What is causing this back feather damage?

[Melancholy Bear]

We have five hens and one rooster. One hen in particular, a buff orpington, is having damaged feathers on her back and wings. The others, including one other buff orpington, don't have any of this. So I'm thinking it is not from breeding. Do you think it's breeding or something else? She is the smallest of all of them. However I've never seen her be bullied.

 

[Coops Dad]

Overbreeding- she's probably his favorite.

 

[Shadrach]

We have five hens and one rooster. One hen in particular, a buff orpington, is having damaged feathers on her back and wings. The others, including one other buff orpington, don't have any of this. So I'm thinking it is not from breeding. Do you think it's breeding or something else? She is the smallest of all of them. However I've never seen her be bullied.

It is probably feather damage from the rooster mating with the hen.
It really isn't anything to worry about if that is what causes it.

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Update: the feather damage has broken all of the feathers down to the skin. And now I see a red abrasion or sore where it might have drawn blood.

Is there anything you do with this? (We don't have another coop to move her to for recovery.)

 

[ccasey09]

I had a rooster that did this. He had a favorite and it showed. Have you heard about a chicken saddle? Do you think she would wear one? It keeps him from being able to rub all the feathers off.

 

[MarlaMac]

We have five hens and one rooster. One hen in particular, a buff orpington, is having damaged feathers on her back and wings. The others, including one other buff orpington, don't have any of this. So I'm thinking it is not from breeding. Do you think it's breeding or something else? She is the smallest of all of them. However I've never seen her be bullied.

Buy her a chicken saddle. The best one I have seen is from The Chicken Lady. We have one hen that needs to wear one almost all the time b/c rooster apparently really likes her. It could also be that she is not readily submitting to your rooster. He may say on her a little longer as a means of teaching her submission; but, he may just really like her.

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Buy her a chicken saddle. The best one I have seen is from The Chicken Lady. We have one hen that needs to wear one almost all the time b/c rooster apparently really likes her. It could also be that she is not readily submitting to your rooster. He may say on her a little longer as a means of teaching her submission; but, he may just really like her.

I have not, so thanks for letting me know. He did appear to stay on a long while and be rough when I saw him breed her a little while ago. Is there any reason I should try to catch her and apply hydrocortisone to her skin, or is that pointless?

 

[MarlaMac]

I have not, so thanks for letting me know. He did appear to stay on a long while and be rough when I saw him breed her a little while ago. Is there any reason I should try to catch her and apply hydrocortisone to her skin, or is that pointless?

If the skin is broken it would probably help to get some plain triple antibiotic ointment on it. If the skin is not broken the thing she needs is a saddle so that his nails and spurs don't break the skin. If it is red, the others might start pecking at it, so some blue kote of some kind would hide the red from the others so they won't peck her.

 

[MarlaMac]

If the skin is broken it would probably help to get some plain triple antibiotic ointment on it. If the skin is not broken the thing she needs is a saddle so that his nails and spurs don't break the skin. If it is red, the others might start pecking at it, so some blue kote of some kind would hide the red from the others so they won't peck her.

When buying a saddle, stay away from red ones. I have heard horror stories of roosters attacking and killing hens with red saddles.

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Update: the saddle arrived yesterday and we put it on her, not rather gracefully last night. Today will be her first day wearing it. Thanks for the advice.

While the rooster's spurs are not terribly long or sharp compared to some pictures I've seen on here, would trimming and blunting his spurs help save feathers or injury to the hens? Or is that futile, would he likely still cause the damage?