Helping out a bullied hen

[FarmerLisa63]

In one of my coop areas I have 10 hens and a rooster. The hen in question is clearly one of the rooster's favorites, however, he is NOT protecting her in the least! She is bare backed (from him) and has missing feathers under one of her wings as well. Over the last couple weeks, I've noticed she isolates herself from the others at treat time. Over the last couple days, I've witnessed her being pecked at and tonight watched as they wouldn't let her roost near them either. Considering the option of moving her to live with a rooster we gave to our neighbor earlier this week (since I've hear that removing this poor hen and then bringing her back will undoubtedly result in bullying again). Is this a good or bad idea? Wondering how it would be with one hen to one rooster? Thanks!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

For starters, I suggest getting your girl a chicken saddle. It'll help protect her back. With one hen to one rooster, it'll be too much for her, as she'll be the only one for him to mount.

Is she the same breed as the others? Has she been with this flock her whole life? Does she show any symptoms of illness? It's winter, so she shouldn't be, but is she molting at all?

 

[FarmerLisa63]

For starters, I suggest getting your girl a chicken saddle. It'll help protect her back. With one hen to one rooster, it'll be too much for her, as she'll be the only one for him to mount.

Is she the same breed as the others? Has she been with this flock her whole life? Does she show any symptoms of illness? It's winter, so she shouldn't be, but is she molting at all?

Thanks for your reply! So, I will NOT rehome her alone. She IS the same breed as the a number of the others who bully her. She HAS been with the group the whole time. She DOES (I think anyway) show signs of molting too. I don't think she's sick - I watch her scratch around and even dust bathe. The disturbing thing is her bent on isolation.
I've heard mixed reviews of saddles. Please enlighten me!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I've heard mixed reviews of saddles. Please enlighten me!

I'm not sure what type of reviews you've heard, but saddles has always been a good thing for my birds, except in cases the saddle was wrong size (mine was too big for my Silkie) and too lightweight (homemade saddles that are made with the wrong materials will be useless). A good saddle that fits your bird right that is made from heavy duty material (canvas, jean, etc.) should not fold up like a lightweight or too big saddle would.