Hi there
I have a flock of 13, of mixed breeds, which consists of 1 Rooster and 12 hens. They are all around 12 months old and laying well. The flock are a good community with no real problems, such as pecking order etc. In my flock I have three silkies who seem to be broody all the time. One hen in particular,( Dolly) seems to challenge my rooster ( Mario) when she is broody, and as a I am relatively new to keeping a rooster-I was wondering if any of you could give any advice.
It seems that Dolly raises one wing to Mario and makes a lot of noise around him and in return he seems to dance around her( on his toes-almost), with his neck feathers up. Eventually she will back down and retreat somewhere isolated. She only seems to be in this position if he is crossing her path etc, as usually she will detach herself from the group. I have set food/water etc in a variety of places to keep this to a minimum. However I have noticed other hens seem to distance themselves from her also, but during this broody time only. There is no injury being inflicted on either bird.
I would be grateful for any insight on this issue, as if maybe there is something I need to change-I'd like to be able to do it.
Many thanks for any tips/advice or information and thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Have a good day
Sue
I have a flock of 13, of mixed breeds, which consists of 1 Rooster and 12 hens. They are all around 12 months old and laying well. The flock are a good community with no real problems, such as pecking order etc. In my flock I have three silkies who seem to be broody all the time. One hen in particular,( Dolly) seems to challenge my rooster ( Mario) when she is broody, and as a I am relatively new to keeping a rooster-I was wondering if any of you could give any advice.
It seems that Dolly raises one wing to Mario and makes a lot of noise around him and in return he seems to dance around her( on his toes-almost), with his neck feathers up. Eventually she will back down and retreat somewhere isolated. She only seems to be in this position if he is crossing her path etc, as usually she will detach herself from the group. I have set food/water etc in a variety of places to keep this to a minimum. However I have noticed other hens seem to distance themselves from her also, but during this broody time only. There is no injury being inflicted on either bird.
I would be grateful for any insight on this issue, as if maybe there is something I need to change-I'd like to be able to do it.
Many thanks for any tips/advice or information and thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Have a good day
Sue
