Polish crested rooster getting head pecked bloody! Help!

[ldutch123]

Hi I'm new to this forum. I have a black crested polish rooster and 11 hens in a 800 sq foot coop and an acre to run. These girl peck his head. I have sprayed him with blue coat daily and it still doesn't help. Does anyone have any ideas to help. I really like him because he is a nice rooster and beautiful! They have plenty of room and food and lots of treats. Also I have been separating him at night but it's not helping his head. Any new growth is pecked and blood. I'm afraid. I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Sorry your first post has to be such a grim one.

I'm not sure that you haven't tried everything already. Maybe you could make him his own area with a few hens that will leave him alone.
Sounds like it's become a habit for your girls. Sorry.

 

[CrestedGirl]

I would separate him so his head feathers can grow back. Many people like to put their top hats up with a rubber band or some sort of tape to help the
bird see. Maybe that will help him from getting his head picked at so much. Here is my buff with a band after a bath lol

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I think Gritsar had this problem and she used pine tar on her roo's crest.


Let me see if I can find the post.



eta: here it is: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=573858&p=1

 

[SteveBaz]

Hi I'm new to this forum. I have a black crested polish rooster and 11 hens in a 800 sq foot coop and an acre to run. These girl peck his head. I have sprayed him with blue coat daily and it still doesn't help. Does anyone have any ideas to help. I really like him because he is a nice rooster and beautiful! They have plenty of room and food and lots of treats. Also I have been separating him at night but it's not helping his head. Any new growth is pecked and blood. I'm afraid. I appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance

You did not say how old he is? Is he young and can not get the girls respect. Is your Rooster from the same company you ordered from and was the peanut cockerel that was with the order? If you got a dominant rooster in there you would not see that happen. Is he sickly before they hurt him or something?​

 

[ldutch123]

Thanks for all the responses. I may try the rubber band thing lol. Also I got them forms lady who wanted to downsize. They were all full grown about 1 1/2 year old. They r a mix of girls and Floyd (rooster). They have so much room now but honestly I think the one who pics him the most is the one he is always trying to fertilize. It's well. Deserved I say but I don't want my pretty boy getting killed.

 

[mjstef]

I am having the same issue. Pine tar works for a while but then the darn hens start in again! Been sitting in the kitchen window with a BB gun all morning and tagged 2 of them in the arse when they pecked him. Hopefully they will associate pecking with pain and knock this off as there are not even enough feathers on his head to put them up in a ponytail anymore. Mine have an auto door that opens before sunrise and closes after dark. We have no snow right now and they have ACRES to run around on! Are they maybe short on some sort of mineral that is causing this???

 

[Wisher1000]

I gave away my last Polish and will not have any more. I had to keep his topknot in a rubberband all the time to keep the hens from bloodying his head. The stupid thing would walk up to a hen and bow his head in front of her and ask to be pecked! He never fought back or even ran away. I don't think his elevator went all the way up....

 

[actressbarbie]

I put Vaseline on the pecked bird (only on the affected parts.) It's safe and it discourages pecking bc they don't like sticky beaks. You do have to keep up with it for a few days until pecking stops.
I also have a friend who put some vinegar in their water. It also helps to discourage pecking.

 

[tinydancer87]

Quote:
OMG my Polish rooster, Oreo, is the same way! I have seen him just standing there with his head bowed down as the hens feast on his head! I recently took him away for two weeks, he was in a cage by himself, the feathers were coming back so well. Then it was going to get really cold for a couple of nights, so I put him in the coop in a crate (cuz they were pecking at night, or so I thought), and the next day let him out. By the end of the day his head was bald, bloody, and swollen!

They started doing this when they went from free-ranging to being in a coop. Hopefully once I get a fence up and they can go out again they will stop.

My Faverolle Rooster also stands there and lets the hens peck at his beard. What is the deal with these roosters!!!