Lonely rooster and baby chicks

[Mountaintop Homestead]

I lost most of my flock to a Mink this Christmas, and all I have left is one Rooster and 2 guineas (male and female). After my Guinea cock established dominance over my male Rooster claiming the female guinea.. my Rooster seems lonely. I just got 12 chicks that are now about 3 weeks old, should I introduce my rooster to them? Under supervision of course or will he attack and try to kill them. Are the chicks still too young? He's a very good rooster, has never shown any aggression. I joke and call him a lover, not a fighter. I even trust him around my 7 and 3 year old. I would really just love to give him a purpose. Any advice welcome!! Thanks in advance.

 

[azygous]

Most roosters are terrific with baby chicks, and if there's any injuries to the chicks, it comes from a chick being trapped without an avenue of escape and simple curiosity on behalf of the roo.

But, you still need to follow safety measures so the chicks don't get injured. I and many others use a "panic room", so named because it's a safe enclosure only accessible to small chicks and with fencing mesh small enough that chicks can't thrust their heads though, inviting pecking head injury.

Rig up the enclosure and give the chicks a week to adjust, and then you can open small portals to the rest of the run so the chicks can come and go. Chances are very good that the rooster will be entertained by the chicks, and they will learn how much closeness he will tolerate.

Three-week old chicks don't need heat during the day as long as it's well above freezing, so they can spend all day in the run. This also serves to acclimatize them to outdoor temps, and you will be able to move them into the coop around five or six weeks.

 

[Mountaintop Homestead]

Most roosters are terrific with baby chicks, and if there's any injuries to the chicks, it comes from a chick being trapped without an avenue of escape and simple curiosity on behalf of the roo.

But, you still need to follow safety measures so the chicks don't get injured. I and many others use a "panic room", so named because it's a safe enclosure only accessible to small chicks and with fencing mesh small enough that chicks can't thrust their heads though, inviting pecking head injury.

Rig up the enclosure and give the chicks a week to adjust, and then you can open small portals to the rest of the run so the chicks can come and go. Chances are very good that the rooster will be entertained by the chicks, and they will learn how much closeness he will tolerate.

Three-week old chicks don't need heat during the day as long as it's well above freezing, so they can spend all day in the run. This also serves to acclimatize them to outdoor temps, and you will be able to move them into the coop around five or six weeks.

Thank you so much, this is amazing advice!
I am in the process of buttoning up my coop so (hopefully) no more critters will ever get into it again. Then it needs a good cleaning. But I will put them in the temporary space I have provided for my survivors in my basement and see how they do. I will definitely set up a panic room enclosure, that's brilliant. Thanks again!

 

[Mountaintop Homestead]

After introducing him to my 12 chicks, he followed me to my front door and just stood there for hours. My 7 year old opened the door and the rooster invited himself in and found my brooding bin and is now standing guard. He's allowing us to pass but when we walk by he makes his presence known. This is the coolest thing.

 

[azygous]

Not unheard of. I had a hunch there might be a chance he would become protective of the chicks. Some roosters will even brood the chicks, permitting them to snuggle under his underparts.

Don't waste any time integrating them. It's happened with a hen I have twice where she has assumed complete care of the chicks I was brooding in the run. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/we-know-broody-hens-how-about-a-nanny-hen.1407935/

 

[Mountaintop Homestead]

Not unheard of. I had a hunch there might be a chance he would become protective of the chicks. Some roosters will even brood the chicks, permitting them to snuggle under his underparts.

Don't waste any time integrating them. It's happened with a hen I have twice where she has assumed complete care of the chicks I was brooding in the run. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/we-know-broody-hens-how-about-a-nanny-hen.1407935/

Its so neat, this is my second flock now, and the first didn't go so well. I'd love for them to be close. I hope he does start brooding them. That'd be great, I did see him start to peck at one and start to pull her feathers out so I did separate him. But I'll keep trying and see how he keeps reacting to them. Thanks again!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have a big blue cochin rooster who is 6 months old. This morning I saw him cuddling with an 11 week old rooster in the coop.

 

[Peggyjom]

Not unheard of. I had a hunch there might be a chance he would become protective of the chicks. Some roosters will even brood the chicks, permitting them to snuggle under his underparts.

Don't waste any time integrating them. It's happened with a hen I have twice where she has assumed complete care of the chicks I was brooding in the run. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/we-know-broody-hens-how-about-a-nanny-hen.1407935/

I have a lone chick that one of the girls hatched she wasn’t much of a mom and one of the chicks went missing the rooster likes to sleep on the hay bale outside. I don’t like that and I make him go in at 8:00pm I just put the rooster in and as I picked him up out popped the lone baby chick he was watching over. He is a cochin and a big boy. I almost lost him about three weeks ago. Gave him some baby vitamins and he is back up and going now.