So we have a rooster we don't want to make dinner, so far we haven't lost a hen to a hawk. He is tearing up our girls backs, one is his favorite and pretty much bald. We've tried the saddles with wing covers and he gets right under them with the claws. I see some covers for spurs but that doesn't seem to be the issue, it's the claws. Is there such a thing as a cover for the claws? Any suggestions appreciated aside from telling me to kill the chicken.
Ohboy7
Yes, we're probably light on hens, just six because we have a pretty small place and pen. Our first flock so we're learning. Didn't want a rooster but of course that last one that was cute in the trough at the farm store started crowing one day. Chases the wife around but doesn't mess with me, just will peck at my feet once in a while if I get close. Big beautiful bird though, he is pretty aggressive to almost everything else but me. So how do you go about handling a big flapping bird while trimming toes? I'll probably have to do it alone. Maybe a hood over the head? Would that calm him down some?
This why I don’t have roosters. I have had 2 roosters, and they both tore all the feathers off the back of the hens. Winter in MN is too brutal for a hen not to have its feathers.
If you have issues with hawks, put an old trampoline(or something similar) in your yard, this will give your hens a place to hide.
We culled the most beautiful rooster. He was an Americauna. He had every color imaginable, just beautiful. He also chased my wife around. That was the end of him.
If you have issues with hawks, put an old trampoline(or something similar) in your yard, this will give your hens a place to hide.
We culled the most beautiful rooster. He was an Americauna. He had every color imaginable, just beautiful. He also chased my wife around. That was the end of him.
One of our roosters had his “favorite” hen. She got torn up to the point of actively bleeding.
Our solution was to separate that particular hen for about a week: we had a separate run in the coop so she could still see and interact with the others, she was just behind chickenwire. After that week she had sprouted some new feathers and her wounding had healed enough that we let her out to see how it would go. The rooster mounted her much less frequently afterwards, for whatever reason.
I’ll add that we let all the birds sleep together in the coop during that time: that hen was only separated during the day.
Our solution was to separate that particular hen for about a week: we had a separate run in the coop so she could still see and interact with the others, she was just behind chickenwire. After that week she had sprouted some new feathers and her wounding had healed enough that we let her out to see how it would go. The rooster mounted her much less frequently afterwards, for whatever reason.
I’ll add that we let all the birds sleep together in the coop during that time: that hen was only separated during the day.
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