Rooster Question and Laying Question

I have a BO rooster, super sweet boy I've noticed when I take them snacks, like whole grain bread ends that we don't eat, I tear them up into little pieces and he likes to take them from my hand and feed the hens, actually I think he prefers it that way rather than when I throw it on the ground. Also they don't seem to get so grabby when he feeds them vs when I throw it on the ground they scramble around in a mad dash LOL! So is that what roosters like to do is feed the hens? Should I "let him do what he does"? Is that pretty normal? I don't want to disrupt the flow of things because he seems to prefer to feed them?
Also, about how long does it take for a hen to lay an egg? Like when she goes to the nest to lay about how long do they have to sit there? I noticed today that one of my hens was panting and making little noises while she was in the nest? Then she was quiet and a couple minutes later would do it again and seemed to be wiggling her back end, not sure how to explain it? It just seemed like she was sitting there for awhile?

Thanks all

He's doing just what a good rooster should, making sure his ladies are well taken care of. Is your girl laying yet? It's common for a pullet to start 'going through the motions' of laying eggs before they actually start to lay eggs. It could just be her personality.

Mine do it for hens in lay as better nutrition for hens means more eggs he might fertilize. Once chicks come into picture same pattern will continue although with my roosters faced with a choice between feeding chicks and hen, they will feed the chicks.

I did a cool experiment a couple years back where rooster was confined a cage chicks could not get into. Then I poured a bunch of meal worms into center of the cage. Rooster briefly tried to call chicks to him to get eats. After a couple of minutes he proceeded to take meal worms one by one to side of pen where chicks could take meal worms from him. Hen would also take meal worms from rooster but transferred them to chicks. After that no delay, rooster immediately moved meal worms to pen perimeter.

junebuggena said:

He's doing just what a good rooster should, making sure his ladies are well taken care of. Is your girl laying yet? It's common for a pullet to start 'going through the motions' of laying eggs before they actually start to lay eggs. It could just be her personality. 

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She is laying, they all laid today, some days only 6 or 7 lay but today all 8 did. So I know she laid today
He is such a good roo He really takes good care of them!

centrarchid said:

Mine do it for hens in lay as better nutrition for hens means more eggs he might fertilize. Once chicks come into picture same pattern will continue although with my roosters faced with a choice between feeding chicks and hen, they will feed the chicks.

I did a cool experiment a couple years back where rooster was confined a cage chicks could not get into. Then I poured a bunch of meal worms into center of the cage. Rooster briefly tried to call chicks to him to get eats. After a couple of minutes he proceeded to take meal worms one by one to side of pen where chicks could take meal worms from him. Hen would also take meal worms from rooster but transferred them to chicks. After that no delay, rooster immediately moved meal worms to pen perimeter.

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How interesting!! I just love to learn about these chickens! It's so cool to watch their behavior and such And he never eats any of the snacks, he always gives it to the girls <3