New to site and looking for some opinions.

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mr04268

mr04268

Hatching
7 Years
Jun 24, 2012
2
0
7
Good evening all, I just signed up for the site and am looking forward to the discussions. I have been raising my layers for almost 4 years now and I have done meat birds for 5 or 6. I have a flock of 18 hens and 2 roosters with another 12 hens coming up through the ranks. I noticed tonight that although some of my hens are barebacked from the roosters some of them have no feathers missing at all. I then noticed that most of the ones with no feathers missing are my older birds, my older hens range from 1-4. Will the roosters not go after a older hen or is this just a coincidence? Also why are some of them missing feathers on only the topoftheir right wing? I will be thinning out my flock ion a few months, I am going to get rid of all of my 2+ year olds to make room for my new chicks. I think I might get rid of one of the roosters to give them a bit of a break. Looking forward to everyones thoughts on this and hope I can help with somebody elses questions.
 
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Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan :D

Sometimes roosters do have favorites, and ignore certain other hens. If you watch them when you get the chance, you may be able to tell what's going on.
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! I also have bareback hens. Those are my older hens who still lay very well.
 
Thanks everyone, the chickens I have that are bareback are my younger ones and I think they are mostly my RI Reds but they are the younger birds about 1 year old. My older hens don't seem to have a feather missing. I know they are not laying as well because most of my older birds are Americaunas. I hardly get a colored egg. They have never been a good layer for me but I think it is because they seem so nervous. I wonder if having the 2 roosters trying to do their thing all the time is making them not lay as good.
 

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