Bare back hens

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kenya
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by kenya » Mon May 01, 2017 8:36 pm

When the rooster breeds her he kind of treads on her back this is when he damages the feathers on her back, he also hangs on to the back of her head which damages the feathers there. Just normal behaviour.
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KimChick
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by KimChick » Wed May 03, 2017 10:15 pm

We have decided to put the door back up and separate the hens as they were in the first place. BSL on one side and (Slow Growth Dual Purpose) Red hens and the rooster on the other. The rooster is really too large for the little black hens, and we don't want any of them to get injured when the rooster gets on them.
Since they do still go to their respective coops at night, we will still let them have their free run to eat fresh grass and bugs in the early evening. It takes two of us to get them back into their fenced in yard, but they are being conditioned quite well with our method.
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KimChick
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by KimChick » Tue May 16, 2017 8:42 pm

kenya wrote:
Mon May 01, 2017 8:36 pm
When the rooster breeds her he kind of treads on her back this is when he damages the feathers on her back, he also hangs on to the back of her head which damages the feathers there. Just normal behaviour.
Yup, that's what he does.
And now that they are separated for most of the day, except when we let them have a run out of their pen, the hens' back feathers are growing back.
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KimChick
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by KimChick » Tue May 16, 2017 8:44 pm

Funny thing, though, there is one red hen that has all her feathers. We call her the prima donna; I think she shuns the rooster.
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Nome89
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by Nome89 » Wed May 17, 2017 9:23 am

I have some that have all their feathers to.... the ones missing them are just his fav ladies
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Silkie Sue
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by Silkie Sue » Mon May 22, 2017 12:12 am

These work great
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20170321_120129.jpg
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KimChick
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by KimChick » Thu May 25, 2017 10:14 pm

Killerbunny wrote:
Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:09 pm
Saddles work well. Check whether he is taking the feathers out on top of the wing joint too because you can get a saddle with a wing cover too.
My hens got their revenge, I noticed them carefully plucking one of my boys legs bare!
HaHa!! And that's probably why our rooster has a bare butt!
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Nome89
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by Nome89 » Fri May 26, 2017 1:14 pm

I just noticed this week that the girls are getting their revenge!
"Norm" is missing quite a few feathers himself... haha Payback
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windwalkingwolf
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Re: Bare back hens

Post by windwalkingwolf » Fri May 26, 2017 4:40 pm

My hens delight in plucking a roosters beard and muffs. The more they like him, the faster and more thoroughly they 'shave' him!
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