Rooster comb

[Ted n Ms]

I am having a problem with the hens pecking the rooster's comb. Had one rooster that had a scabby comb. After he got mean i got rid of him and got another. This one had a beautiful comb for few days and now his comb is scabby also. They sit on the roost and peck on him ,not aggressive but just pick a the tips.

 

[midget_farms]

They are attracted to the color red - large combs are hard to resist giving a good poke - once they draw blood (scabby comb) they REALLY can't resist - not sure there is a lot that can be done other than slather the comb in something that tasts really bitter & maybe seperate him at night until he heals.


Mean roosters - all roosters have the potential to become mean - the way to fix this is to establish yourself at the top of the pecking order. If you are the boss - a rooster will not attack you. The easiest way to do this is to pick the rooster up by his feet. He will squak and throw a fit - but in about 15 to 20 seconds he will give up & relax. This is submission to you. Do this several times right away & then 1x per week for a month or so & then every couple months after that.

 

[Haunted55]

I just found a fantastic product called Phooey. You can find it at the pet stores with the Bitter Apple spray to keep dogs and cats from constant chewing. I got it to stop picking with my new chicks. It works great! Once they got a taste of it the picking stopped. The stuff is truly awful! It took me over 6 hours to get the taste out of my mouth!

I've used the Bitter Apple spray in the past on chicks and the roos combs for the same problem you're having. It worked, but it took a few applications for it to do so. If you can try the Phooey and see if it doesn't help.

 

[Ted n Ms]

Thanks Haunted55 iwill give this a try.