Rooster giving hens bald heads *Update- roo taken care of*

[furbabymum]

I have 1 rooster and 7 full grown hens. I just noticed today that he's plucking the feathers off a couple of their heads. Back feathers are fine but it seems he must be too rough on them? He seems to either have a preference or a problem with 4 particular hens as the others aren't really going balding. Should I just take him out? To be honest I'm taking him out eventually anyway. He attacks me so I've just been waiting for nice weather to kill and pluck him. I'll do it earlier if I have to though.

We killed the rooster yesterday. He was speckled Sussex and tiny. Pretty much no meat on him. I didn't even consider him worthy of processing. Once plucked I was so disappointed I just threw him away. Our last roo (barred rock) was easily twice as large and meaty.

 

[chickenlver2013]

How big is he and how big are the hens? I had this problem not to long ago and I got me a bantam rooster the hens are laying fine. I didn't think it'd be possible at first because he's so little compared to the girls But he's getting along just fine. The girls live him.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I butchered my rooster last year because he was such a bully to my hens. Not only was one developing a bald spot on her back, when I examined her closely, I realized that his claws had gouged big bleeding scratches on her sides, poor girl. Plus egg production was down for all my hens because they were so stressed out by him chasing them all over the chicken yard. How's your egg production? Have you examined your hens for injuries beyond the missing feathers? Are you hoping to hatch some fertile eggs or did you mainly keep the rooster for asthetic reasons? If egg production is down or the hens are being injured, I'd stick him in a separate pen until i could add him to the freezer...start looking for good Coc au Vin recipies.

 

[bj taylor]

i'm having similar problems. my rooster is turning out to be a brute. I don't want to waste him, but i'm wondering if setting up a whole killing station is worthwhile for one bird.
I've got some babies coming along & half are going to be roosters. the others will not be able to handle this big monster bird when he decides to mate with them.
it makes me feel bad to end his life when he's so young, strong, and a beautiful specimen of black australorp.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

it makes me feel bad to end his life when he's so young, strong, and a beautiful specimen of black australorp.

I know the feeling. Mine was a very handsome fellow, but he was a brute to my hens. I've read about roosters doing this funny dance for his hens and having them squat to be mounted. He'd just chace my hens around the run and hold them down. It looked like chicken rape to me. Anyway, when I saw the physical damage he had done to one of the hens he was in a dog crate in the garage that afternoon and killed two days later when I had the time. As for being worth setting up the butchering station...I guess this is more like how things worked a few generations ago before there were big chest freezer, you kill what you need for tonight's (or three days from now's since I like to let them rest in the 'fridge) as you needed them. And, as I keep saying, there are heritage recipes specifically for mature rooster that are considered special occasion feasts...remember "We will kill the old red rooster when she comes!" A celebration called for the old red rooster, not the 9 week old cockrel.

 

[furbabymum]

The only reason he's lived thus far is because he came to maturity during the winter. I'm simply too much of a wimp to process him outside in the freezing wind. He attacks me which is what initially signed his death warrant. I've just been biding my time. We got 2 feet of snow this week so he's still alive...

I haven't noticed any other injuries. Egg production seems to be fine. He's not after all of the hens either, just a particular 4 are balding.

I butchered my rooster last year because he was such a bully to my hens. Not only was one developing a bald spot on her back, when I examined her closely, I realized that his claws had gouged big bleeding scratches on her sides, poor girl. Plus egg production was down for all my hens because they were so stressed out by him chasing them all over the chicken yard. How's your egg production? Have you examined your hens for injuries beyond the missing feathers? Are you hoping to hatch some fertile eggs or did you mainly keep the rooster for asthetic reasons? If egg production is down or the hens are being injured, I'd stick him in a separate pen until i could add him to the freezer...start looking for good Coc au Vin recipies.

 

[furbabymum]

How big is he and how big are the hens? I had this problem not to long ago and I got me a bantam rooster the hens are laying fine. I didn't think it'd be possible at first because he's so little compared to the girls But he's getting along just fine. The girls live him.

I don't really need a rooster. We processed our first one and I'm willing to do it again. He's a speckled Sussex and doesn't appear much larger than my Austrolorp hens.

 

[furbabymum]

i'm having similar problems. my rooster is turning out to be a brute. I don't want to waste him, but i'm wondering if setting up a whole killing station is worthwhile for one bird.
I've got some babies coming along & half are going to be roosters. the others will not be able to handle this big monster bird when he decides to mate with them.
it makes me feel bad to end his life when he's so young, strong, and a beautiful specimen of black australorp.

I don't have a killing station and I've killed 1 other rooster. We just slit the throat and then tie them up by the legs to our porch railing. When they're plucked and bled we do the rest of the work in the kitchen.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I don't have a killing station and I've killed 1 other rooster. We just slit the throat and then tie them up by the legs to our porch railing. When they're plucked and bled we do the rest of the work in the kitchen.

Pretty much the same way I've done it when I only have one to do, except the killing was done in the garage and I carried the big soup stock pot outside from the kitchen to the garage to do the scalding. Not a huge amount of set up or clean up necessary for just one.

 

[donrae]

I wouldn't worry about a little bald headed hens, but if he attacks me he's dead.