I have a 20-week-old red sex link cockerel who was anonomously deposited on our doorstep, when he was about 5 weeks old. We weren't prepared for having chickens, so we let him roam the backyard during the day and roost at night in our laundry room on the bar that I use to hang clothes. This worked for awhile, but as he grew we eventually made a new roost for him on our back porch. He still roosts there to this day. He particularly likes our eight children who handle him a lot, and our dogs whom he depends on for protection. He doesn't mind our cats and kittens, and they will happily play sometimes right under his feet. Our 9 pullets, however, whom we acquired as day-old chicks 12 weeks ago, are everyday chased into the azalea bushes which surround our house and are required to stay there the entire day. If any of them ever try to come out to forage, our cockerel chases them right back to the bushes. At night, they come to the back porch and fly into a small nearby tree to roost. Our cockerel allows them to briefly forage in the backyard for about 15 minutes before dark. Is this normal rooster/hen behavior? I had envisioned my flock of chickens to reside in my backyard happily foraging for most of the day, not huddled together in a bush.
lots to explore here and get more friends and contacts in birds and to talk about your birds post photos have fun Oldhenlikesdogs is correct he probably associates with you more than them he needs to be separated let the peeps get use to foraging under your supervision till you have a proper run for their safety.. do you have plans for a coop?
