Hey, all, I have 11 hens and two roos (not on purpose). They're all about ten months old, and spring is starting to be sprung and the boys are feeling their Cheerioats. The girls are looking a bit worn on the backs. Am I right that there aren't enough hens for two boys? They're not fighting (yet) but the poor girls are looking pretty ratty. I want to find a home for one (or both) of the boys, but until I do, what can I do to protect the girls? I don't have any place to separate the boys. I don't want to dead either of them. I've read about saddles - can someone tell me more about them? How much do they cost? Do I need them for all the hens or just the ones that are getting defeathered? Can they come off after the feathers grow back? Is this level of mating because of the coming spring, or will they keep denuding my girls all summer? Would I have to leave saddles on forever??? And what will happen when they molt - will the roos leave them alone then, or will they risk worse damage because of not having many feathers to protect them? Anyone have any advice/ other suggestions? Please?
Saddles might work, but I'd just get one or both of the roos away from them. Try to find a way to either devide the coop or build a pen within the run somehow. One roo for 10 - 15 hens is plenty, two will wear them out, as you can tell. Sorry not to be more encouraging.
What breed are they,as heavy roosters can't service as many hens .I think yours are most likly light, as you are having a problem with your girls lossing back feathers. The saddle should work and the roosters will lose intrest in them when they go into moult.Only the favourite girls needthe saddles,I think it is the colour of the comb that attracts the rooster as it tells them when the hen is fertile. Good luck ,I hope you can make sense of what I am trying to say
Quote:Yep, makes sense to me. It is only three or four of the hens who are showing wear...I feel bad for them right now, as we just got another blast of winter weather, and we're down in the teens today with wind chills possibly as low as 15 below zero. Those poor bare girls get COLD. If it's too bad for them I'll run an extension and stick a heat lamp out there for a bit unitl it warms up some...do they sell insulated saddles?!!
Yeah, I am having the same problem. I have a 3-1 ratio, which was not on purpose. All I could seem to hatch last year was roosters. I was averaging 2-3 rooster for every hen. I have a small pen I put him in every week or so to get them a break. I free range during the day and feel bad about having him penned up for doing what he supposed to do but my girls hate the site of him at this point and won't go into the coop at night because he is in there. I have to physically carry them and I put them on the roost because if I just set them down he jumps down onto him. I have my bators going trying to get pullets this year.
