My rooster and a broody cluck

[Mrs. K]

Pretty disappointed this morning, as no sounds of peeping; I expected a hatch yesterday, but I had a friend who just hatched in an incubator so I bought a dozen chicks from her. I added the chicks to the two broody hens, and then just stood in the corner a while to see how this went.

Pretty soon in comes the rooster, and he seems to hear the cheeps of the chicks, and he crawls under the nests, and begins to cluck just like a broody hen. He stayed there a while, and then went out. This is not his first clutch of chicks in his flock, and he was very patient with previous chicks, but I have never seen this.

Mrs K

 

[sourland]

I have had roosters that were very paternal and protective of their chicks.

 

[Mrs. K]

So today, I am down feeding the flock, and a layer got too close to the Broody mamas and chicks and Chrome, my rooster jumped in the middle of that, scolding hard. I think all the girls and I were surprised!

People this is a good rooster, a sweet heart, a flock master... and this is why you don't waste time with a rotten rooster, cause the rotten one is stealing your time from a good one!

This is such a fun hobby.

Mrs K

 

[donrae]

What a good guy!

I agree, good roosters are good to everyone. I've never noticed my Eric doing what you're describing, but he's very good about responding if the chicks start cheeping in distress.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well this is Chromes 4th set of chicks in the flock, and he is just past two years of age. One does not get great roosters in a couple of weeks.

 

[bobbi-j]

A couple of years ago - the last time anything was hatched here - when the chicks were about a week or two old, I opened the door separating the broody and her chicks from the rest of the flock. Of course there were the hens that wanted to cause trouble, and my rooster just jumped right in there to protect mama and babies. Later that day, Mama wanted a dust bath so she went out of the coop and the rooster took it upon himself to "babysit". He stood right in the doorway of the coop with the babies while she went out into the run to dust bathe. Unfortunately, he got nabbed by something later that fall.

 

[Mrs. K]

Dang it, it is always your favorites that get took! I still miss old Captain, he was such a good rooster. This is my second really good rooster.

 

[bobbi-j]

I know. I try - I really do try - not to get attached, but there's always one or two that just makes you like them.