Rough Rooster

[TwoPitsInaPod]

So I know that roosters can overmate the ladies when their are not enough ladies....but what do you do when you have enough hens and only one of them is getting beat up?

I have a Barred Rock Roo who will be a year old in May I think, and I have 19 hens of various ages and breeds. He seems to have a favorite though and she is losing all of the feathers on her back!

It was looking like she was healing and they were growing back but this afternoon I noticed that she looks like she's been literally plucked. I'll be watching to see if it's any of the hens causing the damage but I think it's my roo. I'm concerned about putting a saddle on her because it is our rainy season right now and I don't want to create a bigger problem/infection. I'm going to put some blue kote on her, any other suggestions for helping her out?

I have them in a super large chicken run for the first half of the day, and then they free range in the afternoon until they put themselves to bed.

Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a Barred Rock Roo who will be a year old in May I think, and I have 19 hens of various ages and breeds. He seems to have a favorite though and she is losing all of the feathers on her back!

what do you do when you have enough hens and only one of them is getting beat up?

It was looking like she was healing and they were growing back but this afternoon I noticed that she looks like she's been literally plucked. I'll be watching to see if it's any of the hens causing the damage but I think it's my roo.

I'm going to put some blue kote on her, any other suggestions for helping her out?

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of the damage?

So she's suffering damage from treading/mating - he's not beating her up like flogging her?

There's a few solutions
- separate the rooster until she heals up. If feathers are broken and the shafts are still intact in the skin, those will not be replaced until she molts.
- you could separate her, but I've never felt that was quite fair...after all she's done nothing to deserve separation. I only separate hens if they are very sick and need some type of protection. I do separate roosters though.
- saddles are an option as well. Is your run covered? If it is and they spend most of the time under cover, it's worth trying. I have used them in the past -yes, my runs are mostly covered, but a few hens would get in the rainy areas and get wet - I never had a problem, but the material was a cotton blend and breathed well. I was very diligent and checked their skin underneath the saddles a couple of times a week too.

As for what to put on her - is the skin broken and torn? Blu Kote does work, it just makes it hard to see how well wounds are healing. Some use Pine Tar, I've never used it. A lot depends on how much damage you're talking about.

Also what is the age of your rooster and hens?

 

[glassdragonfly]

Sounds like your boy has a favorite! I use saddles for this problem. I make 2 to fit the hen that needs them and switch when they get dirty are wet. A pain when it rains everyday but it really helps the girls.

 

[TwoPitsInaPod]

Is your run covered? If it is and they spend most of the time under cover, it's worth trying. I have used them in the past -yes, my runs are mostly covered, but a few hens would get in the rainy areas and get wet - I never had a problem, but the material was a cotton blend and breathed well. I was very diligent and checked their skin underneath the saddles a couple of times a week too.

As for what to put on her - is the skin broken and torn? Blu Kote does work, it just makes it hard to see how well wounds are healing. Some use Pine Tar, I've never used it. A lot depends on how much damage you're talking about.

Also what is the age of your rooster and hens?

My run is uncovered, they go underneath the coop for rain shelter and they free range in the afternoon. They can get pretty wet hunting bugs. I like the idea of switching out saddles on her it's just going to be a pain I think getting saddles on/off her regularly.

My roo is less than a year, my hens are a mixed bunch. The hen that is having the loss of feathers on her back is coming up on 2yrs. She should be having her first molt soon but I don't think this is feather loss due to molt. I'm wondering if maybe some of the newbies (who will be one this spring) are maybe picking on her and pulling the feathers...We added 4 barred rock hens and the rooster last May and the 4 rock hens tend to stick together and get kind of pushy about treats.

Thank you for the help, I'll try to post pictures tomorrow!

 

[TwoPitsInaPod]

I just found this thread on another site, it has some good pictures and info. I might be blaming my rooster for something a hen is doing... I'm going to try and watch the girls more carefully tomorrow to see if someone is picking and pulling feathers out of my poor hen.

Rooster Treading vs. Hen Damage

 

[Folly's place]

The other part of this story has to do with the hen, and her feather quality. Some birds have better feathering than others, and this is how it can appear. Again, not necessarily because of overmating, but a hen with less than ideal feathering.
Mary

 

[Bogtown Chick]

There are definitely favorite hens.
They tend to be for me the high production varieties with docile demeanors and my friendliest birds. Easy to catch for everybody it seems. I also think roosters go through hormonal maturing too. Is he young? He May settle in his second year.

Unfortunately, as others have said new feathers won’t arrive until the yearly molt and saddles will be your friend. I did find some old wool sweaters at the thrift shop that I threw in a hot wash machine and hot dryer to felt them down and cut out a saddle shape and 1 1/2 -2 inch slots for wings. No sew method. Seemed to handle rain well. Throw in the wash whenever. I bought the sweaters in colors close to their own. Black, a rusty red with green leaves embroidered (camo!) lol. A light tan... wool also will breath even when wet and dry pretty fast.

I think also some hens’ feathers do not hold up to treading.
I have a barred rock (hatchery) and her head was bald all summer. The other hens I have no balding. (Breeder for the most part)
I think breeders select against these tendencies.

 

[coach723]

Just another suggestion on the saddles, and whether the damage is from your cockerel or from another hen it still applies. I make mine from outdoor fabric (like sunbrella or the equivalent) they shed water really well and I've never had an issue with rain, and we have torrential downpours in the spring and summer here. The tight weave also means that feather quills don't get hung up in the fabric and cause discomfort for the bird wearing it. I've left them on damaged backs until the feathers have nearly filled entirely in so that progress is not undone, never had an issue. I have two or three birds that tend to be favorites and get more beat up than the others. You can make a lot of saddles out of a yard or 1/2 yard of fabric, and I buy the fabric on clearance, ugly or not. I throw them in the wash as needed. I use two layers of the fabric with a piece of flat/thin batting between, helps them stay put and maintain shape better.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I red the reddit column. And I agree that dominant hens in non free range situations exacerbate the bareback problem. It begins with feather breakage and it becomes like pulling strings for the other hens. It is also about submissiveness of those bareback hens to Rooster and more dominant hens. That barred rock I mentioned squatted last summer to any bird walking by. She was overly submissive to the point it was a knee jerk reaction for her. And the rooster would take her up on her body language. I've noted that since I've added some pullets last fall she no longer submits like she did. She is higher up on the pecking order. And I just realized that now...typing this. Ha! Freya doesn't squat like she used to!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I red the reddit column. And I agree that dominant hens in non free range situations exacerbate the bareback problem. It begins with feather breakage and it becomes like pulling strings for the other hens. It is also about submissiveness of those bareback hens to Rooster and more dominant hens. That barred rock I mentioned squatted last summer to any bird walking by. She was overly submissive to the point it was a knee jerk reaction for her. And the rooster would take her up on her body language. I've noted that since I've added some pullets last fall she no longer submits like she did. She is higher up on the pecking order. And I just realized that now...typing this. Ha! Freya doesn't squat like she used to!

Interesting observation!