My roo is gender confused....No. Really. He is...

[ChickenMama18]

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Or she'll be telling him he's doing it all wrong.....LOL

 

[ChickenMama18]

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That's neat...it would be cool if helped with the chicks.

 

[Cackling Hen]

LOL they will be sleeping on seperate roosts..........

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

I have a D'Uccle that I think is confused too. Last year he was one of a pair that the hen went broody but I'd not saved her eggs so I got some "who knows what they are" eggs from a friend. Turned out she hatched a pair of mixed, a jap rooster, and a buff polish. The polish ran into a fence and broke it's neck but the other three survived. Well, the hen was killed by a predator when the chicks were about three weeks old, and the D'Uccle roo took right over. Acted exactly like a hen. He had helped her incubate them sharing the nest with her, and until one of those chicks was twice his size he went to sleep at night with his head...that's all that would fit...under the roo.

That roo, and the little Jap roo shared a pen peacefully. Neither one had a wife. I saw the D'Uccle do the dance, grab him by the neck and mount the jap rooster about two week ago. Usually the jap roo is the more aggressive of the two but both are very docile. The D'Uccle had him cornered and he put his head in the corner, squatted down, and the D'Uccle appeared to breed him although I do not think that is possible.

Fortunately I went to a show and bought the D'Uccle a wife...a very expensive wife...last Saturday. He wasted no time paying attention to her. He made her a nest and herds her into it, then blocks the doorway to it and urges her to lay. Since Saturday I've gotten two eggs from her. He is the best little daddy rooster and it was high time he had the chance to have a relationship that may result in chicks. I'm hoping.

Terry in TN

 

[glassparman]

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Typical male! Hey, wait, I'm male, oh well, the truth hurts sometimes!

 

[Dora'smom]

I wonder if some of the male nest building goes back to the jungle fowl. I remember watching some nature show on TV about male birds making nests to attract females.
Our only rooster "Buck" who got rehomed when he started crowing non-stop, could do a very nice egg song.

 

[tstoikes]

My Silkie roo Barney is a great popa. He finds places he thinks would be good nests and sings his head off trying to talk the girls into using it. He helps the hens raise the babies and will even take over chicks. I had an Americana wean a chick and the poor little feller didn't want to be weaned. She was just brutal with him. So I stuck him next to Barney. No problems until Junior was big enough to argue over who was king of the coop. This winter I had a late hatch of chicks. Three survived (I think momma isn't a good mother) At about 4 weeks of age - momma abandoned them. Of the three I lost two. The remaining chick really couldn't get on the roost and the older chickens were really tough on her. She took to hiding under the chicken coop. And when we got several inches of snow things began to really get bad. Itty Biddy as I called her would not go into the coop unless chased. So here I am laying in the snow with a stick and a flashlight trying to convince her that she needs to be in the coop. I finally gave up and caught her. Bringing her into the house was my only opinion as she did not seem to be growing. In the house she wouldn't eat or drink, just jump out of the box and try to find a place as far away from me as possible. Now Barney doesn't get along with the other roosters because he is basically non agressive, and by this time was sleeping in the tool shed. I was having to catch him every night and put him in the coop. So one night I brought him in. Itty bitty made a squeak and ran to him. And they have been insepratable for a few months now. And woe to any rooster that trys to bother her. Calvin Milktoast turns into a roaring lion. It's kind of cute watching them.

 

[Kait27]

Maybe he's part Emu? Emu mothers lay eggs, but the fathers sit on the eggs and rear the young.