Roosters mothering chicks?

Okay so my chicks are three weeks old and it is plenty hot here so I moved them out to the pen area of my big chickens. They have a run made of half inch hardware cloth on the top and three sides. On the end is an old rabbit cage I placed a board over covered in plastic that drapes down over the sides. They have their heat lamp still and I put a fan out there for during the hot afternoons. They love it running around and scratching and pecking. Well the other day I noticed something strange and I've been trying to get a picture but they stop every time I walk out there, maybe someone else can explain it. I noticed my two roosters standing along the chick's run so I was watching to see if they were being aggressive towards the chicks, I wouldn't say there was any aggression. What they do is the chicks will be lined up along the run and the roosters walk along and, from what I can see, touch the chicks beaks through the fence. The chicks don't seem to be bothered since they come running like for food when the roosters come. And this morning I noticed Blondie laying next to the run so I watched for awhile, then I seen them, there were like four chicks curled up on the other side of the hardware cloth. I moved toward the kitchen window to get a better angle and yep, he was leaned up on one side and they were curled up to him on the other. I've never raised chicks this young since I was a child and I don't remember the roosters ever being nice or safe around chicks. But these two seem to pay allot of attention to the chicks, is this normal and is it a good thing or a bad thing?

My roosters do the same thing and it used to concern me, but it's actually a good thing. They're seeing the chicks are new members of the flock and something that needs protected (I think). When the chicks are older the roosters should step in if the hens are bullying them too much.

What a great scenario!

Had broody hatched chicks this year and the rooster would tidbit for them and chase off aggressive hens.

I find it interesting that you have 2 roosters living in harmony...and together they are hanging with the chicks.
How many other birds in your flock?

I'm glad someone else has seen roosters doing this. I'm not really worried too much about joining the two groups after the chicks are large enough, because the dominant hen goes to the run and calls the chicks out when they're napping in the rabbit cage if she wants to what I call, inspect them. She stands there clucking and they all scamper out just for her to look at them for a second and walk away. My other girl tries to steal bugs they catch as they run back and forth with it, like she's one of them. As far as the roosters actually intervening in squabbles, , Big Mama got her name because that's her personality. She would stomp the heck out of one of my roosters if they tried to cross her. She charges the cats if she doesn't want to move when they go to move the flock, and the cats just look like okay nevermind maybe later. The only one she stops and takes notice of is me, she even punks my poor husband and dogs. And she loves to run up to me and proceed to cluck away about anything she might be upset about, she will walk you to show you, if you follow. But I'm truly happy this is normal. Thank you.

When we had our first flock several years ago, a predator got in and massacred almost everyone. Survivors included a young Bantam rooster (less than a year) and 5 or 6 two week old chicks. He took them under his wing and raised them up. We just thought he had identity issues but he raised those chicks up just like a mother hen would.

I have two girls and two roosters they came together as a rescue, and now nine chicks I ordered from MPC. I wrote about them, it has been an amazing learning experience bringing these birds to the healthy and beautiful examples they are today from where they were. I think that experience has ingrained things in these birds that you don't normally see in chickens. For one thing they are by no means flighty, in the fight or flight scenario, they are down for the fight. Of course it helps when you know you got plenty of back up. Between my cats that think they're herding dogs and pit bulls who think the chickens are their babies, the only real threat my chickens have out in the boondocks is their own egos. Because they are so well protected it seems they take it for granted and at times tend to pick on or bully the dogs. But nothing serious just running up and scaring the heck out of the dog while it's napping in the sun, whoever it is gets up barks for a minute at the chickens then moves down and goes back to sleep. It's hilarious because as the dog is barking, the chickens run around the corner or behind a bush and if you watch you'll see one of then peep around wherever there hiding to see what the dog is doing. It's like a weird version of ding dong ditch. You can almost imagine them covering their beaks giggling. And with the roos it is simply amazing how they act, even in breeding. I'll watch out my office window over their penned area, and Red will start to circle one of the girls with his wing displayed. Next thing you know he grabs her by the head and takes her to the ground. But he doesn't mount her, Blondie does. Then it starts again this time Blondie jumps her and Red mounts, it's weird. They share food they forage with each other and take turns watching out as the flock forages. I don't think they would ever survive being separated from each other, the one time Red came at me was when I was trying to.