SHP
Chirping
- Sep 12, 2021
- 34
- 70
- 69
This is our first ever flock of our own and all of the chickens were given to us one was or another, they're all quite lovely for the most part.
I haven't been able to find much info about this, I had made a lengthy reply to a thread a few weeks ago with no responses, so I'll try again here because I really don't know what to do.
Our rooster has been separated from our 6 girls for the last few weeks, almost 3 now I think, to give his feathers time to grow back.
He is a (mostly) BCM and just now 6 months old.
He will just stand there and let the hens pull his feathers out! They had his chest and neck almost bare. I had isolated the hen that I had seen most often doing this, thinking maybe she needs to be rearranged in the pecking order, but the others had been doing it too apparently.
Ive increased their protein, they have boredom busters, I tried gobbling him up with stop pick, nothing has helped. They aren't pulling each other's feathers, only his.
The girls are always interested in him.
Yesterday, his feathers were filling out and no longer the tiny starts of feathers showing (from what I understand they're attracted to these little blood filled quills), so I let him out to see how it would go. He was only out with them for 10 minutes or less, they were responsive to his dancing and everyone was having a good time it seemed, but then they started at his feathers again!
He literally just LETS them!
Does anyone have any insight? Has anyone ever seen this before? Any ideas what to do for him? With them? My husband suggests getting rid of him and just having hens, but I really don't want to give up on him.
I haven't been able to find much info about this, I had made a lengthy reply to a thread a few weeks ago with no responses, so I'll try again here because I really don't know what to do.
Our rooster has been separated from our 6 girls for the last few weeks, almost 3 now I think, to give his feathers time to grow back.
He is a (mostly) BCM and just now 6 months old.
He will just stand there and let the hens pull his feathers out! They had his chest and neck almost bare. I had isolated the hen that I had seen most often doing this, thinking maybe she needs to be rearranged in the pecking order, but the others had been doing it too apparently.
Ive increased their protein, they have boredom busters, I tried gobbling him up with stop pick, nothing has helped. They aren't pulling each other's feathers, only his.
The girls are always interested in him.
Yesterday, his feathers were filling out and no longer the tiny starts of feathers showing (from what I understand they're attracted to these little blood filled quills), so I let him out to see how it would go. He was only out with them for 10 minutes or less, they were responsive to his dancing and everyone was having a good time it seemed, but then they started at his feathers again!
He literally just LETS them!
Does anyone have any insight? Has anyone ever seen this before? Any ideas what to do for him? With them? My husband suggests getting rid of him and just having hens, but I really don't want to give up on him.