster can easily handle 10-15 hens in that regard. I would immediately remove the roosters from the flock and treat your hens wounds with Blue Kote Wound Dressing. After they heal I would put only one rooster back in the flock with them and probably get at least two more hens to go with the flock. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! I agree 100% with Michael in that you have too many Roos and you need to remove them to give your hens a chance of recovery. As you have said your hens are naked are they going through moult too? Rooster damage could be exasperated by the lack of feathers on your hens to begin with if they are moulting.

Hope you are able to get your hens well again soon.

 

[N F C]

x3 on Michael's comments! In addition to the Blu-Kote, you can buy or make chicken saddles (also called aprons) to protect your girl's from the feather damage/loss. They look like this:


Thanks for joining us, it's nice to have you here!

 

[drumstick diva]

If you don't need fertile eggs for hatching or sale, there is no need to have the hens suffer. Send the boys to bachelor prison, or rehome them. Your hens will happily keep churning out eggs albeit infertile ones.

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!