Do Roosters have favorite hens?

[Jaemomma]

My dominate rooster seems to have picked a favorite hen. Is this normal? Whenever I am out watching the chickens he is always following her around. He occasionally pecks at her or jumps on top of her, she often pecks back at him. Even when they are not engaged he is usually not far away from her.

 

[chicmom]

It's quite common! My last rooster had a special girlfriend that he was always with. Of course he mated with all the girls, but she was his favorite. Poor girl didn't seem to mind, but he was literally wearing the feathers off of her back, so I put a cute hen saddle on her.

It's so interesting to watch the flock. Even the hens seem to have their best friends that they are always pecking around with.

 

[Jaemomma]

Thanks. This is my first flock, so I have a lot to learn!

I have one hen I call "Pokey" because she is always the last to come out of the coop, last to go back in the coop, if they are all following me around the yard, she is in the very back of the line. So cute!

I have 3 other for sure roosters that I intend to feed my family with, and 3 that I am not convinced whether they are roosters or not. None of the Buff Orpingtons act like roosters to me, at least not compared to my Partridge Plymouth Rock who is definitely a rooster. I am so praying and hoping that the 3 maybes are hens!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yes - it is quite common for their to be a favorite, and being the favored hen is often a negative experience for the poor girl as she tends to take the brunt of her suitors amorous activities and can become quite abused looking with missing feathers and skin damage etc - which is when the hen saddles mentioned above come in handy. (this can also be an issue with hens other than the favorite, btw, as a roo that is extremely amorous or a rooster that has too few hens to spread his attention around on can leave you with a whole flock of rather abused looking hens)

 

[soydo]

X2 what chicmom said. Some hens are very attractive to roosters as if they were a beauty model. This is unfortunate if there is more than one rooster as she will suffer way too much attention.

 

[Jaemomma]

I am keeping an eye on them. So far she seems to have attracted just the one rooster and she seems to be able to get him to leave her alone when she doesn't want him around. She'll peck at him and he'll back off. He is a very skittish rooster and afraid of everything, especially me.

 

[acro1010]

My dominate rooster seems to have picked a favorite hen. Is this normal? Whenever I am out watching the chickens he is always following her around. He occasionally pecks at her or jumps on top of her, she often pecks back at him. Even when they are not engaged he is usually not far away from her.

YES very normal. That is why they make hen saddles to protect the poor girls from being rode bald and bare.

 

[chicmom]

Thanks. This is my first flock, so I have a lot to learn!

I have one hen I call "Pokey" because she is always the last to come out of the coop, last to go back in the coop, if they are all following me around the yard, she is in the very back of the line. So cute!

I have 3 other for sure roosters that I intend to feed my family with, and 3 that I am not convinced whether they are roosters or not. None of the Buff Orpingtons act like roosters to me, at least not compared to my Partridge Plymouth Rock who is definitely a rooster. I am so praying and hoping that the 3 maybes are hens!

Awe, it is cute! My firs hens ever were three Golden Buff laying hybrids. I bought them as chicks. They were Lily, Daisy, and Violet. Violet was the pokey one. Daisy followed me around like a dog. I'd be gardening, and they would sometimes fly and land on my back as I bent over working. They were so tame and cute. I've never been good a guessing whether the young chickens are male or female. LOL I just wait until somebody crows! LOL