Feathers look fine to me. IMO, if they were truly bothered by the rooster, they'd be avoiding him. My hens stay tight to our rooster for protection and from the looks of it, he's not "saddling" them, so I don't think he's the issue. Now, that said, he's an easy variable to isolate and if you do separate him for 4-5 days, you'll have enough time to see if that was the case.
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But don't take him so far away that they can't hear him crow because a hen won't lay if she doesn't have a rooster crowing nearby...
True story: I had an old neighbor say that to me once. Old feller from the country and he was dead serious. I laughed at first, then realized he was serious. I politely explained that (at that time) we didn't have a rooster and my hens lay just fine and that's not how it really works