Funny picture of the "Maternity Ward"

[bbhorsefly]

I was trying to get pictures of my girls in their nest boxes without disturbing them. This is the scene I encountered. My Easter Egger cockerel has been very concerned and reactionary to his two ladies vocalizations since they started laying. It's a new experience for all of them since they are our oldest and they've only been laying a couple weeks. It was so funny to see his concern and vigilance over his girls in the boxes.

He kept pacing back and forth, sticking his head in the boxes with them, going back and forth between them. It reminded me so much of a concerned husband waiting on his wife giving birth from older movies. Haha

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is cute, a lot of young roosters get over involved, but they tend to be better roosters, nothing worse than trying to figure out who that odd hen is in the nestboxes only to realize it's the goofy rooster.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I love it when they do that

My boys will also go in and "prepare" the nests for the hens before they lay. Which involves them going in the box, kicking the straw all over while clucking up a storm and then the girls have to go back in and rearrange to get their perfect little nest bowls back

 

[azygous]

I once had a SLW roo. Stan would get into the nest with the hen, chattering away, fluffing the nest material, being super supportive until the hen would get tired of all the domestic attention and slip away to another nest for some peace in which to lay her egg.

I have a young Cream Legbar cockerel at present who monitors the laying activities by hovering near the nests. It's definitely a team effort in some flocks to lay an egg.