Is this mating damage excessive?

[Fetz]

We have 16 hens and 1 rooster. All just over a year old. Around December we noticed two of our hens had started losing feathers on their backs and determined it to be mating damage. Now 5 of them have large bare spots and another 6 are starting to show damage on their backs - see pics below for reference. Their run is about 270 sqft and we allow free ranging many days, and we have not seen the hens get aggressive toward one another aside from minor spats over treats. We haven't ruled out other causes but nothing else seems likely.

We are torn about what to do with the rooster. He is not mean in any other way, towards us or the hens. He does a good job keeping the flock together. And when picked eggs to hatch our own chicks this spring 13 of 14 eggs were fertilized, and 10 of those hatched successfully (under a broody hen). By all other accounts he seems to be doing exactly what we keep him around for. When we see him mating we do see neck biting but that's about it. Does this degree of feather damage warrant sending him to freezer camp? I hate to get rid of an otherwise good rooster. As mentioned we are raising more chicks at the moment so we could replace him with one of his offspring, but we will also be increasing the hen to rooster ratio.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

In my experience, no matter what kind of rooster you have or how many hens he has, he will over-mate his favorites. I tried the hen jackets but the hens hid under a bush all day as though I put on some form of torture jacket, so I took them off. I've never had a hen have more than just feather damage from over-mating though. If you see any wounds, you might isolate the hen for a few days to givr her a break, or isolate the rooster and give them all a break (that is my preference and I have to do that at least twice a year).
My opinion is, if you have a rooster that isn't aggressive with you, do not send him to freeze camp unless he really harms a hen badly.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I suggest giving the hen aprons a try. It may take them a day or so to get used to thrm, or you may have to adjust them for fit, but I think they are certainly worth a try, for a rooster that has no other flaws.

 

[coach723]

Those are likely more submissive hens, so they get more attention. I would keep his spurs trimmed and his nails as well if needed, that will help prevent accidental wounds from mounting. Some birds tolerate hen saddles well, some do not. I usually separate them for a short period as they adjust to wearing it so that they aren't attacked for "acting wrong" while they accept it. That isn't even needed with many. Some birds take it in stride, some will squat, thinking it's mounting them. Some just hate them, and I've had some escape artists who I just couldn't keep them on, I'd find them laying in the run no matter how they fit. Since they are just over a year old, they are due to molt and that first year before they do especially, feathers can look pretty bad by the time they molt. The feathers should fill in after they molt, barring further loss from his mounting. He's a handsome guy, and if he's a good one as well, then worth keeping. He's just doing what he was designed to do.

 

[Fetz]

I suggest giving the hen aprons a try. It may take them a day or so to get used to thrm, or you may have to adjust them for fit, but I think they are certainly worth a try, for a rooster that has no other flaws.

We put them on the first two hens in December. They lasted a while but eventually... they found a way to free themselves from their oppression. I suppose we could just keep putting them back on but they were both lost while free ranging so we'll run out eventually

 

[BigBlueHen53]

He is a handsome guy!

 

[coach723]

I make my own, that way I can make sure they are fit to the bird. Elastic gets stretched out after a while and they can get loose (depending on how they are made) so periodically I have to replace the elastic. I also use a heavy canvas or outdoor fabric (sunbrella) so they don't get soaked and heavy if they get wet. Those seem to stay on better. I buy the fabric online when it's on clearance, so very cheap, and I don't much care if it's ugly or not. Neither do they. The pattern I use is below, the red x's are where the elastic is attached, one loop on each side, for each wing. I use around a 4 - 5 " piece of elastic each side for most of my birds, but it can be adjusted as needed for larger or smaller needs. They don't have to be perfect, just functional.