That Chicken Pot Pie in the Sky

[alaskachick]

I posted early this week that my Dad had adopted two chickens from a neighbor. At that time I was bragging on how well the roo and other chickens were accepting the two new strangers to the birdiehood. 6 days later I am in distress. The roo, Cuckoo Maran 20 weeks old, is focusing his attention on one of the new girls. The two new girls are 1 year old layers. One is not laying now and I guess you can guess which one it is. The roo has snatched her bald at the base of her back. Her skin is red although not bleeding. I can't understand why he is only picking on her. I have 11 other 18 week chickens with them, none laying yet. He leaves them alone. The weird part is that the two new girls are always near the roo. Eating with him, laying with him. Do I need to take the hen that he is picking on out of the coop. I am afraid he is going to tear at the skin next peck since that is all that is left now. I am wondering if I should send the roo to that chicken pot pie in the sky early before he causes more damage or give him a chance to better accept the hen. I am feeling really bad as those two hens lived by them selves before they moved here last week and now they are living in a hostile environrment with the roo.

PS. Is there a salve I can put on the hens back to keep infections away? or a method to covering/bandaging the area so the roo can't get to it.?`

 

[rdport]

I would send him to the pot....I am not a fan of roosters...they will take the feathers off a hen's back when they breed a hen...they seem to have favorites. If he is big and she is small, it seems to be really hard on the hens. Since the hens changed locations, did she go into molt mode? Maybe this was also a contributing factor.

A few years ago our hens got into that condition and it is really hard on them during the winter. I could not stand it, so from then on we have not had a rooster....our hens our fully feathered and so pretty.

 

[alaskachick]

No... it is not molting. I witnessed the roo pecking her. I am trying to not think of it with "human" emotion as I know these are animals and they dont feel the emotions humans do, however I do want the chickens to be "chicken happy" which to me would be a constant sense of security and plenty of food. I think the roo is probably bringing more stress to their lives than needed. He may be swimming with carrot and peas in cream sauce soon.

 

[cami]

dont kill him!!!!!!!! sell him to someone else but be sure to tell them what happened he is only being a boy.....maybe if he is somewhere else he wont find a hen like yours and he wont abuse them

 

[rdport]

Oh, ok you saw him picking feathers rather than breading her?...well, that could be because they are in a small coop or maybe they are missing something in the diet. Feathers are high in protein...some people give them cat food if they are picking feathers...Does he eat the feathers?

Could be he is just bored.

 

[alaskachick]

What I saw was the hen walking by minding her own business and the roo simply and meanly peck at her back and she squawked in pain. He has done this repeatly until the feathers and gone and her reddish skin is exposed. The roo has been mating with this hens sister. There are 14 hens altogether. Eleven of them are about 19 weeks. He is not mating these hens yet. I wonder if he is pecking on the hen cause she wont let him mate. To answer some of the other questions, the roo does not eat the feathers of the chicken and the coop and yard could accommodate 40 chickens, but I only have 15 so its not overcrowding.

 

[rdport]

You could be right about her not letting him mate with her...poor thing. Sorry, but I vote for the pot pie or finding another home for him. I don't think she will grow any feathers back before winter, and it will only get worse if you don't separate them. If he should draw blood, the other hens might also start pecking her.
It is very peaceful without a roo.

 

[MicheleE]

There is something you can spray on the chicken help the skin. I believe it is called Blue Kote....I got it at the feed store. It colors the skin purple to discourage further pecking and I think it might have had an anti-septic in it also.