Plenty of hens...why the raw backs??

[IndigoJaguar]

I have ten hens and one roo, and the hens backs are all starting to look raw and lose their feathers!! Ackk!!! I thought there were plenty of hens to go around. Why is this happening?!!!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Rooster young? say less than 2 years old?

 

[Badbaby05]

Young roos are like young men

You should do 1 of 2 things, separate the roo from the girls except for the last couple of hrs of the day ( I do this often and have excellent fertility ) or make some saddles for the girls. Saddles will have to be made to fit each girl, not the kinda one size fits all unfortunetly.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Rooster young? say less than 2 years old?

Yes, he is just at a year old.

Young roos are like young men You should do 1 of 2 things, separate the roo from the girls except for the last couple of hrs of the day ( I do this often and have excellent fertility ) or make some saddles for the girls. Saddles will have to be made to fit each girl, not the kinda one size fits all unfortunetly.

O....that sounds expensive! I really like my roo....in fact I got him and his girls just for the purpose of having a salmon fav roo, but I hate looking at their ugly backs! And I wonder if it hurts them? As for separating? I don't have the space right now, but I may think on it. I got him to help protect the girls, tho....which he can't do if he isn't with them.​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Well, this is why I don't like to put a roo in with the ladies until he's two years old. Some are OK, but most of the time, they're over sexed. Get him out. You've no choice.

 

[IndigoJaguar]

Well, this is why I don't like to put a roo in with the ladies until he's two years old. Some are OK, but most of the time, they're over sexed. Get him out. You've no choice.

Well......NOW someone tells me! After I just went and bought him!

Will he hurt their backs or just make them look ugly??​

 

[Fred's Hens]

well, you don't know what you don't know.

He's not protecting them, he's abusing them. Period.
As suggested earlier, keep him separated. He only needs to "make the rounds" for either an hour a day, or just the weekends, perhaps.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have never had a roo, no matter what age that didn't wear some of the hen's backs off. He always has favorites. Why would you have a roo if you keep him separate?? My hens have never seemed worse for wear when their feathers are gone. They lay eggs and are happy chickens. I have 13 hens and a roo right now and some are bare backed. Sometimes I think people over think this stuff. Unless the roo is injuring a hen, I would leave him. JMHO

 

[centrarchid]

My roosters when confined with hens do cause damage to hen's back. Same social group outside results in much less to no damage. Outside rooster seems to cover hens less frequently even though average distance between birds often less.

 

[7L Farm]

I'm with the others here. I wouldn't separate him. I got my roo to protect as well & he does his job. My roo is rough on the girls while mating. I think he will grow out of this. I got some saddles for the girls that are getting tore up. They seem to be working. I'd keep an eye on their backs because they could start bleeding & then the flock would start pecking their backs. I noticed my hens picking feathers from each others backs . So, its not just the roo in my case. I always read about moving the culprit & can't figure out how everyone in the flock can be separated. I have 4 coops but their full of birds. I can't separate 12 birds.