Background
There are so many postings concerning how evil roosters in general can be. Also when rooster are presented in a positive light is seems like every thing is in reference to what a rooster does for his "girls". Here I present a very different situation with a breed that is very frequently vilified by parties that have little or no experience with them. This is primarily about a rooster investing in his offspring.
Slugger (The Rooster / Cock / Father)
I have been keeping a rooster with a “hen” so they can range freely in area immediately around the house. They have been roosting in the garage which is also where the “hen” incubated a clutch fathered by same rooster which has resulted in 13 chicks. Rooster in this case is more accurately referred to as a cock because from the perspective of data keeping he is greater than 1 year old and from the biological perspective his is into his second full adult feather set (> 18 months old). Appearance and behavior of such a cock is generally distinguishable from that of a younger cockerel even though the latter male may also be sexually mature. The “hen” could also be referred to as a pullet in that she is less than a year old (currently 10 months). Even though she is sexually mature there are some modest behavior changes to come once she is also in her second adult feather set.
Chicks and Ranging Habits of Harem
The chicks are a little over 2 weeks old and go back under direction of their mother to the same nest each night in garage. Chicks are typical in generally staying close to mother and each other while out foraging and retreating under her skirt when they are satiated or cold. The chicks also go to father when he indicates good eats. Entire family unit ranges at most about 125 feet from garage during the course of a day. The restricted ranging habits is due to a combination of extremely good forage quality, limited time outside of garage owing to confinement during bulk of day (see below), and the application of supplemental feed and water in the garage.
Particular Observations
Until the last few days the cock normally roosted on old motorcycle that was about 10 feet from nest box I made on floor. Each morning they for about an hour they are allowed outside to forage before I call them back for while I am at work then when at end of work day 1745 they are released until they go back to their roosts which for hen and brood that is about 1 hour before dark and for rooster it is about twilight. Cock has been staying very close to pullet and brood when outside foraging only leaving when chasing off the dom harem leader then he comes back quickly. He spends a lot of time with head down among brood doing what I suspect is related to imprinting which normally important later. Over last weekend it was obvious he was scratching up a lot of bugs for the brood (not unusual in its self) but chicks were following him almost as much as they were their mother even when he was not tidbitting. For the last few evenings has been accompanying rest of family into nest and staying inside with them for about 15 minutes before coming out for a short bit and then going back in for balance of night. Mother is first to enter nest usually with a couple chicks, then father stands outside looking in making grumbling growl like sound that is similar to that he produced when indication a good nest site, then he slowly walks in and settles down with his tail protruding from nest. Balance of chicks come, many from top and they have to either walk over or under him to get in. After all are settled chicks can be found under both adults which is where they stay for the balance of the night. Chicks defecate in nest through the night but both adults refrain from doing so. Typically broody females do not defecate in nest and can hold it for more than 24 hours although rooster generally defecate as they need to. Father, when he leaves nest at about down, goes up on motorcycle and takes a massive crap before starting a bout of crowing. He held it in all night just like mother.
Slugger with Blanch (mother) in nest with brood for night. He has been doing this for a week.
Additionally I conducted an experiment where father was placed in a pen by himself that chicks could not get to. Then I poured about 50 mealworms into middle of pen. Father called chicks and mother over but they could not get to eats. Father was briefly confused before proceeding to pick up mealworms one at a time and carrying them to fence where he then presented them to chicks. When a chick consumed a mealworm the process was repeated.
Contrast with Typical
The chicks jumping on fathers back during the day and his providing choice food items as well as protection is typical. What distinguishes this from the normal process with chicks is where father allows chicks to snuggle up under him during the day and the cohabitating in the nest with hen and brood. Additionally the father will spend a lot more time away from hen and brood than when he becomes broody and he is right among brood most of the day.
Pattern
I have had this happen enough that I am starting to think I know how it works. It is normal for father of this breed to imprint on brood and for brood to imprint on him. This imprinting is important for later when mother begins investing in next brood and father steps up his investment in his now juvenile brood which persist until they are about 12 weeks old. What causes the observed variation with more intensive investment in chicks is the fathers close early confinement with brood which is more so than he would if they were totally free-range kept or involving a more hens in his harem where he diverts more activities away from brood. Large brood also seems to promote process.
Relate to Others
This is one of the interesting behaviors of some games that does not appear to be exhibited by other breeds or wild red jungle fowl. Either it comes from the grey jungle fowl side or was developed independently through particulars of the domestication process for some breeds.
VIDEO WILL BE SHOWN SHORTLY SHOWING HOW HE TRANSFERS EATS TO CHICKS
There are so many postings concerning how evil roosters in general can be. Also when rooster are presented in a positive light is seems like every thing is in reference to what a rooster does for his "girls". Here I present a very different situation with a breed that is very frequently vilified by parties that have little or no experience with them. This is primarily about a rooster investing in his offspring.
Slugger (The Rooster / Cock / Father)
I have been keeping a rooster with a “hen” so they can range freely in area immediately around the house. They have been roosting in the garage which is also where the “hen” incubated a clutch fathered by same rooster which has resulted in 13 chicks. Rooster in this case is more accurately referred to as a cock because from the perspective of data keeping he is greater than 1 year old and from the biological perspective his is into his second full adult feather set (> 18 months old). Appearance and behavior of such a cock is generally distinguishable from that of a younger cockerel even though the latter male may also be sexually mature. The “hen” could also be referred to as a pullet in that she is less than a year old (currently 10 months). Even though she is sexually mature there are some modest behavior changes to come once she is also in her second adult feather set.
Chicks and Ranging Habits of Harem
The chicks are a little over 2 weeks old and go back under direction of their mother to the same nest each night in garage. Chicks are typical in generally staying close to mother and each other while out foraging and retreating under her skirt when they are satiated or cold. The chicks also go to father when he indicates good eats. Entire family unit ranges at most about 125 feet from garage during the course of a day. The restricted ranging habits is due to a combination of extremely good forage quality, limited time outside of garage owing to confinement during bulk of day (see below), and the application of supplemental feed and water in the garage.
Particular Observations
Until the last few days the cock normally roosted on old motorcycle that was about 10 feet from nest box I made on floor. Each morning they for about an hour they are allowed outside to forage before I call them back for while I am at work then when at end of work day 1745 they are released until they go back to their roosts which for hen and brood that is about 1 hour before dark and for rooster it is about twilight. Cock has been staying very close to pullet and brood when outside foraging only leaving when chasing off the dom harem leader then he comes back quickly. He spends a lot of time with head down among brood doing what I suspect is related to imprinting which normally important later. Over last weekend it was obvious he was scratching up a lot of bugs for the brood (not unusual in its self) but chicks were following him almost as much as they were their mother even when he was not tidbitting. For the last few evenings has been accompanying rest of family into nest and staying inside with them for about 15 minutes before coming out for a short bit and then going back in for balance of night. Mother is first to enter nest usually with a couple chicks, then father stands outside looking in making grumbling growl like sound that is similar to that he produced when indication a good nest site, then he slowly walks in and settles down with his tail protruding from nest. Balance of chicks come, many from top and they have to either walk over or under him to get in. After all are settled chicks can be found under both adults which is where they stay for the balance of the night. Chicks defecate in nest through the night but both adults refrain from doing so. Typically broody females do not defecate in nest and can hold it for more than 24 hours although rooster generally defecate as they need to. Father, when he leaves nest at about down, goes up on motorcycle and takes a massive crap before starting a bout of crowing. He held it in all night just like mother.
Slugger with Blanch (mother) in nest with brood for night. He has been doing this for a week.
Additionally I conducted an experiment where father was placed in a pen by himself that chicks could not get to. Then I poured about 50 mealworms into middle of pen. Father called chicks and mother over but they could not get to eats. Father was briefly confused before proceeding to pick up mealworms one at a time and carrying them to fence where he then presented them to chicks. When a chick consumed a mealworm the process was repeated.
Contrast with Typical
The chicks jumping on fathers back during the day and his providing choice food items as well as protection is typical. What distinguishes this from the normal process with chicks is where father allows chicks to snuggle up under him during the day and the cohabitating in the nest with hen and brood. Additionally the father will spend a lot more time away from hen and brood than when he becomes broody and he is right among brood most of the day.
Pattern
I have had this happen enough that I am starting to think I know how it works. It is normal for father of this breed to imprint on brood and for brood to imprint on him. This imprinting is important for later when mother begins investing in next brood and father steps up his investment in his now juvenile brood which persist until they are about 12 weeks old. What causes the observed variation with more intensive investment in chicks is the fathers close early confinement with brood which is more so than he would if they were totally free-range kept or involving a more hens in his harem where he diverts more activities away from brood. Large brood also seems to promote process.
Relate to Others
This is one of the interesting behaviors of some games that does not appear to be exhibited by other breeds or wild red jungle fowl. Either it comes from the grey jungle fowl side or was developed independently through particulars of the domestication process for some breeds.
VIDEO WILL BE SHOWN SHORTLY SHOWING HOW HE TRANSFERS EATS TO CHICKS
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