Roosters kill hen

[RussianChickens]

I went out to the coop this morning to find one of my RO hens dead. She was fine yesterdayand lively as usual.

However she has been getting picked on and bred eexcessively. All my birds had to be in one coop for the winter, including 9 roosters. So as you can imagine were having roster troubles.

I think they killed her. She wasn't sick. Has this happened to others?


PS if anyone wants RO roos or Phoenix they are free. Other ways they will be shot as they are not meaty type birds. They are all friendly and handled. Just too many.

I've actually found my roosters do well in one pen with only roosters. Other ways they hurt the hens. I'm in the process of moving chickens back to summer pens. These roos have got to go. I only want to keep 4 for breeding. They pull out feathers and make the hens bald.

I'm so sad they killed her. I now fear for my other hens as they will be the next targets. I can't get much done because the ground is soup! So everything's still stick in one pen and run. :S

So do you all think it was the roos or did she just up and flop?

 

[MarylandChicks]

I am fairly certain the same thing happened to me last night. I had one small cochins in the flock who was healthy as can be last night and dead this morning with the rooster standing on top of her when i opened the door. Although she had no signs of physical injury which i would have expected.

 

[subhanalah]

Have you performed a necropsy @MarylandChicks?
I'm pretty sure roosters mourn over their lost hens and he could be totally innocent.

 

[RussianChickens]

Well I had another die today, of a wound on her back I didn't see, obviously a gouge from a spur. She died in my dads arms while I was away. Bled to death. I don't think the roosters kill their hens intentionally, I believe it is accidental. And I have too many with no place to go and no one to eat them.

However my other roos were breeding her corpse when I found the first one.

I'm not sure they get any clue at all, well maybe mine are just stupid... lol


I have to buy a roll of wire this weekend and set up a pen for the extra roos until I can give them away or eat them my self, what ever comes first. This is partially due to most of my hens being very small breeds with large breed roosters. I have not been able to inspect my flock daily being away for days at a time and my dad doesn't do a good job of that, he just feeds and waters. So I suspect my first one died of some kind of injury as well.

I feel awful I haven't been around and things have gone so downhill for my poor birds! Everythings become a mess since I've been away!

I hope nothing else gets in my way of fixing up a new pen this weekend again, I need to separate them for my breeding pens soon too. Lots and lots of work and no time to do it...