Need Advise Fast about Roosters tearing up hens backs!!!!

[SandyC]

I have 8 hens and 2 "SURPRISE" roosters. I had intended on all hens, but the guys have grown on me. In any case, they definitely have their "favorites", if you get my drift and those poor hens are having major damage being done to their back feathers. I live in a very cold climate and I need to let those hens recover and grow their feathers back. I have an area in my coop where I can put about 4 birds that will be away from the others. They will still be in the same area, there is just chicken wire and a door between them. What would be the best thing to do...put the roos in there or will they fight, or put the hens who need a break in there and for how long. Also, is the lack of feathers going to cause a problem for them in the cold?

 

[FutureChickenMan]

get rid of one roo (or both) or get more hens. you could pen off the roos together but they'll probably fight. so if your going to pen off the roos, separate them.

and yeah, lack of feathers in winter will be a problem.

 

[hcammack]

There is somthing called a chicken saddle you also probably need more hens or less roosters. I dont know about hen saddles but other people here do.

Good luck
Henry

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Get thee chicken saddles!

I've penned roosters together and they didn't fight, Ancona and Dark Cornish, but maybe I was lucky.

You'd need about 8 more hens to make the second rooster happy (and give the "favorite" a rest), so unless you want to get more chickens you might want to cull one of the roosters. Or, you could split up your flock into separate pens (4 hens per rooster).

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I don't think they will necessarily fight, especially if they were raised together, but 8 hens to 2 roos aren't very good odds....I'd add more hens. I usually have more then one roo in the flock and the only "fights" I have sen is when I've added in new ones, never among birds that were raised together. Maybe I'm lucky??

I would say get chicken saddles for your girls and a few extra hens.

 

[SandyC]

Thankyou very much. The roos were raised together and are very gentle. In the morning I will pen them together and make chicken saddles for those who are particularly torn up. The one thing I can't figure out from the pictures of the saddles though is how you put them on the chicken!!!! How long does it take for the feathers to grow in and will their backs be warm enough with the saddles? I have some polar fleece around that I could line them with and use denim on the outside.

 

[lauralou]

SandyC,

The feathers grow back in pretty fast. I bought my chickens 10 days ago. One hen had no back feathers from the roosters attentions. I mean she was naked! Now her back is covered with fuzz and I can see dark "real" feathers coming in. They're maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.

I read another post where someone said they removed a chicken saddle after 3 weeks and the hen was fully re-feathered.