Rooster is pulling out my hens feathers while mating, best way fix this issue?

[Bhill611]

Hi all,

This is my first year with a Roo, he’s about 9 months old and he’s very sweet, not aggressive, gets along well with me and my dogs. Over the past month he’s been mating (tis the season) and he’s pulling out my hens feathers on the top of their heads. One of my hens is now almost completely bald. I try and make sure they have plenty of stimulation during the day, such as toys and hanging veggies as well as scratch grains. They have plenty of food and water, plenty of space as well. I have 8 hens and one roo. Some people have suggested pinless peepers, but I have nipple waterers and it looks like those can’t really be used with the waterers. I did pick up some pine tar, but it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference for him. Should I separate him for awhile, or separate the hen he’s picking as his “favorite”? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[cavemanrich]

I don't have a clear answer for the feather picking.
When roosters mate, they most often hold on to the neck feathers with their beak.
They don't have hands to stabilize themselves.

Pecking on top of the head,, seems like a somewhat aggressive behavior. The exposed red skin, is also attractive to other chickens pecking at it as well.
JMO
The first action I would take;;;
If you have BluKote, an Antiseptic, apply to the bare skin on top of head. The benefit in your case comes from the blue color. which stays for quite some time. The tendency to peck there will be diminished.

Second option;;
If you don't need fertile eggs at the current time,, consider trimming roos top beak. Use a nail clipper,, and then an emery board to file the edges so they are not sharp. You want to remove the hook portion of beak. If you choose this option, I can direct you to how much to remove. It is not very much.
This way, the beak is less likely to cause damage to hens' heads, as well as less grab action to pull feathers. Beak grows back in certain time.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and