Hen has open sores on her back. Rooster??

huntsman

Songster
11 Years
Jan 8, 2010
211
1
171
South Africa
I have a horrible feeling that I am supposed to be trimming the spurs on my rooster.
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Two of the girls have abraded skin on their backs which I am fairly sure is caused by the roo. Am I neglecting my duty?

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It could be the rooster - it could be other hens. Keep an eye out for feather picking and bullying. If there is none of that - & your rooster is young - its probably him.

Dont bother with trimming the spurs - its probably his feet doing it.

They make aprons you can put on the girls to protect her from this if it gets serious.

Most roosters relax some when they get a little older & are not so rough. The young ones tend to be kind of rough.
 
I agree with midget_farms' previous post. Unless you see actual open sores, I don't think it's anything to worry about. The aprons work really well and that gives the feathers underneath a chance to fill back in.
 
Very large roosters can cause serious damage with their spurs and toenails. Chickens heal rapidly- remove him from the flock for several weeks. If you want fertile eggs, allow him with the non-injured hens for "conjugal" visits.
 
Thanks for the replies -

This has been going on for about four months now, sometimes better, sometimes worse. He's now a big fella, but separating him is going to be near impossible, due to space.

Regarding eggs, we don't need any to be fertilised as we have reached saturation point.
 
I have dog crates and various pet cages I can put my hens in when needed. Look on craigs for a cheap one. Pull him from the group and see if new wounds turn up. I have issues with all my hens pecking,so I end up pulling the worst off for healing time inside. Chickens can be so mean!
 
I do have a 1m x 1m x 0.5m chicken wire cage which I could put inside the enclosure...perhaps I should rotate the girls who are injured?

There is no apparent feather plucking or bullying, so it's definitely my one roo. I know I said he was a big fella, but that was a typo...should have read, NOT a big fella!
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He's very protective of the girls and very vocal, and since I'm in a suburb, that's sure to annoy my neighbours eventually, so I might have to get rid of him anyway...
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Fortunately I have a lovely natured roo (oxymoron?) and a juvenile that can take over.
 
I have 2 black giant roosters and 2 bantam roosters. I have removed the 2 black giants from the flock for now because they are young and rough. I give my chickens watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew or a flock block to keep my chickens from pecking one another. Its a natural thing for them to peck.
 

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