Are my Roo's crazy??

[Orpie]

Ok.. So has anyone ever seen this behavior in roosters? I've got 4 Buff Orpington roo's and lately I've noticed this behavior out of 2 of them. They are free range. They go to this one area behind my barn and they have made what is the equivalent of a hens nest type area. One at a time, while the other stands guard, they will go in there and like make a soft "bawk bawk bawk" noise while raising their tail feathers way up in the air. One will come out and the other goes in there.
So... What are they doing?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Sounds like they're trying to convince your hens that they've made a good place for them to lay their eggs. My Silkie roosters go into the nest boxes every day and "prepare" the nests. They scratch around like little maniacs, cluck and purr their heads off and then just sit in there for a while and look like they're laying an egg. Its pretty funny, and its a trait I really like in a rooster. I don't think I'd like it near as much if they were doing it outside the nest boxes though...

 

[StephensonC]

Sounds like they're trying to convince your hens that they've made a good place for them to lay their eggs. My Silkie roosters go into the nest boxes every day and "prepare" the nests. They scratch around like little maniacs, cluck and purr their heads off and then just sit in there for a while and look like they're laying an egg. Its pretty funny, and its a trait I really like in a rooster. I don't think I'd like it near as much if they were doing it outside the nest boxes though...

x2 on that. I have a little OEG Bantam that enjoys going in the nest boxes. He looks so cute in there, cause he is so tiny compared to the box. I find rooster behavior to be fascinating! I think we could learn a lot just by watching!

 

[Orpie]

Sounds like they're trying to convince your hens that they've made a good place for them to lay their eggs. My Silkie roosters go into the nest boxes every day and "prepare" the nests. They scratch around like little maniacs, cluck and purr their heads off and then just sit in there for a while and look like they're laying an egg. Its pretty funny, and its a trait I really like in a rooster. I don't think I'd like it near as much if they were doing it outside the nest boxes though...

It is weird that they do this. Funny thing for me is that my Roo's sleep in a separate area from the girls. There is absolutely zero contact between the two, well except for through the fence!!! So I'm just perplexed why they would do this.

 

[krista74]

I can't believe someone else's rooster does this! I thought it was just my little weirdo!

I caught my boy the other day, tunnelling into a bale of hay. Once he got in there he was virtually covered up but for his face poking out, and he was making a noise like "Who, who, who!" very excitedly, over and over again. It went on for nearly twenty minutes! Hubby and I could hear him all the way from the house - about 500 metres away. When we came out to investigate, all the girls were standing around looking at my broody boy in his 'nest!'

A few days later, I heard the sound again and came out to find him in the coop with his head wedged behind the waterer - a 2 inch gap at best! Apparently this too was an 'ideal nest' as he was excitedly calling out "Who, who, who!" again. I told him he was a silly boy, and that his chunky girls could not fit in there. There was no persuading him though!

The third time he crammed himself into a milk crate - I kid you not! He is a big boy (a Buff Orpington) and he was squished in there just looking like a crate of feathers! "Who, who, who!" The girls just stand around with perplexed looks on their faces, lol. I swear, we DO have adequate nest boxes for them, but he just has it in his head all of a sudden that he must find a spot for them. It's really very sweet.

I think he is both a little nuts, and also darned cute!

- Krista