Chickens Watching Chicken Processing

[Molpet]

While we can't read too much into it, that suggests to me that the hens that didn't know the roo was gone were just trying to reconstitute their flock, and the others didn't care because they knew he was gone. Still speaking from ignorance here, so take it FWIW.

That's what I was thinking too.
I thought it was interesting that given a choice, they didn't stay in the coop they had been in for over a month, or stay together. 6 hens
I have 4 coops and separate for breeding. Usually around 10 hens and a roo. When I am done collecting eggs for hatching I open the gates between 3 of the yards. The 4 th yard the hens can get out but the opening is small enough the roo can't get out.. sometimes they switch coops they sleep in.

 

[DoozyWombat]

That's what I was thinking too.
I thought it was interesting that given a choice, they didn't stay in the coop they had been in for over a month, or stay together. 6 hens
I have 4 coops and separate for breeding. Usually around 10 hens and a roo. When I am done collecting eggs for hatching I open the gates between 3 of the yards. The 4 th yard the hens can get out but the opening is small enough the roo can't get out.. sometimes they switch coops they sleep in.

Maybe there's an evolutionary reason for it. If the rooster dies, the flock scatters. A single bird might be at more risk, but you'd get better diversity for the local species. Probably wouldn't happen if there were multiple roos, I'd guess.

Just a thought.