Rooster Issue

[Chickassan]

That is slightly terrifying to picture, bunch of googly eyes staring out from the coop all in your general direction.
That is nightmare fuel right there.

You have to get stick on eyes for these when you use them, it makes all the difference in the world for their attitude

 

[Audrey Watson]

He is a beautiful rooster and you may not let him go! I have spoken! I have a big rooster (Harvey) and some of my hens have bare backs as well. The girls LOVE Harvey! They gather around him and fight for the right to sleep next to him. Sometimes to the point of being forced off the roost! If your rooster is a good one, calls the girls to the food (like Harvey), gives alerts for danger (Like Harvey) and gives you chicks I see no reason to get rid of him or subject him to a crockpot just for being who he is! File down the nails, get the girls sweaters, but keep him! A good rooster (especially with humans) is a rare and special thing, if you ignore that you will be sorry! This is my Harvey.

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The good ones are so rare. I am so lucky to have a wonderful Cochin roo who is the sweetest thing. Loves the girls, keeps them safe and is not aggressive at all(he’s actually such a scaredy-cat). He is very shy but once he gets used to you he is such a lovebug. His name is Nugget but we would never dream of making him into one(seeing as I’m vegan, lol!).

 

[ellend]

Hi all!

So I’m really torn on what do with my rooster, Shaggy. He’s beautiful, and really is a great rooster. He is amazing at protecting my girls, and always makes sure they eat first etc. he’s just a good boy. My problem is — is that he is mounting my girls so much they all have bare backs. I have 7 full size hens, and 2 bantam hens.

I bought a saddle and have used that, but he just flips it up when he mounts them. He’s also super big. He’s probably a good 9-11 pounds. He’s double the size my standard hens. He’s also just recently started to mount my bantams as well.

My poor girls backs look so painful, I’m just torn whether to keep him, or rehome him.

Any opinions or solutions for me? (Also attached a photo of him in all his glory lol)

I found a vet who had worked with chickens when he was in school. He was curious, so he helped me caponize a roo, for very little money. Use isoflurane gas on fowl for surgery. Caponizing instructions are easy to follow, just make sure you do a a small "scoop" as getting hold of those friable (falls apart very easily) testes once you free them is not as easy as you'd think!!! My capon did great afterward.

 

[Floridachicks3403]

Hi all!

So I’m really torn on what do with my rooster, Shaggy. He’s beautiful, and really is a great rooster. He is amazing at protecting my girls, and always makes sure they eat first etc. he’s just a good boy. My problem is — is that he is mounting my girls so much they all have bare backs. I have 7 full size hens, and 2 bantam hens.

I bought a saddle and have used that, but he just flips it up when he mounts them. He’s also super big. He’s probably a good 9-11 pounds. He’s double the size my standard hens. He’s also just recently started to mount my bantams as well.

My poor girls backs look so painful, I’m just torn whether to keep him, or rehome him.

Any opinions or solutions for me? (Also attached a photo of him in all his glory lol)

Trim off Shaggy’s spurs.

 

[ecorso]

Even if you have 2 dozen hens and one rooster, you will need to separate him from the girls when they molt. We have had as many roosters as hens, but we never put more than two roosters with the hens at the same time and we give the girls lots of time to themselves. The roosters free range and go into the barn at night, (or completely dark coop with the girls only at night). When I let the hens out to free range I let out one, some or none of the roosters with them, depending on their feather state. I have a coop with runs attached to two sides of the coop and the coop has a divider in the middle. That way I can separate and rotate roosters and hen or sick or injured or babies, as needed. The runs each have two entrances as well, so I can let the roosters in one door and the hens out the other if I want to let the he s free range without any roosters. It can be a bit of a circus, but it works if you’re a city slicker like me, (though now outside the city), who can’t eat her own chickens and loves her roosters like other pets

 

[Chickassan]

I've always thought your avatar was a fat white chicken.
Unless Santa has been wildly misrepresented it is not.

He is on the naughty list...

 

[leighC]

Hi all!

So I’m really torn on what do with my rooster, Shaggy. He’s beautiful, and really is a great rooster. He is amazing at protecting my girls, and always makes sure they eat first etc. he’s just a good boy. My problem is — is that he is mounting my girls so much they all have bare backs. I have 7 full size hens, and 2 bantam hens.

I bought a saddle and have used that, but he just flips it up when he mounts them. He’s also super big. He’s probably a good 9-11 pounds. He’s double the size my standard hens. He’s also just recently started to mount my bantams as well.

My poor girls backs look so painful, I’m just torn whether to keep him, or rehome him.

Any opinions or solutions for me? (Also attached a photo of him in all his glory lol)

That is one beautiful rooster! Hope you don’t have to eat him. Let everybody know if something winds up working to deter him or keep your girls less torn up

 

[Abbkayx]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all of the input. My chickens are my pets just as my dogs and cats are, and while we eat the eggs - I could never eat any of my own chickens lol.

I am the biggest animal lover out there, but also realize the process of raising chickens and things have to be done to keep a happy, healthy flock.

I haven’t made any final decision just yet, I’m giving him a bit longer - as we do love him. But will let everyone know what happens after a bit of time and trial and error on diff methods.

 

[ecorso]

Oh, I also started making my own hen aprons/saddles, as I had the same problem as you with them flipping up. I made them with better coverage and a closer fit and then made the elastic velcro on at one end to make it easy to get them on and fitted. They work great to protect the girls, but if the hens are already missing feathers and have feathers growing back in, it is still not comfortable for them to be mounted, and you need to remove the aprons regularly, so they can preen the pin feathers and break the hard covering, letting the feather fluff out.

 

[Trux]

do you mean googly eyes?