So many broken feathers, bald wings and necks, what the heck??

[mertzee]

I have 19 hens 1 rooster, a pullet, 2 very young cockerels and 8 new chicks. They are fed Tucker Milling 22% show flock and Tucker Milling conditioner and they free range. I have two hens with bald necks from their feathers being plucked out. One with bare shoulders from broken wings. And couple wearing saddles because my roo is sex fiend. He don’t care if the hens are interested or not he will catch them not looking jump them and rape them. (I’m looking to find him a new residence.). Recently I noticed he had broken wing feather tips too. I’m thinking I have a bully or a feather eater or something. The only thing I can say with certainty is they are definitely being overbred. But I don’t understand some things like why are his feather tips broken last pics attached are of him) And why would he jump on a hen face to face and try yanking her feathers out of her neck?? I have caught him doing this twice to the same hen and she is one of the two with bare necks. I can’t even tell which hen is the top hen anymore. (I work a full time job so I don’t get to watch them as much as I would like.). In addition to rehoming the rooster do you have any thoughts on this behavior and what I can do to help my hens?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll mention that your 19 to 1 ratio shows how bogus that 10 to 1 ratio you read about on here really is. Sorry, but that's one of my pet peeves on here. Your rooster to hen ratio is not the problem.

A lot of that is rooster damage. They look old enough that he and the girls are not still in puberty, they should be old enough to act better. Getting rid of him is the right move.

I'll do this one first. Where you are this time of the year this should not be the molt. It doesn't look like it anyway. Different things can cause an out of season molt so lets just eliminate that. Are you seeing a lot of feathers flying around?

Did they molt last fall or over winter? Often they will skip the molt their first fall so their feathers can get really rough. If the feather is damaged but there is any bit of shaft still in the feather follicle that feather will not grow back until they molt. Could some of this be from them skipping the molt last fall?

Have you checked for mites and lice? If you are having feathering problems it is usually a good idea to check for mites and lice.

It is possible you have a feather plucker. The very few times I've had that it was like one was grooming another. They'd both sit together and one would let the other pluck feathers. The only way I know to check for that is to watch them. Looking at those photos this doesn't feel right but you never know.

Some chickens have brittle feathers. That's usually genetic. Their bodies do not process certain nutrients they eat so the feathers get brittle and easy to break. I've had that once and it was only two of them. The rest were fine. I ate those two so I could get those genetics out of my flock, none of the pullets or roosters I hatched from that flock had brittle feathers.

That's all I can think of this morning. To me there is no doubt some of it is rooster damage, but not all of it. Good luck figuring it out.

 

[Folly's place]

RR has covered the likely issues here already.
At night, with a flashlight, look at vents and necks, at least, for lice and/ or mites. Check at least several birds, because they may not all have equal infestations.
Are the mill dates on your feed bags recent? The feed sounds fine, but old feed isn't good.
Do you have birds with nice feathering?
Remove that rooster, and be suspicious of any beautifully feathered hens, as possible feather pickers.
We have also had a couple of hens with poor feather quality, and removed them from our breeding groups. And an obnoxious rooster is not an asset!
Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

Looks like bugs to me mostly because it is on your rooster too. Feather depluming mites leave damage like that.

Well not the neck on the chicken, that is a rooster, and truthfully, if you don't like him, and the girls don't like him, apply a broomstick and you will all be happier. He is a rotten rooster, who is going to want him?

If you can't eat him, plant a rosebush.