Cooperative Behavior?

[centrarchid]

Great picture centrarchid.
Did the hen allow the rooster to imprint the chicks. I've watched this many times now and the first time I saw it I was a bit concerned that the rooster might peck the chicks.
What actually happened is he dropped his head right alongside each chick and stayed there for a number of seconds before repeating for the next chicks. When I have seen this the rooster has been the chicks male parent to the best of my knowledge.

No pecking involved, but he does put head down among them as both parties twitter back and forth. It is as if he is in recorder mode as he listens. Duration is for a few seconds. Broody hen does similar as chicks start cheeping under skirt after hatching. Normally it is father / harem master that does this but satellite males will do it too, as they are often sire of a part of brood. Process must be followed for rooster to invest in chicks later, especially after they are weaned.

It does not happen often, but when a rival harem master is involved chicks can be in danger causing hen to move away from him with much more purpose.

Display of a non-harem master showing kindness to chicks may be a form of courtship where he demonstrates parenting qualities. If successful, it increases odds she we be a part of his social group when producing next brood.

 

[centrarchid]

There is a pecking event that occurs every morning as group comes of nest / roost.

 

[micstrachan]

This is a really wonderful and fascinating thread. I tend to notice all the little nuances and subtle behaviors of my flock, but they are all hens, confined to a coop and run except when the dog and I can supervise free ranging, so I don’t get to watch all these amazing interactions first hand.

My training/education is in human and molecular biology, so I know little about behavior. However, I find it very intereseting and am soaking it all in. Please keep this conversation going so we can all enjoy it!

I thought I posted this last night, but just found it unsent when I logged in to check for updates.

 

[MROO]

I could write a long post giving my qualifications and the various jobs I've had.
This is a lot easier.
I'm a professional. My official job title is 'Bucket Boy'. I look after the animals here and a couple of other places. I'm obsessed by chicken behavior.

(I'll send you a PM at some later date regarding information and possible routes for your daughter).

Much appreciated!

 

[MROO]

I am a professor of animal science (aquaculture mostly) with a Ph. D. in Zoology. A lot of my course work and even some experimental background involved animal behavior either directly or indirectly. Pre-academia, our farm was fairly size-able and diversified where we raised beef cattle, hogs, horses (for show), hatching eggs for a commercial hatchery, and fighting chickens for that purpose plus we consumed a lot. I was also allowed to keep many kinds of wildlife effectively as free-range pets. I did not excel in written English. Now I have what amounts to a miniature farm that was purchased to train my kids and provide a teaching display for students much like an old Catholic preacher I followed around as a kid while learning about beekeeping. I have never backed away from study of biology. All said, I am not an expert on chicken behavior, but that may change.

Thanks! Much appreciated! It sounds like my gal is on the right track, for now. She's heavy on the sciences (LOVING Zoo & Bio ... Physics ... not so much!) We have Nankins and Porcelain D-Uccles bantams (along with a spoiled house rooster,) dogs and cats. We work closely with our local feline rescue (we get the tougher ferals for socializing ... it's very rewarding!) Our "favorite aunt," my sister, is an active dairy farmer living - literally - right up the road, so along with the requisite equine, a retired polo "pony," DD also maintains about a half dozen Guernsey cattle for 4H. I definitely have a budding animal scientist in the house!

 

[centrarchid]

Thanks! Much appreciated! It sounds like my gal is on the right track, for now. She's heavy on the sciences (LOVING Zoo & Bio ... Physics ... not so much!) We have Nankins and Porcelain D-Uccles bantams (along with a spoiled house rooster,) dogs and cats. We work closely with our local feline rescue (we get the tougher ferals for socializing ... it's very rewarding!) Our "favorite aunt," my sister, is an active dairy farmer living - literally - right up the road, so along with the requisite equine, a retired polo "pony," DD also maintains about a half dozen Guernsey cattle for 4H. I definitely have a budding animal scientist in the house!

If she is of age, encourage interest in the science fair and try to develop a relationship with research faculty at a university. A good percentage of the teenage kids I have had help with research projects during summer have gone on to pursue careers in the sciences or medicine.

 

[Shadrach]

It’s been one of those afternoons when I’ve got it all wrong.
I wrote earlier that I expected Knock to get back into the main nest box once Tackle had laid her egg and sit.
She didn’t. She stayed in the temporary cardboard nest box on the floor with the four eggs I put in.

Next Fat Bird and Ruffles arrived to get away from the youngsters; mainly Treacle who will insist on trying to boss them about. Fat Bird went right up to the cardboard nest box with Knock in and I would have put money on Fat Bird driving Knock out. She didn’t. She watched for a bit and went for a doze under one of the loudspeakers.

I’ve discovered one other thing about Knock; she snores.

Having looked at centrarchids picture of a hen warning off a rooster I dug this out.
This is Ruffles a few days after she had hatched Mel and Tarn. Cillin, who is their father had been trying to get a proper look at their chicks for a couple of days but Ruffles wasn’t prepared to let him. This is the day a Rather defensive Ruffles let Cillin imprint the chicks.

These next pictures are of a long term couple from Tribe 2, Blue Spot and Harold. Once again Harold is the chicks father. On this day he very carefully approached Blue Spot who has the chicks under her wing and gingerly sat down bedside her. It took a few minutes but eventually Blue Spot called the chicks out from under her. Harold bent his head about 2 inches away from each chick in turn, for around 10 seconds, imprinting the chicks I assumed.
Up until this day the only creature that Blue Spot would allow near or to touch the chicks was me.

No broody coops, no integration problems as Blue Spot sat and hatched in the tribes coop along with the rest of the tribe.

Some years before I had discovered that the easiest way to remove a chick from a protective mum was when the chicks are underneath the mother, if you place your hand on the ground palm upwards and slide it under neath the mother you can feel the chicks feet as they stand on your hand. Mum can still feel the chicks and the chicks can’t see your hand and don’t give a distress call. No distress call means happy chicks and happy mum and you don’t get some puffed up raging ball of feathers trying to peck your eyes out.

Once Harold had imprinted the chicks, he and Blue Spot shared in their care. Both would dig and feed them and when the time came that Blue Spot started to lay eggs again Harold looked after the chicks.

 

[Shadrach]

BTW. Can anyone tell me if the bantams in the picture above are Old English Game or something else? I don't know much about which breed is which.

 

[centrarchid]

It’s been one of those afternoons when I’ve got it all wrong.
I wrote earlier that I expected Knock to get back into the main nest box once Tackle had laid her egg and sit.
She didn’t. She stayed in the temporary cardboard nest box on the floor with the four eggs I put in.

Next Fat Bird and Ruffles arrived to get away from the youngsters; mainly Treacle who will insist on trying to boss them about. Fat Bird went right up to the cardboard nest box with Knock in and I would have put money on Fat Bird driving Knock out. She didn’t. She watched for a bit and went for a doze under one of the loudspeakers.

I’ve discovered one other thing about Knock; she snores.

Having looked at centrarchids picture of a hen warning off a rooster I dug this out.
This is Ruffles a few days after she had hatched Mel and Tarn. Cillin, who is their father had been trying to get a proper look at their chicks for a couple of days but Ruffles wasn’t prepared to let him. This is the day a Rather defensive Ruffles let Cillin imprint the chicks.
View attachment 1654223


These next pictures are of a long term couple from Tribe 2, Blue Spot and Harold. Once again Harold is the chicks father. On this day he very carefully approached Blue Spot who has the chicks under her wing and gingerly sat down bedside her. It took a few minutes but eventually Blue Spot called the chicks out from under her. Harold bent his head about 2 inches away from each chick in turn, for around 10 seconds, imprinting the chicks I assumed.
Up until this day the only creature that Blue Spot would allow near or to touch the chicks was me.
View attachment 1654225
View attachment 1654227
View attachment 1654228
No broody coops, no integration problems as Blue Spot sat and hatched in the tribes coop along with the rest of the tribe.

Some years before I had discovered that the easiest way to remove a chick from a protective mum was when the chicks are underneath the mother, if you place your hand on the ground palm upwards and slide it under neath the mother you can feel the chicks feet as they stand on your hand. Mum can still feel the chicks and the chicks can’t see your hand and don’t give a distress call. No distress call means happy chicks and happy mum and you don’t get some puffed up raging ball of feathers trying to peck your eyes out.

Once Harold had imprinted the chicks, he and Blue Spot shared in their care. Both would dig and feed them and when the time came that Blue Spot started to lay eggs again Harold looked after the chicks.

Put your ear next to her and make certain wheezing is not in her chest.

 

[Shadrach]

I can't check properly until tomorrow but when she wakes up to turn the eggs, she stops snoring. She's awake now and it's quiet and she's not snoring.
Knock sticks her head under her wing when she sleeps. I wonder if that has the same effect as sleep position does with humans who snore.
I will check properly in the morning though.
When Fat Bird sat in the house nest box she snored as well. I was lying in bed some 4 metres away and I wondered what the noise was. It took me a while to work out it was her.