need help with my hens

[puffjr]

I have noticed that my hens are losing there fearhers on there back and sides. I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. What can I do to help them get them back and to stop this from happening?

 

[WYNot]

Get more hens. Then the rooster's luvin will get spread a round a bit and give the gal's feathers a break from his constant attention.

 

[puffjr]

What's a good amout for 1 rooster

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

10-12 is a good amount for most roosters

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I agree, more hens would help. However, this problem may never go away completely. Right now I have three roosters and 77 hens, and each rooster still has his favorite girls that get a bit more wear and tear than the others.

There is some thought that the wear and tear is genetic--that hens that get really bald don't have feathers that are as strong, or some similar reason. Personally, I do not know if that's true or not. What I do know is that it's going to be a byproduct of having a rooster in with your hens, and the best thing to do is relax about it. People seem to care about bald chicken backs MUCH more than the chickens themselves do. I had a chicken go all last winter with a completely bald back and it didn't seem to faze her one bit.

If it really bothers you, you can put chicken saddles on them. As I said, it doesn't seem to stress the hens so I don't worry about it.

 

[aart]

Agrees with WOS, it doesn't seem to bother them. I have a couple of pretty barebacked girls.
Even had one with pin feathers broken and the resultant blood, cleared up quickly and she was still one of the most active hens in the coop.

I would think that hen saddles could cause much more stress if the hen didn't like them or it freak out the other chooks and they attack the 'new' looking hen with saddle on.