Hen pecked!

[jodiv]

I just bought 2 young roosters from a neighbor. They are fairly young, the one still kinda makes chick peeping sounds but is fully feathered. Anyways. My hens picked at the brown one for a while, till he held his ground, but they constantly still pick at my white rooster.

The poor thing shoves his head into the fence with his butt in the air so they dont pic at his head. I feel kinda sorry for him. I know once he gets bigger, which he will he wont be easily pushed around, but his feathers are picked clean off his back, and it looks like it hurts like hell. Any suggestions?

This is poor Puff

This is the older chick he was raised with (Winston), dont think they are siblings, but they hang together.

 

[fordmommy]

They should get nicer. Give it a week. My girls still pick on my two cockerals every day. They've been together for almost 2 months.

Now the boys are taller than most of the girls, so they aren't getting it so bad. But the girls still keep them in line. But I have a lot of room where the boys can run away. They never are cornered.

My one EE cockeral, Captain Jack Sparrow, is actually funny to watch. He starts to confront the girls after being challenged, but then backs away fast, as if to say, "I was taught to never hit a girl." He actually backed up yesterday so fast he didn't see where he was going and ended up sitting in the water bowl. It was hilarious! Poor guy.

(You should gives us a hello once in awhile in the Wisconsin post. Let us know how things are going.)

 

[jodiv]

LOL that is funny! The white rooster Puff actually doesnt come out from under neath my feet when I am in the coop, he knows that I am his protector when I am there, he actually ran up my back and perched on my shoulder when the hens were chasing him.....I thought it was odd behaviour, but then again I would run from the hens too if I were being attacked.

The 2 older hens pecked at him for a bit then left him alone, but the younger hens ..my pullets, like to corner him. I have a funny feeling he is going to be a big Puss of a rooster when he gets older! LOL

 

[Uppity Peon]

I think he's kind of neat looking. He has the muffs and comb of an EE and a cute little crest feather on his head. I hope he does OK.

I would try to arrange hiding places for him that the bigger chickens can't get to, like a box with a a hole in each end just big enough for hom to get through, and some windows that will allow him to keep an eye on things.

 

[LWeekly]

I had a few minor problems with some of the hens pecking at each other and I sprayed the girls being pecked with some blue wound kote stuff to make sure they wouldn't get infected and would heal. Chickens apparently don't like the taste of it so that completely stopped the pecking problem.

May spray some on your boy to see if that stops the pecking problem so they learn to leave him alone?

 

[fordmommy]

I also heard that Blue Kote doesn't taste good to chickens. A guy I met at our local hardware store tried it for his chickens. His were pecking eachother. Try it. What could it hurt?

 

[jodiv]

thanks everybody!

I'll have to try some blu kote then, cuz I dont think his back can take much more picking. I just went out there and he immidiaetly jumped onto my shoulder! LOL Im not to fond of him doing this....but he probably figures he's safe then.

I think i might section off the run as well to give him time to recoop from the non stop picking and this way the hens will not be able to get to him, but still be able to see him. Or am I doing more harm than good doing it that way?

 

[fordmommy]

I think the harm could come from him jumping up on your shoulder. That could become a problem when he's grown. Try that Blue Kote before you section off anything. Maybe the problem will be fixed in a day or two with that. let us all know, would you? It could save a lot of people and their chickens if it works.

 

[Mrs.ChickChick]

Aww, poor little guy! That first pic breaks my heart with his head sticking out of the fence! And that second pic, he has a "deer in the headlights" look, lol.

He's going to be fine once he grows up a little. Try the blue kote and rig up a place he can hide from the meanie hens. Poor Puff!

Maybe he needs a name that commands a little more respect!

 

[cmom]

I wonder if you could put a saddle on him like they have for hens to protect their backs from very attentive Roos.