My girls won't breed

[JRsMom]

Hi everyone,
I have 3 Orpington hens and 1 Orp. rooster. They were born in March of this year. They were laying and breeding and everyone was happy, then we had a dog attack. My roo did his job and protected his girls, and in the process lost all his tail feathers. He seemed a little unsure of himself afterwards, and stopped mounting for about 2 weeks. Well now he has is confidence back, but the hens keep refusing him. They will run and hide in the coop if he tries anything. Is this because they're molting? I have hopes of breeding them and raising chicks next summer. I'm thinking of getting more hens, maybe they will get a little jealous. He was a good gentle rooster, but this is starting to make him ornery.

 

[gritsar]

If your pullets are 8 months old, the only molt they should be having (if they are molting) is a light one; a mini-molt. Molting hens do not like being mated and will avoid it. Most mature roosters can sense which hens are laying, which are in a molt and which are not laying for whatever reason and avoids those in favor of hens that are actively laying. Why waste his time on hens that aren't currently capable of carrying on his bloodline?
Once all is well in their world again and the hens are laying, they should start submitting to him again.

 

[galanie]

What Gritstar said. New feathers growing in are tender and they don't want that dude up there hurting them so will run till they get them all nicely grown out and hardened off.

 

[donrae]

I'm betting in the spring everyone will be feeling, well, twitterpated. Mating will resume as normal and you'll have plenty of fertile eggs to hatch.