The girls are under attack

[amyf]

We have 11 beautiful hens and one roo all of which are 11 months old. The roo is tearing up the girls - they all have a large bald spot on their backs and some behind their combs. A few have NO WINGS left!!! The large feathers of their wings have been pulled off and all that remains is a stubby nub. I am afraid if this continues the frostbite on the bald spots will be fierce next winter here in NH. I have tried saddles/aprons and although, a couple have adjusted, a few thought it was horrible wearing those and I thought they were going to break their necks after flopping around violently.
Does the roo need to go? Will it only get worse?

He attacks me when I try and put an apron on a hen and he jumps on anyone he is not familiar with and soon he will have spurs.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Sounds like the best bet for that rooster is a trip to freezer camp! There are way too many nice roosters that are easy on the ladies to let this marauder continue to injure your hens. Young roos will often be rough on the girls until the figure it out, and he is old enough to have figured it out by now! Not to mention his disrespect toward you - he sees you as an underling, and that's just dangerous. Good luck!

 

[smarsh]

may i ask what breed your rooster is? yeah, he needs to go now.

 

[jeaucamom]

Life is too short to deal with aggressive roos. Freezer camp all the way or our local feed store will take in roos to resell. We don't get money for them, but we don't have to find a new home for them either. Good luck.

 

[amyf]

Quote:
He is an Araucana and quite handsome, just a bit ornery. He has a large bald spot on his back also, but I have never seen any of the hens picking at each other. Hens don't pull out other hens wing feathers do they? Before I send him to the freezer I just want to make absolutely certain he is the reason the hens look so awful and it's not because of another aggresive hen.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Check them really well for mites and lice!

 

[Uzuri]

If HE has a bald spot that sure sounds like picking or cooties. Hold off on the ax until you've checked for those.

Good luck!

 

[Chicken Boo]

Can you isolate him for a while and see what changes?

 

[amyf]

Quote:
I wish I could, but nowhere to put him. I will check for mites tonight, but they all seem so healthy and the egg laying has never declined even in winter. And, the mites wouldn't explain the wing feathers being torn off. I have never seen them act out towards one another either. They may have a combination of ailments.

 

[Hennyhandler]

I have a situation similar to yours. I have the broken wing feathers and the bald spots on the hens. I do not have a bald spot on the rooster though. I have checked for bugs and haven't seen anything though I went ahead and sprinkled eight dust around. They wear saddles now too. I think it may be a combination as well. The rooster, boredom, protein maybe.... I have heard of a lot of people with similar issues. The answer.... trial and error, I think.

Good luck. I know how you feel.