I am having some serious problems with some seriously wonderful roosters! The hens strip them of feathers!
First was my Serama roo. He was with one hen and she started literally pulling him off his feet plucking out his feathers. So he lives away from all women these days (except me).
The second roo is a nice big white roo (that belonged to my neighbor) and he is just the finest flock protector, and so attentive to the hens! He is friendly and respectful, but very manly. But I have had to rescue him so he'll survive the winter because the hens ate him down to barely a light covering on his back of mangled feathers. Bright pink skin and he looked pathetic! I've had him 2 weeks and his feathers are coming in very nicely, and I've built him a new home with heat lamp for the coming chilly months till he gets his feathers back in. He is now living with the goats and sheep, and surprisingly - he LOVES them!
To replace roo #2 I found a gorgeous Araucana roo who was with 20 hens and a wonderful gentleman. He's 3 years old. My neighbor got 50 new pullets (18 weeks old) today and I put the new roo in with them.... And they immediately walked up to him and started pecking at his feathers. He just stood there and doted on them. What is up with this? This roo is soooo gorgeous and so sweet... He was a good flock protector for his other girls and clearly had all his feathers. I will not stand to see this nice boy stripped!
Is there any way to know what causes this, and any way to prevent it? The hens are 'production reds' and they DO NOT pick at each other. JUST the roo. I think there is at least partially some sort of courtship thing to it. I'm in central Virginia and we cannot have roosters running around without feathers!
If you can help me (and the poor roosters) PLEASE do!
Thank you!
First was my Serama roo. He was with one hen and she started literally pulling him off his feet plucking out his feathers. So he lives away from all women these days (except me).
The second roo is a nice big white roo (that belonged to my neighbor) and he is just the finest flock protector, and so attentive to the hens! He is friendly and respectful, but very manly. But I have had to rescue him so he'll survive the winter because the hens ate him down to barely a light covering on his back of mangled feathers. Bright pink skin and he looked pathetic! I've had him 2 weeks and his feathers are coming in very nicely, and I've built him a new home with heat lamp for the coming chilly months till he gets his feathers back in. He is now living with the goats and sheep, and surprisingly - he LOVES them!
To replace roo #2 I found a gorgeous Araucana roo who was with 20 hens and a wonderful gentleman. He's 3 years old. My neighbor got 50 new pullets (18 weeks old) today and I put the new roo in with them.... And they immediately walked up to him and started pecking at his feathers. He just stood there and doted on them. What is up with this? This roo is soooo gorgeous and so sweet... He was a good flock protector for his other girls and clearly had all his feathers. I will not stand to see this nice boy stripped!
Is there any way to know what causes this, and any way to prevent it? The hens are 'production reds' and they DO NOT pick at each other. JUST the roo. I think there is at least partially some sort of courtship thing to it. I'm in central Virginia and we cannot have roosters running around without feathers!
If you can help me (and the poor roosters) PLEASE do!
Thank you!