I know that a rooster can sometimes cause hens to lose their feathers if he's to rough or he may pick a favorite who will lose more feathers than the others. I think this is what has happened to one of my chickens. Right around where the rooster's back feet would go there is a line of feathers that are missing. I was wondering when is too much too much. When is a saddle required? Any information on this would be great, thanks.
I posted pics on my BYC blog page of a hen with rooster inflicted feather damage. You can see where the new quills are coming through after a moult how much she lost and where, I was quite shocked, she must have been a favourite (I bought from a place with roosters I don't have any). One of the other hens still has a bare saddle from base of tail to shoulders and will have to wait for a moult to grow them back. If I had a rooster I'd make a saddle.
