[singlepic id=86 w=320 h=240 float=right]A rooster is simply a cockerel that is fully matured and about one year old and is commonly referred to as a cock when talking about game varieties of chickens.

These pictures show the damage to Sophie’s neck from the rooster. I apologize for them being blurry, but it does show the damage. I should mention it is very normal for the rooster to pull out some feathers on the neck, but not to peck holes in the skin.

[singlepic id=85 w=320 h=240 float=right]I have a couple roosters, a Buff Orpington and a New Hampshire Red. Both are quite pretty as they are about 6 months old and will change little in appearance other than they will probably gain a pound or two by the time they are a year old.

[singlepic id=96 w=320 h=240 float=right]I have a Silver Laced Wyandotte which I have taken a special liking to for lack of a better word and she is alive, only because of my intervention.

I had a Rhode Island Red rooster. He was quite pretty and didn’t bother people in that he wasn’t aggressive toward them. I prefer the coloring of the New Hampshire Red over the Rhode Island Red and I see no difference in size or productivity, but the New Hampshire Red does have the white feathering, under the red so they make a nicer looking chicken for the oven, they aren’t covered with the dark red feathers.

Rhode Island Reds are bred for productivity. That really isn’t a secret.

I have found over the years that the Rhode Island Red roosters can be and very often are very aggressive. I haven’t seen this shown toward people for many years. I did have one that I destroyed because he attacked a child.

If you have ever seen a rooster, especially a relatively young one breed a hen, you should be aware or have noticed that very often they have little finesse. Generally they are very rough with the hens, usually they roll them all around and overall it is just a very unpleasant experience for the hen. I have also noticed that as they get older and gain in experience, they seem to know what is going on and is much gentler on the hen.

The real story about rooster damage began when this Rhode Island red developed some sort of fondness for Rosie the Silver Laced Wyandotte. This is fine even though I still disliked the way this rooster treated his hens, it is nature, so I tried to overlook it.

Quite often I would hear the hen, (usually Sophie) trying to escape this rooster. She would stay on the roost, or if running free, she would try to be far away just to avoid him.

The chasing continued but I didn’t really notice anything until one day I was looking out the window and this rooster had caught Sophie. He was somewhere in the process of taking care of Sophie, but I noticed that even though he was in total control, he pecked her neck in an unusual manner using much more force than I have ever seen from any rooster and I have had many over the years.

I went out and he ran from me, which as most people know, unless you handle chickens frequently they stay just out of your reach.

Anyway, I looked at Sophie’s neck. It had a hole in the back about the size of a quarter or half dollar. The skin had been totally removed.

There wasn’t much I could do right then, but that evening I went to the chicken house when they went in for the night, got her and put her in a cage in the garage. I gave her food and water and she spent the night in the garage

The following evening she returned to the chicken house. I always let the chickens run free when possible so spring and fall before and after they can damage plants and things around the house they are “free range” and if I am going to be home to watch them, I try never to keep them in the pen. I like saving the grain and the insect control by the flock.

On this second evening she returned to the roost in the coop. I took her out again and put her back in the cage.

This was the routine for a couple days. On the third day, she went to the garage and was standing by the cage after all the other chickens had gone to the roost. I had to sort of coax her but I got her into the cage without difficulty.

The 4th day, she went to the cage and was waiting when I went to close the coop and her cage. She had adjusted to her new home. Because I had been keeping her from the rooster by keeping her in the cage her neck was beginning to heal.

She did this for several more days. I had disposed of the rooster on the third day as he had taken his desire and focused on another hen and was doing the same thing which was just ripping feathers out of her neck so I got him before he could inflict a severe injury as he did with Sophie.

I say disposed, but I simply shot him in the back of his neck with a shotgun. I figured he liked to inflict pain in the hen’s necks, I would see if he liked it. It actually was quick and merciful and even though I sort of joke about it, I do not like killing chickens. Generally in the past few years I just run a home for geriatric chickens.

After about a week and a half, Sophie had healed to a point where she began to lay eggs again. Sophie at that time was about 7 years old. She laid an egg, 4 out of 5 days and had almost nothing for a scab left on her neck.

Evidently she considered herself recuperated enough to return to the coop. Either that or she finally noticed that the rooster was gone. I do know she watched for the rooster to protect herself, and I actually did notice she seemed more relaxed a couple days after he disappeared from her life.

The interesting thing to me is that she was so easily trained to the cage, then even when mostly healed, was smart enough to stay in the cage until she was healed enough feel comfortable back with the flock. She is one of the leading hens in the flock and she returned to her original status upon her return.

Sophie is now find except for a limp. I don’t know if it was the beatings she got from the rooster, or an injury from trying to escape him, but the limp remains and there are no more problems. Basically she is just one of the flock now. Other hens don’t bother her other than the normal peck which all chickens do to maintain their status in the flock.

I did take a couple pictures, slightly blurry, but they do show the damage or wound from the rooster, and the permanent sticking out of the feathers on her neck. It is actually almost a miracle that she survived.