Solutions for bare back chickens?

[want2know]

My rooster, Roo is evidently a rough rider.
I started my current flock of 13 last spring 2023. Since then I have lost 5 chickens to predators or unknown illness. One of course grew up to be a Rooster. The flock appears healthy but I am concerned with the two chickens that have large bare spots on their backs.
Will the feathers fill in when they molt again? How will they fare with cold weather in the winter if feathers haven't filled in?
Is there any way to prevent this? Is there anything I should do to treat their backs?
I welcome any solutions, thank you.

 

[ChicNmom]

Their feathers will regrow.

Get hen saddles. They come in various sizes and styles.
Do a search on them or if you like to sew you can make your own.

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

My rooster, Roo is evidently a rough rider.
I started my current flock of 13 last spring 2023. Since then I have lost 5 chickens to predators or unknown illness. One of course grew up to be a Rooster. The flock appears healthy but I am concerned with the two chickens that have large bare spots on their backs.
Will the feathers fill in when they molt again? How will they fare with cold weather in the winter if feathers haven't filled in?
Is there any way to prevent this? Is there anything I should do to treat their backs?
I welcome any solutions, thank you.

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View attachment 3919622

Hello, @want2know!
I am new to chicken keeping (since July 2023), but I have found homemade fleece saddles to be super helpful with this.
Eggcessive links to an article on how to make them here! I am so thankful for the information they gave. It has helped our hens so very much!
They have worked amazingly for us and lasted quite some time.
There are online saddles you can buy that are sturdier. Those are very good for protecting a chicken's life if you have a rough rooster. Sometimes hens can end up with gashes on their backs from the rooster's nails.
I did find that the sturdier saddles wore away at my hen's feathers, and gave some scabs on the wings where the straps were attached.
Since I have a good rooster, we made the fleece saddles for the hens. They were very simple to make. They have lasted a long time. One of my hens has regrown the missing feathers in about 2 and a half months.

Here are the measurements we used:

 

[want2know]

I had heard about the saddles. did you chicken whose feathers grew back in 2 1/2 months still have contact with the Rooster?

 

[Elspeth Dinsmore]

I had heard about the saddles. did you chicken whose feathers grew back in 2 1/2 months still have contact with the Rooster?

Yes! Our rooster, Alek, is with them all the time. He takes care of them and protects them.
We have 10 hens and 1 rooster.

 

[Eggcessive]

With some hens, the feather won’t grow back until the next big molt. This is a common problem with young roosters. Some of the hens are his favorites. I made some no-sew hen saddles similar to those out of a thicker polar fleece. They freak out when the others first them, but quickly get used to them. Even with missing feathers on the saddle region during cold weather, they will huddle up on the roosts with the other chickens at night.

 

[want2know]

Yes! Our rooster, Alek, is with them all the time. He takes care of them and protects them.
We have 10 hens and 1 rooster.

View attachment 3919681

thank you, our rooster, Roo takes good care of our chickens, too, so I don't really want to get rid of him.