Disturbing Rooster Behavior. HELP!

[Michele S]

I have two 24 week old roosters in my flock of 10 hens. In the past few weeks, they have matured and it is evident that one of the roosters is in charge. He is the one that crows, although they both are mounting hens because I have seen them and my hens are missing a lot of their back feathers now.

Yesterday, I noticed that the subordinate rooster is missing all his feathers in the same pattern the hens are missing theirs on his back. Now please tell me he is molting and that the dominate rooster isn't mounting him. What the heck? Any ideas? Roosters don't mount each other, do they? We are disturbed.

 

[Dora'smom]

They sometimes do mount a subordinate male. It happens.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, yes, a rooster will sometimes show dominance by mounting other subordinate roosters, however, are you positive that the other one is actually a male? And some hens will pluck the roosters' saddle feathers--I have one hen who always does it and it's not a protein deficiency, either. She just does it to every rooster.

 

[Mrs. K]

I was given a rooster that was the bottom third roosters, the other roosters made his life hell. When he came to me, he was missing more feathers than he had. (My girls looked at him, walked over to me, and looked as if they said, "This is the best you can do? Why did you bring that here?" It was comical. He is still kind of a scardy chicken. He does not like to be in the pen with me, or get too close to me, and will almost panic if I get too close to him.

Howver, my girls do seem happier with him, when they free range. We will see.

As to your issue, in all animals, mounting is a dominance stance. We have cattle, and sometimes you will see it in a bull, we get rid of that bull.

For that many chickens your whole flock might be happier with just one rooster. Mrs.K