Roo is being pecked atro

[Lovemy chickens]

My rooster is a polish top hat ( his name is pepper) , only about a week and a half you younger than other chickens and a little smaller than the others, however salt ( other polishtophat) is slightly smaller than the roo, so why would they be picking on him. We have put pepper in a small cage inside of the run, we have a cream that will help heal his head feathers, we are going to let him out to free range under supervision with the rest of the flock, once a day, when his is more healed how do I go about re introducing him. ( the blue on his head is the cream to help heal his head)

 

[ChickNanny13]

I've read where Polish (breeds with head feathers) sometimes get "picked on" because it's head feathering. His head feathers are pretty "shiny", chickens like shiny objects. I'm just grabbing at my thoughts, more experienced members will probably have answers

 

[aart]

How old are these birds.... and did they all grow up together??

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[chickengeorgeto]

Polish chickens INHO do not belong in flocks of standard chickens. First the pecking order is designed to make sure that each and every chicken has an optimal amount of personal space but the feathered headdress of a Polish chicken can only insure that it is always blundering into the personal space of larger, stronger, more powerful, and more aggressive chickens. I have often said that your chickens are your personial property and for the fine people on this forum to treat their personal property in whatever way most suites the chickens owner. Therefore no one is to blame for a Polish chickens' delima other than that chickens' owner.

I suspect but I don't know if the Polish chicken was so named in honor of the Polish Hussarians of old who wore feathered plumed helments or other feather adorned armor but the likelihood in my mind is great.

Unfortunately Polish chickens do not possess any of the warlike qualities that the Polish Hussars Cavalry had that delivered Vienna, Austria from the Ottoman Mohammedan invasion in the 17th century.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna

 

[Lovemy chickens]

How old are these birds.... and did they all grow up together??

Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
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View attachment 1485132

Yes they did go up together, they are about 4 months old, however the polish tophats we got like 3 days after and they are about a week younger( we got then all when they were chicks, when they were chicks he seemed very integrated)

 

[aart]

Yes they did go up together, they are about 4 months old

Chances are the cockerel(s) are starting to try to mate and fight.
The pullets are often beat up, but sometimes they fight back.
Pullets wont be ready to mate until they start laying.

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[Lovemy chickens]

Chances are the cockerel(s) are starting to try to mate and fight.
The pullets are often beat up, but sometimes they fight back.
Pullets wont be ready to mate until they start laying.

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

I don’t tbink that’s the issue, I think the hens are just picking on him, but doesn’t anyone know how to re introduce him

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

welcome... I agree with @aart

 

[adstowe]

I had the same problem with a polish roo. I ended up having to give him to a friend. That crazy hairdo was just too enticing for some of my hens. If he's been in that wire cage within the coop, then you can just turn him loose. He's already as integrated as he's going to get after being locked up, but odds are they are still going to pick at his crest. It's just them being chickens.