I guess feathers are yummy?

[TheBirdBabe]

For some reason my rooster keep grabbing my hens.. wherever he can grab at! He gets a mouth of feathers, swallow them & goes about his business! What on earth is going on here?!
I've attached pictures of the weirdo in question.. my poor hens are starting to bald!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds like mating attempts turning into a bad habit. What's the protein % of your feed?

 

[TheBirdBabe]

Sounds like mating attempts turning into a bad habit. What's the protein % of your feed?

The feed is 16%. They also get other fruits/veggies/supplements along with it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Look into upping protein to 18-20%, and cut back on the treats, which will further dilute down the protein. It might not fix the issue if this has become a habit for him, but hopefully will help reduce some of the behavior.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

I don’t think he’s intentionally pulling them out but probably trying to mate. Our rooster used to do that and then got a mouthful of feathers from the hens running away and ate them just cause they were already in his mouth. I guess your rooster could just be trying to eat feathers for protein but I would guess he’s probably just trying to mate? How old is he?

 

[TheBirdBabe]

Look into upping protein to 18-20%, and cut back on the treats, which will further dilute down the protein. It might not fix the issue if this has become a habit for him, but hopefully will help reduce some of the behavior.

Thank you! I will definitely try this.

 

[TheBirdBabe]

I don’t think he’s intentionally pulling them out but probably trying to mate. Our rooster used to do that and then got a mouthful of feathers from the hens running away and ate them just cause they were already in his mouth. I guess your rooster could just be trying to eat feathers for protein but I would guess he’s probably just trying to mate? How old is he?

He's 5-6 months old. He may be trying to mate, but he's so cruel about it! lol
In the last two days he's been going after another one of the roosters & making him bleed. The rooster coop is almost finished, but not soon enough.