Poor Roo, I Don't Know What To Do....

[crisco29302]

I have began raising silkies. I am obsessed with them. They are a part of my every day life now. However, in one of my coops, I have 3 white pullets. I Used to have a white roo in with them, but was informed he was 4 years old and he was sick. He was immediatly removed from the pullets. When I attempted to introduce another white roo with the ladies...they began attacking him. I figured this was part of the pecking order. On a second note, when I got the roo he was bright blue due to some mite spray the previous owners used on him. The pullets pecked his "saddle" area and all of his tail feathers off!! What in the world is going on? How do I fix it? And could it be due to the bright blue feathers? If so how do I wash it off? Heeeeellllppp!?!?

 

[Ziegenhof]

I'm not going to be much help here. I have very aggressive hens (Golden Laced Wyandottes) and they don't like roosters. I raised them from less then a week old, added in a roo when they were about 9-10 weeks old thinking they were young enough to accept a new chicken in their pen, especially a rooster.

Well things didn't work out the way I planned, they pecked that poor boy all the time. I thought it was lack of protein, lack of room, lack of everything but what was really the problem and that is my gals are just evil! I was doing everything right, they just will attack anything that is not human.

Now the blue should not be bothering them as I used blu kote on my rooster to keep them from pecking him (notice I speak of him in the passed tense) and it did decrease the pecking on him. Anything red they will go for quickly (which a fresh peck spot is red and drives them to peck more). Maybe try to house the new boy next to them for awhile to see if they can get use to a new male in their midst?

 

[crisco29302]

Thank you. I will try putting him in the coop next to them. You have been alot more help than you know. I wasn't sure if this was something I was doing wrong or if there was something wrong with my ladies.