I love him...so i have to let him go, right?

[wbruder17]

I absolutely LOVE my rooster. He is the sweetest, friendliest bird in my flock. The probem is he is too sweet (and blind) and my hens are pecking him to death. They've pulled out all of his head feathers and peck him bloody. I have tried Rooster Booster and Blue Kote, salve etc. all to no avail. The feathers will begin to grow out and as soon as he gets a decent start, the hens pluck them all out again. The last time I applied the meds, some got in his eye and now that's a mess too.

I don't have the facilities to seperate him and even if I did, he would crow to beat the band if he couldn't be with his beloveds, and that would not be good.

The only thing I can do is try to find him a home that won't kill him and give him the love he deserves for being such a lovey sweetheart. My DH said N0 ROOSTERS! And he let me keep Bobblehead cuz he's so cool.

What do I do? I have such a hard time giving up my animals, even though I know its for his own good. I always worry if the next person will treat him good. I was traumatized by Black Beauty as a child, as you may be able to tell.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[dandelionheart]

Yeah, it sounds like it is time to let him go...

But maybe you'll find a nice place for him. It sounds like he is miserable now though.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Do you have, or can you get a dog kennel - the plastic kind work great. Put the kennel in the coop and him in the kennel. Once he is refeathered - with no visiable blood feathers or left-over feather shaft, then let him loose with his girls. You can let him out to free range with the girls, if you are there to stop picking and put him back away.

Is he totally blind?

 

[wannabchick]

I know sweetie ..
But you must do what's right for him

Having him pecked, hurt, bloody..isn't fair to him

Because u love him you must....

And you would surely keep him if u has the space, but you yourself said u don't

Now, could u get a separate doghouse , and add in a few silkie babies for company with him..their gentle and switch times into the run..etc

I say this because that is what someone did..and it worked..she has gentle silkies so they grew up with the older, blind rooster..

If not..yes....find him a home that could keepnhim safe

Iam sorry...
Sending u big hugs

 

[wbruder17]

He is not actually blind. He just has such limited vision due to his head feathers that he really can only see directly in front of his face. And now that the Blu Kote got in his eye, he is keeping it mostly closed. I flushed it with water and tried to swab it clean with Q-tips/cooton balls, so I think it will heal all right. (Talk about a one of a kind rooster though...I mean, he puts up with me doing all this stuff to him and is still sweet)

Yes, I do have a doghouse that is not in use. I did not think of that. I will try a few more things before I give him away for sure. I actually may even be able to fashion a type of pen within a pen to try out. I am not sure if the hens are doing it all of the time, when they're in the coop overnight/ waiting before I let them out in the morning, or all during the day as well. They have a very large run, as well as free range when I am home. They also have several "games" to keep them from being very bored (cabbage tether ball, climbing apparatus etc)

Just a couple more concerns you may be able to help with:
1. How long (about) does it take for feathers to grow back?
2. If the feathers DO in fact grow back during this isolation, will the ladies just go back to their old ways again?
3. Will I need to use Rooster Booster or Blu Kote on him forever?

Any other input would be great!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
1 - Depends upon where the feather was broken at - if pulled out of the skin, then a new feather will start growing to replace it. If the feather is broken, and you can see part of the shaft still going into the skin, then a new feather will not regrow until molt.

2 - The ladies may be pecking because they see the blood feather (the stubby growth of new feather that is totally encased in a sheath filled with blood - this is a new feather growing). You might try upping your protein you are feeding the birds. Often, once the feathers are past the blood feather stage, the pickers (or helpers as they think of themselves) stop trying to preen and pluck the grower.

3 - No


Once his head feathers do re-grow, you can trim them so he can see better.

 

[wbruder17]

Again, thank you.

First, they pull out the feather, then move on to the shaft until he is completely bald.

I have already trimmed his head feathers to try to help him see better, which unfortunately, did not help him much and made him look VERY silly. Add that to the Rooster Booster (purple in color) and Blu Kote (bright blue) and I have a Polish Roo with a bright blue and purple tye-dye patterned bouffant mullet with a huge bald spot in the middle, and one eye swollen shut. It was really funny at first, now its just sad and pathetic and makes me want to cry.

They get tons of proteins. Layer feed, bugs, table scraps etc, so I do not think this is the problem. I think he's just such an easy target and now they've tasted blood and want more! Or they've started a bad habit and can't stop.

I am going to try the isolation thing for a little while, as I really love him and don't want to give him away. I will continue to check this for any other input or suggestions.

 

[tinychicky]

i think it would be best to put him in some kind of a seperate coop within the coop, as long as he's not alone. in the past, i've had roosters living alone and they become depressed and even mean. if you pick out a few of the gentlest hens to live with him, as long as he has some kind of contact with other chickens, i think he'll be okay. roosters are tough birds and i have no doubt he'll heal if you give him a few months if you keep an eye on his wounds to make sure they aren't getting infected. good luck with your boy!