My 16 week old Delaware rooster has been grabbing at his girls along the back of the head, middle of the back and at the tail feathers in what I thought was his juvenile first attempts at mating. However, I noticed after about a week of his antics that his unsuccessful attempts appear to have gone from foreplay to feather picking. He is actually eating the feathers he pulls out. He also is now grabbing at the girls sides not just along the back and he has gone after the GLW Roo that he's never even bothered before until now. So is this behavior just foreplay or has he developed a habit of feather picking? I don't want to allow him to continue with the feather picking if that is what's happening however, if he's just learning to get his groove on so to speak, I'm not inclined to thwart his efforts.
I've only been keeping chickens for 15 weeks so this is all new to me. I certainly don't want to rely solely on my own interpretation of the situation. Thanks for your imput.
I've only been keeping chickens for 15 weeks so this is all new to me. I certainly don't want to rely solely on my own interpretation of the situation. Thanks for your imput.
