Hen feathers not regrowing after rooster cull

[mamabones]

So my rooster was over mating with a few hens in the flock to the point that they perpetually had bareback and 2 of them had major feather loss around their heads and necks.

He ended up bullying one of the hens to the point that she wouldn’t leave the coop so I culled him.

I have 8 hens. They are a year old. They have about 1,500 square feet to roam. Now as they are establishing a pecking order the top hen is feather picking the ones that have the bald spots. It’s been over a month and a half and they don’t look any better. I’ve witnessed her do it on multiple occasions.

I’m considering separating the coop in half and putting the featherless ones on one side with the hens higher up on the other.

I just can’t decide which group should get the full access to their range - the ones missing feathers? I know some people are camp separate the bulllied while others are camp separate the bullies.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

The feathers likely won't fully regrow until the fall, when they molt again. Is the top hen really going after the bald ones? If it's just her, I would separate her for a few weeks, giving the rest of the flock access to the range area. Separating her should reset the pecking order a bit, and when you put her back in, she should be more focused on regaining her place in the flock than bullying. That's the theory at least.

If the bullied ones are constantly having to run from her and hide in corners, I would for sure separate the bully. If it's just a peck here and there, and the featherless ones don't seem too scared, I would just keep an eye on them and not separate.

Keep in mind that when they molt, you'll have to separate the bald ones because the pinfeathers coming in are really sensitive and bleed easily.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I agree with the above they are not going to grow back any feathers until they go through their fall molt.

 

[mamabones]

Why won’t they grow new feathers until fall molt?

 

[mamabones]

I can see little fuzzy feathers coming in that keep getting pecked out

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Why won’t they grow new feathers until fall molt?

It takes a LOT of energy to grow in new feathers, that's why they stop laying while they molt. It's just not energy-efficient to have to grow in new feathers all the time. They might grow back partially, but they're not going to fully grow back until fall.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why won’t they grow new feathers until fall molt?

They might not grow back until the molt. It is not a sure thing. If even a tiny bit of the old feather is left behind they will not grow a new feather until the molt. That happens a lot.

It is also possible another hen is pecking the feathers as they try to grow back. If you see one pecking feathers try isolating her for a few weeks. Give them a chance to grow back.

It could be either scenario.