rooster hurting hens

[KooKoe]

I was wondering if you folks could help me. My rooster (sussex) is hurting my hens very badly when he mates with them. His spurs are not sharp yet, but his claws are rather sharp. He gashed one of my girls so bad that I lost her! Does anyone have advice on how to deal with the problem, other than a hen apron?

 

[teach1rusl]

Get rid of the rooster, eat him, or stick him in a bachelor pen. Your hens don't deserve this rough treatment.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

How old is you rooster? And how big is he compared to your hens? If he is young, there may still be hope for him. Roosters just getting the hang if the mating process are a bit clumbsy and sometimes are rough on their hens without meaning to be. However, some are just rough in general. If your boy is older than a year, I would get rid of him (however you feel comfortable). There are way too many nice, gentle roosters out there to be dealing with one that's a jerk. Good luck!

 

[ranchhand]

How many hens does he have? How old is he? If he's young, he may grow out of it.

I'm surprised you lost the hen, I have had them heal from predator attacks far worse, just cleaned the wound with diluted Betadine and packed it with antibiotic ointment daily.

 

[sourland]

Trim his nails and separate him from the hens only allowing 'conjugal' visits when you want fertile eggs. Some roosters are just too big, clumsy and rough-- others just need to grow up and improve their technique.