favored hen losing back feathers

[Eyeshot]

my rooster has a few favorite hens(obviously) and they're losing a lot of their back feathers, I've heard of using saddles, but id rather not get them unless theres no other way. ya'll got any other ideas?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Separate the rooster for a while or get more hens. The hens will be fertile for weeks after he's separated.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I have the same problem here at the moment because out of 10 hens by rooster favors two, the others get almost no attention. So he is penned up seperately for a while to give them a break.

 

[Eyeshot]

where should i put him? we sold all our dog cages a while ago, we do have a rabbit cage(about 2' x 4') that we use to break broody hens....but he's a cochin so its really tight

, if you got any ideas on any type of cagish thing i could use, that would be helpful, thanks

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's always nice to have another small coop to quarantine new or sick birds. I would just build something simple and predator proof. It doesn't have to be fancy.

 

[Eyeshot]

It's always nice to have another small coop to quarantine new or sick birds. I would just build something simple and predator proof. It doesn't have to be fancy.

alright, thanks for the ideas, i'll figure something out...it definitally wont be fancy(our coop is basically no more than a shed).

one more question, about how long do you think i'll have to keep him separated?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'd wait till feather start growing back. No telling how long that will be. Unless you want fertile eggs or predator protection, then return him sooner.