Chicken hat

[Noraaaaa]

So my 3 Wyandotte hens have been separated from their rooster for a week and a half now. The rooster is quite upset and needs to go back with them. The problem is, when he mates with them he doesn't have much balance so he pulls out head feathers. They have pin feathers now, but when I put him back he may pull them out. I need the feathers to grow back in. Is there any sort of thing I can add to their heads like a hat or something to prevent him from pulling feathers out?

 

[GodLovesU]

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...2LAxVbfDABHUeQIVMQwg8oAHoECAQQDQ&nis=8&adurl=
I wonder if something like that would work. One rooster for three hens is a lot. Are they bantams?

 

[Noraaaaa]

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...2LAxVbfDABHUeQIVMQwg8oAHoECAQQDQ&nis=8&adurl=
I wonder if something like that would work. One rooster for three hens is a lot. Are they bantams?

Yes. We haven’t had problems with it but he just has trouble balancing on them.

 

[arianna7]

When chickens mate the male grabs the back of the female's head. This head grab is her signal to raise her tail, maybe she is resisting him more so he feels he has to be more aggressive. if you have another roo, it might be good to see if when you put him with them if the problem continues.

 

[Daisy June]

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...2LAxVbfDABHUeQIVMQwg8oAHoECAQQDQ&nis=8&adurl=
I wonder if something like that would work. One rooster for three hens is a lot. Are they bantams?

Those hats are so precious. I worry that the rooster would then use the hat to steady himself and his pulling would choke the girls.

 

[Noraaaaa]

When chickens mate the male grabs the back of the female's head. This head grab is her signal to raise her tail, maybe she is resisting him more so he feels he has to be more aggressive. if you have another roo, it might be good to see if when you put him with them if the problem continues.

I think its just because he cant balance. I have watched and he sometimes falls off. He dosent make them bloody or anything.

 

[K0k0shka]

3 hens are far too few for one rooster. The feathers may be getting pulled not so much from the act itself, as from the fact that he's doing it over and over to just a few hens, so each is getting a lot more pulling per day than she would if he was spreading his efforts among more hens. It's probably a bad combination of too few hens plus a rooster who sucks at balancing. It's hard for any of them to balance, since they don't have hands, so all roosters grab the head, but some are definitely better at it than others. Do you absolutely need a rooster? If you don't have a pressing need for one, I'd get rid of him. Or at the very least get him 5-6 more hens. Or replace him with a rooster who is better at the job (as verified by his previous owner). Your current situation is not good for the hens, so you'll need to do something before they start losing skin as well.

I would not use those hats. They are made to look cute and to sell, but they are impractical and dangerous. If they are tied too loose, the rooster will just pull them off. And if they are tied tightly enough to not come off, then he'll choke the hen while pulling on the hat. The hen can get the hat caught on something and choke herself even without a rooster. Those aren't hats for actual wear, they are for photo ops.

 

[Noraaaaa]

3 hens are far too few for one rooster. The feathers may be getting pulled not so much from the act itself, as from the fact that he's doing it over and over to just a few hens, so each is getting a lot more pulling per day than she would if he was spreading his efforts among more hens. It's probably a bad combination of too few hens plus a rooster who sucks at balancing. It's hard for any of them to balance, since they don't have hands, so all roosters grab the head, but some are definitely better at it than others. Do you absolutely need a rooster?

I have him so I can breeding and show him.

If you don't have a pressing need for one, I'd get rid of him. Or at the very least get him 5-6 more hens. Or replace him with a rooster who is better at the job (as verified by his previous owner). Your current situation is not good for the hens, so you'll need to do something before they start losing skin as well.

I have had about 4 batches of chickens with a 3-1 ratio. I have never had previous problems. I don't think he over mates them because not every egg is fertile and they have no feather loss on back. I am putting 2 more hens in there when they get older but I don't have enough room for to many more. The hens are not scared of him and I know he doesn't mate them a lot. They go outside daily and have a very large outside space. He is also a very respectful rooster (examples: I have seen him not mate a hen if she doesn't squat down even if he asks, he hands them food, he doesn't peck them at all, etc.). The breeder I bought him and the hens from said that he was a good rooster and that 3 hens and him would be fine.

I would not use those hats. They are made to look cute and to sell, but they are impractical and dangerous. If they are tied too loose, the rooster will just pull them off. And if they are tied tightly enough to not come off, then he'll choke the hen while pulling on the hat. The hen can get the hat caught on something and choke herself even without a rooster. Those aren't hats for actual wear, they are for photo ops.

yep! I was wondering if there was some sort of sleezy thing, like for show horses.

 

[Noraaaaa]

I would also like to note that the feather loss is very mild and I am only a little upset about it because they are show birds. It has not had worse progression in the last 1.5 months and they are not irritated or bleeding.

 

[Logar]

3 hens are far too few for one rooster

That is not true at all. There is no set ratio for chickens. I have seen people keep in pairs and trios with no problem. I have also seen people with 1 roo to 20 hens who then have issues.