Wattle wound

[melanmore]

Roosters can really rough a chicken up, which is why a lot of people don’t keep them together. Sometimes, if you don’t have enough hens, he can have his way with his favourite too many times in a day. She doesn’t get a chance to recover from his...love.

 

[BantyChooks]

Roosters can really rough a chicken up, which is why a lot of people don’t keep them together. Sometimes, if you don’t have enough hens, he can have his way with his favourite too many times in a day. She doesn’t get a chance to recover from his...love.

That's generally just an issue if you're raising a cockerel the same age as the pullets. I always keep an older cock—he'll keep the young males from beating the hens up. Having older females helps too.

Right now I have about 8 males in with 16 hens. No bare backs. I have two or three cocks, the rest are cockerels. They all ask for permission and back down if the hen isn't in the mood.

Sometimes you do just get a nasty one that is brutal on the hens. Those get souped.

 

[TheResidentialFarm]

You were all right! Then hen didn't even have dried blood on neck today, and I can barely tell where the wound is on her wattle. It was certainly hard to get a good look because she was scratching through bedding to get sunflower seeds so fervently.

As to roosters- I have 25 hens and one very polite rooster, so I'm not worried about that. He seems more exhausted by his harem and than aggressive.

And she is certainly my sassiest hen, so I'm glad I didn't have to treat her! She is the youngest pullet in the flock, but quickly fought her way to dethrone the flock queen and win top perch with the rooster.

Thanks again!

 

[Chickassan]

I'm glad! I had one that got a bite taken out of her wattle, a perfect beak shaped bite and now you can't even tell. Wattles and combs just bleed alot so its easy to get worried.

You were all right! Then hen didn't even have dried blood on neck today, and I can barely tell where the wound is on her wattle. It was certainly hard to get a good look because she was scratching through bedding to get sunflower seeds so fervently.

As to roosters- I have 25 hens and one very polite rooster, so I'm not worried about that. He seems more exhausted by his harem and than aggressive.

And she is certainly my sassiest hen, so I'm glad I didn't have to treat her! She is the youngest pullet in the flock, but quickly fought her way to dethrone the flock queen and win top perch with the rooster.

Thanks again!