Are roos dangerous near the fresh-hatchlings?

[MareeZoCool]

My hen has finally gone broody, has been setting on her nest this week. I've noticed the roo standing near the nest. Is he going to kill the newborns as soon as they pop out of the nest?

 

[JordanFamily]

Well usually it is the other hens you have to watch out for not the Roo... But you never know.... The mom will protect her babies and that will give you some time to see how they are reacting to the newly hatched chicks... I put up a dog excercise pen with chicken wire on top of it when I have new chicks and the other birds get to know the chicks by seeing and hearing them that way, so I can't tell you in my experiance if the Roo attacks new chicks... Maybe someone else will advice you on that... Good Luck...

 

[Ridgerunner]

A good rooster will protect all members of his flock, including protecting babies from other hens. Not all roosters are that good, though. I would not count on him protecting them. That is Mama's job.

That rooster may be confused as to what is happening, he may be worried that something is wrong with the broody, or he may be hanging around to protect her. In the wild, broodies are vulnerable while on the nest. I can't tell you why he is hanging around, but I would not consider it a reason to worry.

As JordanFamily said, it is usually the other hens that are the threat, but a good Mama will protect her chicks from any other chicken, hen or rooster. Again, not all Mama's are good. Some can be wimpy, but that is really pretty rare. Usually a broody hen has such a bad attitude that the other chickens, hens and roosters, very quickly learn to leave the babies alone. And it is very rare, but there have been reports on this forum of roosters taking over raising the chicks if Mama abandons them too early or a predator gets Mama. Very few roosters are this good.

I cannot guarantee you what will happen. They are living animals with different personalities and different levels of instincts. Bad things can happen, but I would trust a broody to take care of her babies until she proved otherwise.

 

[MareeZoCool]

Quote:
We only have the one roo & one hen. Thought her nest-setting might be his reason for running off yesterday, in search of the neighbor's hen? That's why I've locked him in with my hen. Can't have him causing problems with the neighbors.

 

[chickenlady08]

I had a hen go broody last summer. She hatched out 3 babies and I had her inside of my garage in a big do kennel with her babies. I also at the time had a rooster Jack that had been sick and wasn't walking so I had him inside the garage for over 2 months nursing him back to normal. He would scoot around because he couldn't walk so I didn't keep him in a enclosed pen. I just let him scoot around the open area. He wanted so badly to get in with the chicks, but I never let him. I eventually let the Momma and her babies out at the same time with Jack (after he started walking again) well he went right after them and got one by the neck and luckily I got the baby away from him before he could seriously hurt the baby. I might also add that these 3 babies all turned out to be roosters. I didn't know at the time but maybe Jack knew before I did. Who knows, but I didnt let them together again. Or maybe Jack is the nice boy I thought he was. He has just started charging my son and myself this week. He drew blood on my leg and scratched me. He is only a year old.

So I know that roos are supposed to protect the whole flock, but not sure why he did what he did. He normally wasn't aggressive but he totally flipped out and chased them around and I think would have prob killed them if able to. I would be careful with the babies. I have another broody hen and she is already in my garage with her 8 eggs.

Good Luck

 

[MareeZoCool]

Thanks, I'll be sure to keep an eye on my boy! If the roo culls chicks, you could be right. those chicks might be cockerels, not pullets. I'm sure they(hen & roo) have more insight than I do.

 

[sourland]

Keep an eye on him and make sure that he is not trying to breed your hen while she is setting. Since he has no other hens, he may try this. If he does so, remove him or the eggs may be cracked or broken.

 

[sydney13]

i would seperate the hen from the flock just to be safe. You never know if another hen will get the chicks or if the rooster will attack them. You should move the hen at night into her own are that has a nest box on the floor and all the things th chicks will need