Rooster being to rough........hen will bare back???

[Willow's Meadow]

I have 10 hens and 2 roosters that are 8 months old....they are Buff Orpingtons and Brahmas. I noticed that 2 or 3 of my hens have bare backs.....you can see their pink skin and one of them has a scab. I think it's because the roosters are being to rough when they mate with them(either that or they are mating to much). They have been locked up in their coop (which is plenty big enough for them) because it is winter and they can't go outside. I was thinking that when the weather gets better and they can go outside they won't mate as much and there backs won't be so bad because they'll have a lot of space to run around and the hens will be able to get away from the roosters more easily. But now that the one hen's back is so bad I don't know what to do. I don't want to get rid of the roosters because they are so pretty and actually really friendly. Do you think I could make the hens some hen saddles??? I don't want to buy them because shipping will probably be kind of exspensive. Would the hen saddles help??? Are they easy to make.....is their a website that shows how to make them???

 

[teach1rusl]

Even when they're let out, two roosters is really too much for ten hens. 1 : 10 is a better ratio. But yes, saddles would definitely help, and I'd get one on the hen with scabs NOW, as you don't want an open wound and possible infection. You can probably google for chicken saddle patterns. But if you look on the auction site here you'll find them as well. Shipping was very reasonable when I ordered mine (here on BYC).

 

[mulewagon]

I've made little separate pens for my roosters - the pens are actually in the run with the hens, so they don't mind too much. I want to breed them, so I kept two roosters for genetic diversity. But that's too many for the hens, so they're living in "Club Roo" until the hens heal up and grow their feathers out. Then maybe I'll rotate them out into the run again.

 

[Judy]

Homemade quick saddles/aprons, no sewing needed:

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-6/Joyce_Dixon.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=407575

Also, I'd let them choose whether to go out.