Leaving Roo with mama and chicks

[KarLee A]

Hi everyone! I'm hatching some eggs under my silkie right now. I've done this before and left them with the flock and they did great. Now I have myself a EE Roo and was wondering if I could do the same thing. I've heard of people leaving mama and chicks with the flock but wanted to see if anyone has had luck leaving them with a flock that has a Roo too. We have a large run and we free range. Thanks in advance

 

[RubelliteRose]

We left both of our broodys with our roo and had no problems with him. Our broodys insisted on nesting in the most popular nest boxes and he tried to ease the situation by clucking and digging extra nests in the shavings on the other side of the coop
Edit to add: once the chicks hatched and the moms allowed him near, he also helped feed the chicks once or twice, but mostly ignored them.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hi everyone! I'm hatching some eggs under my silkie right now. I've done this before and left them with the flock and they did great. Now I have myself a EE Roo and was wondering if I could do the same thing. I've heard of people leaving mama and chicks with the flock but wanted to see if anyone has had luck leaving them with a flock that has a Roo too. We have a large run and we free range. Thanks in advance

I have, the roosters leave the chicks be.

 

[KarLee A]

That is the cutest thing, good daddy. My Roo is technically still a Cockrell he's less than a year old. With that said it's hard to tell how he would react.

We left both of our broodys with our roo and had no problems with him. Our broodys insisted on nesting in the most popular nest boxes and he tried to ease the situation by clucking and digging extra nests in the shavings on the other side of the coop
Edit to add: once the chicks hatched and the moms allowed him near, he also helped feed the chicks once or twice, but mostly ignored them.

At

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I have a broody right now with her chick who is around the entire flock and my EE roo! They do very well

 

[Ridgerunner]

Technically a male chicken is a cockerel until he is a year old. But I find that has little if anything to do with behaviors. Most of my cockerels start acting like a mature rooster around 7 months of age. Some start a bit sooner, some take longer, but 7 months is a good average.

I'm not sure how your cockerel will react to the chicks. My mature roosters and cockerels that are acting mature might help Mama take care of the chicks but usually they ignore them. I've never had a mature rooster or mature cockerel threaten a chick.

If an immature cockerel, a pullet, or a hen threaten Mama's babies she usually beats the crap out of them. I've never had a broody hen that failed to protect her chicks when they were threatened by a cockerel, pullet, or hen. I've had several that attack another chicken if they just come close to her babies, not really threatening. Others I trust on the forum say they have seen a broody fail to protect their chicks. You never know what a living animal will actually do. Nothing is totally risk free.

One thing I've seen several times. A chick, usually around 2 weeks old, leaves Mama's protection to eat at the feeder with a few other adult hens. Occasionally the hens leave the chick alone but usually it doesn't take long for one to peck the chick to remind it that eating with its betters is not good chicken etiquette. The chick runs back to Mama as fast as its little legs can take it, squawking and flapping its tiny wings as fast as it can. Usually Mama ignores this, just the village raising a chick. But if a hen follows that chick Mama takes exception and attacks.

 

[3KillerBs]

So far my boys have been very good with the chicks, even "babysitting" them once I'd let them loose in the coop.

I've seen chicks get away from a hen who was enforcing the pecking order by running under one of the roosters' legs.

Not all cockerels/roosters will be good with chicks, but many are.

 

[KarLee A]

I have a broody right now with her chick who is around the entire flock and my EE roo! They do very well

This is such great news, thank you!