Do you think a roo knows? Delving into a roo's small mind

[gritsar]

My younger rooster Impy (actually still a cockerel himself) is very good with my broody's chicks. He has basically taken over care of them during the daytime now that mama has decided she's had enough.

Two of the chicks are his biological children, eggs from his hens, brooded by one of his hens. The third chick is not at all related, egg from one of my adult hens, sired by my adult roo, but brooded by Impy's hen.

Impy treats all the chicks the same. I guess a roo's brain is too small to realize that one is his stepchild huh?

 

[JLS]

He sounds like a sweet little man. He's a keeper

 

[Tanichca]

Hmmm my cockerel is the same way! And the babies arent even related to him, or the hen (bought them from a friend who got them from the feedstore)

 

[gritsar]

Guess I'll just chalk it up to him being a good roo and not give a roo's intelligence too much weight.

 

[Gypsy07]

I guess that's the same as the broody hens that'll sit on any old eggs they can find!

 

[terrilhb]

Very awesome roo you have.

 

[sourland]

Impy is shaping up to be a good flock leader, but when dealing with an animal whose testes outweigh his brain, "intelligence" is sort of an oxymoron.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Amen Brother Sour!

And I still find myself hollering "Impy! Knock off the ****!" at least once a day.

 

[sourland]

I have a dog that I've been yelling that at 2 or 3 times a day. I think she's going back to her owner tomorrow.

 

[elmo]

Hang on to that "Father of the Year" award. A rooster has a real interest in making sure chicks in his flock survive, even the ones that don't actually share his DNA. I'm not sure whether he can tell yet, but that chick could grow up to be a pullet for his harem.