Is this my rooster or hens cause injury?

[Kalebsmomma]

I lost a hen last week to I am sure was attacked. Her belly was pecked of all feathers and most of her comb was missing. Now exactly a week later we found another chicken starting to miss some belly feathers and now feathers even on the from of her neck. I'm attaching a pic this time. We did pull Lacy into her own coop.

First time having roosters and in the last 3 years have never had this problem til now. They haven't misbehaved in front of me but want to make sure they aren't the culprit. And last 2 days our nesting boxes have been knocked around and have lost quite a few eggs the last few days.

Background: Golden Comet chickens. 25 hens and 2 roosters. 1 hen is 3 years old, 14 are 2 years old, and 10 hens and both roosters are 5 months old.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you know if the dead hen or this one is being targeted or bread by the roosters? How old was the hen? Can you spend some time with them during the day, and put the hen back in with them while you are there?

 

[Kalebsmomma]

Both hens are 2 years old. I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary when I am with them in the evening. I work all week but this weekend I could put her back in and hang with them all day.

 

[Eggcessive]

A dog crate with food and water can protect her while she is still part of the flock.

 

[coach723]

At 5 months your roosters are cockerels, and hormones are just starting to flow. They can be really obnoxious and agressive with hens sometimes. Particularly submissive hens. You may need to separate the cockerels until they mature some, and give the girls a break. Do some observing and see what's going on. Things can look calm, but if you watch for a period of time, you have a better chance of seeing what's going on. Sounds like they may be trying to get them while they are in the nest box. I've had cockerels wait just outside and go after them as soon as they come out of the box. Sometimes the young ones can be pretty rude and awful. Your numbers are good, but more submissive hens tend to get targeted a lot more than the assertive ones who stand up for themselves.