About a month ago a dog attacked my lil buff cochin bantam roo. He tore his tail feathers out and some of that area still shows no sign of feathers growing back in. His hens started laying eggs around that time as well. He is now a total terror of a roo. My sweet tiny roo has turned into a mini demon. He is constantly picking fights with my other roos and has lost neck feathers and gotten his comb damaged as well. I keep him in a pen but I let the others out to free range for just a couple hours a day. He still taunts the outside roos so they go up to his pen and fight him. I have him isolated now, even from his own hens because they peck at his tail area where he lost the feathers. He can hardly be handled, when I go to pick him up he goes mad, flying around, trying to attack my face and hands. I have tried holding him, petting him, giving him treats by hand, but he will have none of it. What can I do? I hope I posted this in the right section, wasnt sure where to put "traumatized roo". Please help.
Update 12/24/2009:
I have put the hens back in with him, and to my dismay, I think the hens are not only egg eaters but they are trying to eat the roo as well! While they were removed from the roo's pen, each hen was placed in with another roo and hen couple. I noticed that the neck feathers of both of those roos were looking like they had been pecked at. The buff roo's feathers were growing back nicely so I took the hens out of the other 2 cages and put them back in with him. I had been thinking that the ruffled neck feathers were from the roos fighting through the cages. Since I have removed the buff hens from the other 2 roos, their neck feathers are growing back. Now the buff roos neck feathers and tail feathers that were growing back, are looking shabby again, with actual scabs from pieces of flesh missing from his neck. I can only conclude that it is the 2 terror hens that are making him look like this. His behavior is much better, I pick him up and rub his belly every day and he now falls alseep in my hands. What I want to know is a hard question for me to ask because I do not know if I am up to the deed or not. Should I try to rehome the hens to someone else or should I just do the deed and end it here? Oh yes, they are now looking like they are actually trying to eat each other as well! With some feathers missing around their necks but no blood or scabs as of yet.
(update 1-5-10) I have been given some advice (from here, thanks everyone) on what may have been causing the hens behavior and since I have been giving them more protein (black oil sunflower seeds and corn cobs, also scrambled eggs) they are behaving much better. No more eating feathers or picking on each other, and they are eating less and less of their own eggs as well. The roo can be handled now, doesnt act mean or anything towards me although he is still skittish about me picking him up but then after I get him in my arms he is ok. He is still trying to fight the other roo's, every chance he gets to be even a little close to them he will try to antagonize a fight. I still need to get his tail and neck feathers grown back out nice and pretty but hopefully now that wont take long.
Update 12/24/2009:
I have put the hens back in with him, and to my dismay, I think the hens are not only egg eaters but they are trying to eat the roo as well! While they were removed from the roo's pen, each hen was placed in with another roo and hen couple. I noticed that the neck feathers of both of those roos were looking like they had been pecked at. The buff roo's feathers were growing back nicely so I took the hens out of the other 2 cages and put them back in with him. I had been thinking that the ruffled neck feathers were from the roos fighting through the cages. Since I have removed the buff hens from the other 2 roos, their neck feathers are growing back. Now the buff roos neck feathers and tail feathers that were growing back, are looking shabby again, with actual scabs from pieces of flesh missing from his neck. I can only conclude that it is the 2 terror hens that are making him look like this. His behavior is much better, I pick him up and rub his belly every day and he now falls alseep in my hands. What I want to know is a hard question for me to ask because I do not know if I am up to the deed or not. Should I try to rehome the hens to someone else or should I just do the deed and end it here? Oh yes, they are now looking like they are actually trying to eat each other as well! With some feathers missing around their necks but no blood or scabs as of yet.
(update 1-5-10) I have been given some advice (from here, thanks everyone) on what may have been causing the hens behavior and since I have been giving them more protein (black oil sunflower seeds and corn cobs, also scrambled eggs) they are behaving much better. No more eating feathers or picking on each other, and they are eating less and less of their own eggs as well. The roo can be handled now, doesnt act mean or anything towards me although he is still skittish about me picking him up but then after I get him in my arms he is ok. He is still trying to fight the other roo's, every chance he gets to be even a little close to them he will try to antagonize a fight. I still need to get his tail and neck feathers grown back out nice and pretty but hopefully now that wont take long.
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