Over amorous Roo

[mufflerchick]

Good Morning....I have an over amorous Roo that is pecking the back feathers off my hens. I have considered putting him in time out (a separate coop) by himself so that they have the opportunity to regrow feathers. Has anyone had this as an ongoing problem? I will be adding younger hens to this coop later this fall so I don't want him bullying them. Maybe it's just time for him to go.....

 

[WonkierZulu]

I believe you are right might be time to go. Give him a little time and if he keeps being rough with them it tends to only get worse.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old is he and how old are the hens? That sounds more like an immature cockerel and pullets, not a mature rooster with mature hens.

An amorous cockerel or rooster should not be pecking the back feathers off of a hen. Part of the mating act is when the male grabs the back of a hen's head. That's the signal for her to raise her tail out of the way so he can hit the target. It's not that unusual for a hen to lose feathers at the back of her head from that. Is that what you are talking about? This is more typical of an immature cockerel with bad technique but it can happen with mature roosters too. There is some danger if this is what is happening.

When a male is mating, he is standing on her back. It's possible his claws can scratch feathers away from where he is standing. That's not pecking though. If you are seeing pecking it's not about him being amorous, something else is going on. The loss of feathers from the claws when mating is also more common when an immature cockerel is involved but it can happen with more mature roosters. If spots are bare, this too can be dangerous.

Have you actually seen him pecking or are you just seeing missing feathers? If the entire feather is gone, it should grow back relatively soon. If just a tiny bit of shaft remains that feather will not grow back until she molts.

Why do you want a rooster? What are your goals involving him? The only reason you need a rooster is for fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few f my own. But a preference is a choice, not a need.

This is totally up to you because your preferences and wants are what is important to you, not my preferences. I usually suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed problems with more boys, but the more boys you have the more likely you are to have problems with one or more of them.

From what you posted I'm not sure what is going on but it sounds like your correct answer is either 0 or 1, but I don't know you goals.