Gender-Confused Rooster

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I have what I believe is a gender-confused silkie rooster. I have NEVER seen him mount my silkie hen, and he occasionally sidles up to the other rooster suspiciously. I can't get him to stop sitting in the nesting box with the fake egg in it (my girl has started laying elsewhere- like in the middle of the floor), and he doesn't do his roosterly job of bringing his hen food, protecting the flock, etc. All rooster duties are taken care of by my other silkie roo. In fact, their libidos are so low that I have 2 roosters in with only 1 hen, and not a single problem. No stress, no overbreeding- nothing.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them? Any idea what causes it?

 

[Lammie]

I had a Golden Polish rooster like that once. He would mount, he just seemed to be infertile, then he seemed to loose all interest in hens. I didn't have another rooster in there, and so none of my eggs ever hatched, in spite of the fact that the hens were broody. I called him Liberace.

He may just be the second-in-command rooster and he knows it.

I have never had a rooster sit in a nesting box. That's just odd. Sure he's a rooster, right?

 

[Wynette]

Liberace? Okay, now THAT just cracks me up!

Are you wanting him to fertilize eggs? If so, maybe you should separate him with his own harem so you can check fertility. Just a thought.

 

[tpantali]

Our rooster, Phyllis, we taught it was a hen and the name just stuck, sits on eggs. He also mates and attacks us. Maybe he does have some gender identity issues and I am sure we did not help with that name.

 

[Lammie]

Quote:
We sent him packing long ago. Yes, I wanted to have more Polish babies. I could have incubated them. I even tried that, but the eggs were not fertile. I only had one rooster, too. The other one, Einstein, was killed by a dog.

 

[Lammie]

Quote:
"Boy Named Sue" syndrome.

I have heard people talk about bulls they thought were gay. I guess there can be confused chickens as well.

 

[MissPrissy]

Kimmie has a silkie roo that went broody and hatched eggs for her.

 

[Wynette]

WHAT! Holy cow! Mabye "confused" is the wrong word...maybe we really mean...SMART!

 

[silkieluver_07]

My silkie rooster sits in the nesting box also. He takes care of our two orphan baby wild turkeys. He's very protective of them!

 

[cactus-hen]

My rooster is very maternal. He checks out each nest box daily, finds food for the chicks, at times I have seen the youngest chick sitting under him. He is just a good dad.