Rooster pulling feathers off of my hens, is this normal?

[Farmergyrl23]

I've noticed that my rooster is pulling the feathers off of my chickens heads and also their backs. Is this normal for roosters to do this when mating with the hens? Or do I just have an aggressive rooster....I just don't want my hens to get hurt . Thanks!

 

[SIMZ]

I had the same concerns with my hens and found that it's probably normal if you have a rooster. You can buy aprons for your girls to protect their backs or separate the rooster for a while as well. The missing feathers really bother me and I'm working on a rooster pen to give my girls a break.

 

[orumpoultry]

How old is the rooster? Is it just a few hens? Is he the only rooster in the pen? It sounds to me like he has picked some favorites and is over breeding the poor girls. SIMZ is right in suggesting hen aprons.They'll be really helpful with a rough rooster. If he's still a teen, he could just be over zealous.

 

[Jeffross1968]

We're having the same problems. He's only been mature a couple months, but he did some real damage to a few of them. We have 13 laying hens, but it's obvious he has a few favorites. We have two that have complete bald spots on their backs or wings. Pretty nasty.

 

[RedDrgn]

When roosters mount hens, they hold on to the feathers on the back of their head and literally stand on their backs/wings. If a roo is doing this particularly often to a hen, it'll result in broken and missing feathers in those areas. It's normal because roos tend to play favorites even in large flocks (not so normal if he only has a few hens, though), but if they get too bald there is the risk of skin damage, so you may want to look into a chicken saddle and consider getting some Blue Kote for exposed skin on the head.

Now if you see a roo just plucking feathers from a hen for no apparent reason, then he should be culled.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

When roosters mount hens, they hold on to the feathers on the back of their head and literally stand on their backs/wings. If a roo is doing this particularly often to a hen, it'll result in broken and missing feathers in those areas. It's normal because roos tend to play favorites even in large flocks (not so normal if he only has a few hens, though), but if they get too bald there is the risk of skin damage, so you may want to look into a chicken saddle and consider getting some Blue Kote for exposed skin on the head.

Now if you see a roo just plucking feathers from a hen for no apparent reason, then he should be culled.

If a cockerel plucks feathers off just one little hen - I should cull him?
I was thinking she was ill or maybe the runt and he targeted her- he is good with the rest

 

[WingItRanch]

If a cockerel plucks feathers off just one little hen - I should cull him?
I was thinking she was ill or maybe the runt and he targeted her- he is good with the rest

Hi..you're replying to a thread that's 13 years old. I'd recommend making your own post with your circumstances and questions. For example, how old is the rooster and hen in question? Is he plucking feathers of the hen during mating or is he attacking her?

When you reply to an older thread, it can sometimes be missed by others so to get the most responses, try posting under the section "Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying."

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Hi..you're replying to a thread that's 13 years old. I'd recommend making your own post with your circumstances and questions. For example, how old is the rooster and hen in question? Is he plucking feathers of the hen during mating or is he attacking her?

When you reply to an older thread, it can sometimes be missed by others so to get the most responses, try posting under the section "Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying."

He chased the little one and she runs. Last time she flew in my arms.
He might be trying to catch her... but pulls her feathers out. She none on her her head or tummy.

I can make a new post. I wanted to try having a rooster but okay culling too. I was hoping we could get him to settle down a bit with age. He was in a time out for making another hens comb bleed.

 

[WingItRanch]

He chased the little one and she runs. Last time she flew in my arms.
He might be trying to catch her... but pulls her feathers out. She none on her her head or tummy.

I can make a new post. I wanted to try having a rooster but okay culling too. I was hoping we could get him to settle down a bit with age. He was in a time out for making another hens comb bleed.

Ah. I see. It sounds like he wants to mate her and she's not ready so instead of squatting for him, she's running away and he's not patient enough to let go. Cockerels often mature much faster than pullets. You can try separating him for a bit until the pullets are a little more mature and start squatting.

Most people say it will get better with age and the males will calm down. I had the opposite happen. I just culled a cockerel at 9 months of age. He started out great. Would wing dance around the females and was pretty gentle when mating. But then at 9 months, he just became very aggressive. He tried attacking me a few times but the final straw was when I saw how rough he started getting with the females. He was pulling feathers and tearing their combs making them bleed. And they were submitting, not fighting or running. A good rooster doesn't do this and I don't want him reproducing and passing on the aggressiveness to his offspring.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Ah. I see. It sounds like he wants to mate her and she's not ready so instead of squatting for him, she's running away and he's not patient enough to let go. Cockerels often mature much faster than pullets. You can try separating him for a bit until the pullets are a little more mature and start squatting.

Most people say it will get better with age and the males will calm down. I had the opposite happen. I just culled a cockerel at 9 months of age. He started out great. Would wing dance around the females and was pretty gentle when mating. But then at 9 months, he just became very aggressive. He tried attacking me a few times but the final straw was when I saw how rough he started getting with the females. He was pulling feathers and tearing their combs making them bleed. And they were submitting, not fighting or running. A good rooster doesn't do this and I don't want him reproducing and passing on the aggressiveness to his offspring.

Oh I understand.
Mine was doing this too!
Tearing combs and being aggressive even with the hens squatting.
The little hen is a bared rock and she is 18 months so old enough.
He tore one of cinnamon reds combs so I put him in time out. I was hoping he would settle down a bit. So there is such a thing as a good rooster? One that doesn't pull feathers out and tear combs? I got rid of his dad for doing this.