3 girls all want to roost next to him

[Zinniah]

Three of my pullets have a small spat over who gets to roost next to the cockerel. This behavior is pretty recent. It usually only takes a few minutes for them to settle it. Does anyone else have girls that do this? It ends with the "main chick" flying into one of the "side chicks" to knock her off, then taking her place. The one that loses goes and sleep with the other girls. The cockerel seems almost helpless, he sometimes gets knocked off the roost to. He always chooses the end of the roost at first, but he ends up more in the middle with a girl of each side. I think he would actually like to sleep by himself. I mean, why else does he always choose to roost at the end, and then has to move over some or he gets knocked off.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mine do it too, next to the rooster is a safe place to be at night, and the middle of the roost is as well, the end, or outside birds will get picked off first from a predator. So your rooster is being a good rooster by sitting on the end, but he gives in to the girls squabbles, and gets pushed over.

 

[Zinniah]

I didn't think about that at all, thanks for the info. Thats so sweet and brave of him. I feel a bit sad for him now though, he goes to sleep every night thinking about possible death. I wish he could realize hes safe in the coop, so he wouldn't have to think about it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I think it's more the instinct to guard, some roosters will roost in the doorway, I don't think he thinks about death, just about his job.

 

[Zinniah]

I would hope not, that would be sad. He does seem happy, he just didn't look to happy earlier, he probably just wanted to stay where he was at