Too much mating

[aart]

How old are these birds?

 

[Newfarmer36]

How old are these birds?

About a year. This is the roosters first mating season.

 

[bobbi-j]

I realize the standard answer is “buy more birds”, but the reality is, that’s not always possible for people, and it’s no guarantee that it will help. You can have a rooster with 20 hens and there still may be a couple of bare backed hens because he has his favorites. You can have a rooster with 3 hens, and no bare backs. I think the thing with your rooster is that he’s still quite hormonal. It’s nature at work. Chicken sex isn’t wine and roses. It’s fast and sometimes looks brutal. When he grabs the back of her neck, he’s trying to balance. Personally, I would not separate him. What you’re seeing is normal. I think missing feathers bother the chicken keeper more than the chicken.

 

[Newfarmer36]

I realize the standard answer is “buy more birds”, but the reality is, that’s not always possible for people, and it’s no guarantee that it will help. You can have a rooster with 20 hens and there still may be a couple of bare backed hens because he has his favorites. You can have a rooster with 3 hens, and no bare backs. I think the thing with your rooster is that he’s still quite hormonal. It’s nature at work. Chicken sex isn’t wine and roses. It’s fast and sometimes looks brutal. When he grabs the back of her neck, he’s trying to balance. Personally, I would not separate him. What you’re seeing is normal. I think missing feathers bother the chicken keeper more than the chicken.

You're right. I can't get anymore chickens right now even if I wanted to. I came home and one of my babies had her leg broken. I took her to the vet and she's scheduled for surgery in the morning. So, that took all of my extra funds.