I was out in the chicken area most of the day and had a chance to observe a pair I keep penned up in a separate run that has a big dog kennel in it, and roosting branches. I think the rooster was trying to get his wife to go broody. He spent two hours making her a nest and rearranging the shavings in it, sitting on it, going in and out of the kennel, and dancing around her. All the time he was making this strange noise halfway between a purr and a growl. She would go in and out of the kennel, and frequently they were both in there. I had let four eggs collect on her nest but I took them out yesterday. He actually spent time sitting on the nest in the kennel...I've never even seen him go in there...that run is covered with metal roofing against rain, and to provide shade. Finally she laid an egg and he just went ballistic singing and crowing and strutting around, and going in the box (when she left it) and looking at the egg. I don't think she was convinced to sit on it yet but it started pouring and I had to come in. If she sits on it, I'll give her back her four eggs. But if she does go broody (she is over a year old and it would be the first time) it is because he romanced her, and talked her into it. Or a very big coincidence.
