Rooster and hens

[KimKat33]

So I wasn't sure where to post this but I have a hefty rooster.
By hefty I mean hes twice the size of my americana hens which are about 5lbs. My biggest hens are my 2 brahmas and my 1 barred rock. I have 2 pullets and 9 laying hens and he seems hefty even for them.
Though I noticed some of my hens are getting some feather loss. Mainly at the base of their back (near the tail feathers) their neck and their wings. I checked for mites and didn't see anything. My 1 legged hen doesn't have any feather loss, which makes me think its the rooster. The pullets are also not losing feathers.

My question is, should I seperate my rooster from them and see if he was the issue? Or just give them some higher protein feed to try to encourage feather growth? I haven't changed their feed and they get oystershell too, so I do not think its their diet. I have not seen any feather eating or the hens getting picked on by other hens/rooster.
Should I try to limit how much time my rooster is around them?
I like my rooster. Hes a good boy for the most part. We square up about once or twice a week but he definitely comes running to the hens when they squawk. I know roosters are not needed, but I like having him around and when my hens go broody, I let them hatch out eggs. (Plus hes one of the very first chicks I purchased) I know I could get a smaller breed of a rooster, but would he end up getting bullied by the hens? Especially if I looked at getting a bantam breed? I attached a photo of him and some of my hens. He was supposed to be a columbian wyandotte....
In the photo you can see one of my americanas in the back right by him. It may be hard to see but there are down feathers showing.

I have some aprons on them right now, but that doesn't solve the wing issues......

 

[nuthatched]

My brahmas was rubbing my much smaller hens down, he was just so big! You might need to trim him spurs or get some saddles.

 

[KimKat33]

Right his spurs. He really doesnt have any. Hes about a year and a half old so they are still nubbins

 

[Yardmom]

He is more than likely your cause of ruffled feathers. If skin is not showing I personally don't get concerned. Your rooster may ease off a bit when he gets older.

 

[Mrs. K]

How old are your birds? Thing is, if they are over a year - the feathers are getting old, and brittle. Molt is coming, they are going to loose these old ratty feathers, and get brand new ones. It probably is a bit of a combination in that he is a big boy, and old worn out feathers.

Bare back hens bother people more than they do hens. How do your girls act around him? Are they hiding from him, or act like he hung the moon. If they are hiding - you should do something, if not, don't worry about it.

If you are hatching, you will be getting rooster chicks, you could keep this guy for another year - and if he does not get better technique - well try again. Roosters raised up in a multi-generational flock, with a good rooster, tend to be good roosters too.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

It's more the toenails than the spurs that break back feathers.
Some bird just have more brittle feathers too, so more easily broken.
They won't grow back until a molt.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Though I noticed some of my hens are getting some feather loss. Mainly at the base of their back (near the tail feathers) their neck and their wings. I checked for mites and didn't see anything. My 1 legged hen doesn't have any feather loss, which makes me think its the rooster. The pullets are also not losing feathers.

Some feather loss during mating is normal. He is standing on his claws. A normal part of mating is the head grab. Him grabbing her head is her signal to raise her tail out of the way so he can hit the target. Without the head grab you would get no fertile eggs. It is normal and not a problem for a hen to lose a few feathers during mating.

The risk come in if the hen gets cut or has a raw wound. With living animals anything can happen but that's not much of a risk unless they have clear patches of bare skin. The wound can come from him grabbing the back of her head with his beak or his claws cutting her. Most of these problems come when the male is so young he often doesn't have any spurs to speak of. Part of that is technique which hopefully he will improve on as he matures.

Watch for wounds but what you describe is really typical and hardly ever a problem. But if you see a wound it is a problem.

My question is, should I seperate my rooster from them and see if he was the issue? Or just give them some higher protein feed to try to encourage feather growth?

I don't have any doubt that mating is the cause.

If the entire feather shaft is gone the feather should grow back before too long. If the feather is broken and even a tiny piece of the shaft remains that feather will not grow back until she molts. If it makes you feel better you can increase the protein, many people do, but I personally don't see that as any kind of a solution.

Should I try to limit how much time my rooster is around them?

You can if you wish, I don't see how it will hurt anything, just cause you more work. I don't now how high the risk really is. Personally I leave them alone as long as it doesn't get that bad. When I first got mine I had two that did get really bare, enough to cause a concern. So I ate those two and the problem went away. I'm sure those two had brittle feathers which can be a genetic issue. The chicks I hatched from him and the other hens did not have that problem. How can I blame him for doing something wrong when the problem goes away when I remove the hens?

I know I could get a smaller breed of a rooster, but would he end up getting bullied by the hens? Especially if I looked at getting a bantam breed? I attached a photo of him and some of my hens. He was supposed to be a columbian wyandotte....

He looks like a Columbian Wyandotte.

Part of the mating act is that the hen squats when he is in top. That gets the weight of the rooster into the ground through her entire body instead of just her legs.
That protects her legs form injury. It's normal for a rooster to be bigger than a hen of the same breed. The more size difference the larger the risk but many people keep full sized roosters in a flock that has bantam hens and those hens usually do not have issues with him mating. The extra weight may cause some more feather loss, but usually doesn't.

Since you are hatching chicks I'd want a rooster that gives me the chicks I want. I would not get another rooster thinking it will solve this issue, especially when I'm not sure you have an issue to worry about.

 

[KimKat33]

Thank you all for your imput.

How old are your birds? Thing is, if they are over a year - the feathers are getting old, and brittle. Molt is coming, they are going to loose these old ratty feathers, and get brand new ones. It probably is a bit of a combination in that he is a big boy, and old worn out feathers.

Bare back hens bother people more than they do hens. How do your girls act around him? Are they hiding from him, or act like he hung the moon. If they are hiding - you should do something, if not, don't worry about it.

If you are hatching, you will be getting rooster chicks, you could keep this guy for another year - and if he does not get better technique - well try again. Roosters raised up in a multi-generational flock, with a good rooster, tend to be good roosters too.

Mrs K

My birds are all abour 1.5 years now. I do have 1 hen that ended up with a bare back, so she definitelty has a saddle on her. She is one of my brahmas. I did check her yesterday and her skin isnt as red as the day i put the saddle on her. I think she may be his favorite. A lot of the pins for the feathers are completely gone.
The others are getting bare patches on the top of their wings. But none of the hens run from him or squawk when he mounts. They all stick around him, and flock around when he makes the 'i have a treat for you' sound.

Around november december of 2020 is when i noticed the feathers were starting to fall off, so i thought it was their first big molt. some feathers regrew but then spring time it definetly got worse.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't want to downplay this too much, it can be serious. I took it serious enough that I ate two of my hens that had a problem. One thing you might try to get some relief is to trim his claws. I'm not talking about removing them but just blunting the ends, cut the sharp point off. I use a Dremel tool and one of those discs yo use for cutting metal. Others might use a grinder to grind off the point or dog nail trimmers to clip them.

You don't want to go too deep, they do have a quick that can bleed if you cut it. You might want to have a little flour or something handy to stop the bleeding if you get too deep but on the rare times I get the quick it usually doesn't bled that much and he didn't even flinch. I wrap him in a large towel around the wings and body to control him. This can be a lot easier than you might think.

The claws will continue to grow and they will sharpen as he scratches so it is a temporary fix, but it might buy you some time for them to mature some more and maybe get past this phase.