The mama hen…is a rooster?

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Yes, we’ll keep him for sure. But if he ever gets overly aggressive, we’ll probably let him go in our forest or give him away.

please don't just let him go into the forest, that's cruel - have a plan in place in case you need to remove him from the flock.

 

[CreativeChicken08]

I don't know but is Chili a good dad?

We put Chili with the adults now, even though I would have wished for him to stay with the chicks, but before we put his with the adults, he started to chase one of the chicks, and we thought he was weaning them. I dunno, but he was a great Mama when we thought he was a hen!

 

[chicken mama 0908]

We put Chili with the adults now, even though I would have wished for him to stay with the chicks, but before we put his with the adults, he started to chase one of the chicks, and we thought he was weaning them. I dunno, but he was a great Mama when we thought he was a hen!

Ther is no way my rooster would be nice to chicks. He is a little on the mean side.

 

[gimmie birdies]

George got to raise those chicks, (Not related.) Then the chicks he raised raised the next batch of chicks below...(they are standing in the black tray and are 3 weeks older, but bantam so they look the same size.) Also not related.

They are all still together in an out door pen. 2 of these, raised chicks behind them, and soon a chick from that batch will raise a different unrelated group, I just hatched.

 

[wolfinator]

I had a buff Orpington rooster that would set on eggs each evening until I collected them. Then he'd leave the nesting box and get on the roost. Never had a cracked or broken egg under him either. He's was always a gentle boy, I could cradle him like a baby.

 

[CHICKENX2005]

We had an adult rooster that would raise chicks that we hatched the exact same way a hen does he would sit on them and act the same way a hen would. He was a great father. The chicks would follow him around the pen. He he would make noises just like a hen when she's walking around with her chicks. He was a leghorn mix rooster.

 

[Martha444]

We have a pet rooster in with our waterfowl. He's got a lot on his mind about nests. He has semi adopted the duck flocks and I will find him resting on a duck nest occasionally. He figured out pretty quickly we liked to find the eggs and would point out covered nests and errant eggs for us, and say we've put down fresh bedding, he will go sit in a nice new depression and make tid bit noises, squishing it down like hes trying to point out a good place for the ducks to make their new nest. He's quite a character. Hes almost 2 years old now - barred rock.

I know a lot of people might not like to hear this but we raise our chickens for meat as well as eggs and something pretty uniform across the roosters that are small is that we think they are under developed or late bloomers. They always have small testicles when they're butchered, are leaner, have more feminine features, are very non aggressive but can be "weird" personality wise.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Not uncommon for cockerels/roosters to care for chicks. That's a great trait to have.

 

[wolfinator]

This was taken back on March 27, 2023 of both my 5 year old golden comet hen, Waddles and buff Brahma rooster, Bram with 24 CC Broiler chicks (5 & 6 wks). The hen has leg problems and the rooster had a traumatic brain injury where they couldn't be with the rest of the flock so I gave them a job taking care of the broilers. They did great raising them together. Sadly the rooster died about 2 months later. Waddles and 1 broiler hen named B.K., who was spared are still together.

Waddles and B.K. checking out some juvenile pullets in an adjacent pen (they all share a coop together now). 9/28/23

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Interesting.....