Mr P was good until he moulted last winter; then one day someone broke one of his pin feathers and it bled very heavily. I sure did freak out when I say him coated in blood!
That was it, the younger hens learned they could pick at him and he wouldn’t fight back. If he blasted them, they would leave him alone. But he just puts up with it. Then they learnt his butt feathers were good also.
Poor boy
He is in the midst of a moult again so so until all his feathers have grown in he is to remain separated from the younger hens (tippy, Eli-too, butterscotch, muffy, little grey, babe, Ruth, cash, sue) who are the worst ones. Penelope will pick at him but I haven’t seen her break any pin feathers yet.
Last night I was checking him over, cleaning up some of the old scabs on his head and broke a pin feather, they are so easy to break. Some Ali-spray helped stop the bleeding and coated the pink skin and enticing pin feathers on his head from prying eyes.
Bert is 11 months old so he won’t moult until spring. But I am sure he would be like his Dada and let the ladies pick at him. I do see the younger hens and this years chicklets ‘grooming’ his head and chin feathers. He doesn’t even move from them.