Overly attentive cockerel/rooster

[cluckedoff]

Hello, we have six rescue chickens, one of which turned out to be a cockerel. All are ex-battery and refeathering nicely, however one of the six has received an undue amount of attention from the cockerel and as a result has an injured back - bleeding where the start of her tail feathers are. She seems happy enough, is eating etc, but looks a real state. Also she's being picked on by one of the older brown hens who has taken to the cockerel but been rejected by him (yes really she keeps following him round trying to get his attention and he ignores her!)

Is there anything I can do to help her. I was seriously considering knitting her a saddle the other day she looked such a sorry state.

 

[Free Feather]

I tried saddles, but I can not get them to keep them on no matter how hard I try. I read an article once about putting duct tape on the back. It apparently falls off eventually, and usually by then it is all healed underneath. It sounds good, but I have never tried it.
I tried separating the rooster, but I felt too bad and I let him out less than twenty minutes after I put him in. I guess it would work, but he was sad, and I love to let them free range. My property is not big enough to make a really big pasture far away from the hens, so I just will not do it.
It sounds cruel, and it is, but I hobbled him. I took a length of pretty, flowery ribbon I found in my scrap box and tied his legs together, leaving enough room in between to let him scratch and jump, but not ran very fast or balance well. It has only been a few days and I have not got to watch long enough to see if it is working, but this weekend I will be able to watch. I have lots of roosters, but this one in particular is VERY BIG. He is kind and gentlemanly, but he is so huge that just stepping on them makes them loose a fistful of feathers. It is not his fault, and that is why I feel so bad. Try looking up hobbling to get a better description. I am only doing it becuase I am pretty desperate - I will never give him away or kill him.

Or you could just get him some more battery hens.

 

[Amina]

Try ordering a chicken saddle. They do make them with multiple styles of straps. One is more comfortable for the chicken, but a particularly smart chicken can get it off sometimes. The other crosses over the chest, which is more uncomfortable, but is supposed to stay on much better if you have problems with the first kind of saddle.

One word of caution though. I recently put a saddle on one of my hens, and she started freaking out, flying into walls, etc... Turns out she really hate the color purple, and unfortunately I bought a purple saddle! She acted like it was a predator on her back or something. She doesn't react that way with black. My hen is probably just weird, but it might be worth picking a more neutral color that blends in with the feathers of the hen, just in case.

 

[cluckedoff]

I have....wait for it...put her in a sock! I have cut the bottom as a tube sock and put it over her - it means she can't fly but she's probably protected and so far, so good.

I did it when she was nearly asleep so she's tolerated it.

 

[Amina]

That might be a temporary solution til you can get a saddle, but chickens use their wings for balance. Plus the sock will interfere with dust bathing and preening. Saddles are made so that they don't interfere with these other activities. They're kindof like a cape. You could probably sew one if you would prefer not to order it.

 

[cluckedoff]

I only wanted it on her for as long as it took for the antiseptic spray to dry! Which it did. The cockerel has now gone off her and her bright purple behind! (The spray is coloured!)

The cockerel has started trying to get in with the top hen who is having none of it and was last seen sitting on HIM while he squarked in protest.