He is a handsome one.
We had a roo like that: Buster, Silver Laced Wyandotte . We'd lost 2 of the hens leaving us with Silver and him. She couldn't eat or drink anything because he was after her so much. Moved her into the garage. She got let out in the morning, ranged all over, went back in there for midday rest. Let him out in the afternoon.....most of the summer. Chicks arrived in the mail early August. They went in the garage with her even though she wasn't broody. We set up a fenced area for them and she had the rest. Grasshoppers were everywhere, so we played catch, adding to a larger jar until we had LOTS, then into the garage to let the chicks out of the fencing and turn the hoppers loose. Silver joined in (caught bigger ones for her). Mid to late September moved the whole lot back into the coop. Figured on giving Buster more responsibility. It helped, but Silver still got pestered too much. We put a feed dish and water station on TOP of the nest boxes. She would fly over, eat, drink, fly back to roost. Buster would take the babies "abandoned by mom" out to show them how to live in the world. When he had them off by the w oodpile, Silver would sneak out and do her own thing...as long as Buster couldn't see/hear her, he left her alone. Coming back in the evening, he'd be on her repeatedly. She always roosted with him, but avoided otherwise. I think she survived the foxes because she wasn't with him. Neither were Pear, Mama or Rusty (all part of the garage chicks). Buster was gorgeous, but a brat. We also didn't know much about chickens. Later I found BYC, and learned SOOOO much.
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