Hen Acting Like a Rooster Toward Chicks of Another Hen

[centrarchid]

Title confusing to be sure. A game hen with 11 chicks roughly 1 week old is penned with two older (5 and 6 year old) hens and a cock (4 years old), all American Dominiques, in a 10 x 10 dog kennel in barn. Chicks actually have unlimited range, but stay inside barn and most of time in pen with mother. They spend a big part of their time hunting moths. One the American Dominique hens has taken to capturing moths and giving tidbit calls and allowing chicks to take moths she catches from her beak. She associates closely with the game hen and their appears to be no animosity between them. The hen doing the alloparenting is not behaving like a broody hen, rather like a broody rooster which are very different sets of behavior.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Have seen my barred rock do this but the chicks never pay attention to her her.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

My Frizzle hen tidbits my Golden Sebright and Black Breasted Red Old English Game Bantam pullet when I let them out to free range.

 

[chickens really]

My Speckled Sussex loved Chicks from other Hens. I thought two were missing and she was allowing two to cuddle under her. She followed along behind Momma and Chicks and would tidbit to them too..She chased off the other Hens if they got too close.

 

[centrarchid]

I am not seeing the hen brooding chicks as if she is going broody, rather behavior is more male-like in terms care of chicks.

 

[centrarchid]

While trapped in barn by rain today, I refilled the feeders in breeding pens with conditioning diet. The conditioning diet has some shell corn sprinkled on top to tickle interest of chickens. The hen behaving strangely then began grabbing pieces of shell corn and while producing tidbit call began moving the pieces and dropping them down in front of the chicks. The chicks did not consume but then jumped up into feeder to pick through eats themselves. The the American Dominique cock put his head down among them to do what I think is part of the imprinting process where he listens to their voices. I have yet to have an American Dominique rooster go broody like the games are so prone to do.

 

[aart]

I've seen non broody hens tidbit, not frequently and not necessarily for chicks they were confined with.

 

[centrarchid]

I have seen chicks and juveniles tidbit for kin, even chicks tid bit for their mother when the chick finds something like a bunch of ants in a tussock. The tidbit call is for benefit of family in all cases but involving this one hen.

 

[aart]

The tidbit call is for benefit of family in all cases but involving this one hen.

Hard to say if my birds are 'family', some have had the same sire but most are of separate sources(hatchery birds).....unless 'flock' equals 'family' as mine are all confined to same coop and run. Different than your unique scenario.

 

[centrarchid]

Family can include birds that are not actual kin but are moving about together in a totally or nearly so free-range setting. My setup is not all that unique, but not typical backyard either owing to the amount of land and how it is managed.