My poor naked tailed little Roo

[Morgank]

Hi! To me, its normal if he loses only his tail. Certainly he is very active already and he try to chase chickens. My roosters often fly high on the shelfs, in the morning there is no tail feathers. We just don't see how active they are. But you should always check if there are any traces of the predator.

I`ll reply , I don't think it's a disease. It is their behavior issues.

 

[Lake2day]

That is not normal and he shouldn't lose the tail feathers all at once. A chicken will do a final chick molt at around 5 months to get the last of his adult feathers. But you usually don't notice since it happens gradually. It could be that one or both of the hens picked his feathers off. But it looks more likely that someone or something grabbed him by the tail and the feathers pulled lose while he was trying to escape.
Be sure to watch that the hens don't pick at the naked area and draw blood. You should probably keep some anti-pick lotion on the area until the feathers get some size again.

Will do. He’s already grown in some down over the area, but I’m sure it’s sensitive already lol don’t need Anne hen pecking him too...

 

[featherhead007]

All us Roosters have behavior issues at one time or another!

 

[Lake2day]

I think the problem was an attack of some sort. Most roosters will fight to the death to protect their ladies. Lice looks like tiny white spots at the base of the feathers

Thank you! I haven’t seen anything like that but will definitely double check!!

 

[Lake2day]

All us Roosters have behavior issues at one time or another!

I know right! Men of every species lol

 

[Lake2day]

I`ll reply , I don't think it's a disease. It is their behavior issues.

Will hens pluck tail feathers in an attempt to emasculate a rooster? Or do they just pluck because they are easy to grab?

 

[Shadrach]

Oh wow! I’ve never seen a wild weasel in my 35 years here in Alabama but I’ve heard a few old farmers mention minks..... I thought they were just about hunted and trapped to disappearance around here.... Fixing the gaps is on the to do list for the holiday weekend for sure. Thank you!

I don't think that damage is from a mink. If a mink gets that close to a chicken they usually kill the chicken.
Weasels ambush and prefer to attack from behind. If you get a picture of a weasel you can see that their eyes are vulnerable. One peck from a chicken can take an eye out.

 

[Shadrach]

Oh wow! I’ve never seen a wild weasel in my 35 years here in Alabama but I’ve heard a few old farmers mention minks..... I thought they were just about hunted and trapped to disappearance around here.... Fixing the gaps is on the to do list for the holiday weekend for sure. Thank you!

The holiday weekend might be too late.

 

[Morgank]

Will hens pluck tail feathers in an attempt to emasculate a rooster? Or do they just pluck because they are easy to grab?

Sorry, I sometimes have to use translate. The answer is - possible. Many things depend on the environment where they grow. Environment I mean other birds. In my flock (35 chicken and 5 rooster) there is no hard pecking. Almost no pecking at all. I deal with chickens three times a day, and I'm still trying to teach them all. But I don't know what they're doing when I turn my back. My 2 years old faverolle rooster has lost its tail 3 times and cemani rooster 4 times. They are all health and live for many more years.
Easy to grab? I dont know! I have 2 dogs , who guard. My all chickens go in at night. If there is damage in the rooster, chickens also have signs. We live with all predators that also come through 2 cm nets. So, everything is not desease and it is ridiculous. Sorry my english.

 

[Lake2day]

The holiday weekend might be too late.

I’m strapped for cash and the hubby won’t get paid until tomorrow so I can purchase some hardware cloth or wire. Any suggestions of what I could use we might have around here to close the gaps? I have a tarp but predators can still get through that..... I thought about using fallen limbs or tree branches maybe?......