My rooster's special little hen went broody. He has gone from crowing maybe twice a day to crowing every ten minutes. Will he settle?

[Lyris]

My rooster is very, very tightly bonded to his little hen. They're never without each other. He doesn't care what happens to the other hens as long as his hen is safe. His hen decided to go broody (she has the WORST timing!) since she's been the rooster has gone a bit bananas. He kept attacking my other hens, but they quickly put a stop to that by ganging up on him now he's decided he needs to crow. All. The. Time. It's currently 8am and I've locked him in the coop where I can't hear him so I can get some more rest. Will he ever call down or am I doomed to hear him crow constantly until I break his mate out of her broody behaviors?

 

[p4PaDuck]

No he’ll calm down. Some chickens mourn when a special flock member goes missing, others don’t care.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Where's the broody, and can he see her?

 

[p4PaDuck]

Also roosters crow when they are not pleased maybe put him in the coop a little while so he can see the hen and take him out. And give him treats so he forgets about the hen for a little

 

[SueT]

Do you want this hen to hatch eggs?

 

[azygous]

This may be a response to being separated from this hen. He's calling out to let her know he's there so she can find him when she's ready. That's a big part of why any chicken calls out - a device to keep the flock united.

I have a novel idea. It sounds like you might be considering breaking this broody hen. Have you broken a broody before? Do you have a broody cage? We normally place a broody in a cage to prevent her returning to a nest, and in a few days, her hormones have returned to normal and the broodiness is gone.

My idea is to put this rooster in the cage with his little hen. It won't affect the broody breaking process, and he might shut up if he's right there with her.

 

[Lyris]

Where's the broody, and can he see her?

The hen is in the nesting box that he carefully walks her to every day. He's very dedicated. He also sees her when he walks the flock back inside the coop at night. They live in a converted shed and he waits at the door until the flock goes in. His hen is just inside the door in a nesting box. Or the cardboard box she decided to use to go broody anyway.

No he’ll calm down. Some chickens mourn when a special flock member goes missing, others don’t care

I hope he settles. I need sleep! And my other hens need a break from his new attitude. Whenever I give them treats he goes to cluck at it and look for his hen. When he can't find her he gets all sad, then mad and goes after my hens.

Also roosters crow when they are not pleased maybe put him in the coop a little while so he can see the hen and take him out. And give him treats so he forgets about the hen for a little

He knows where she is. They live in a converted shed. For the last four months he's walked her to it every afternoon and waited until she was done. At night he stands guard just outside the shed until the last member of the flock goes in. His little hen is just inside the door. I've locked him in for the time being so his crowing is muffled. The poor guy is going bananas.

Do you want this hen to hatch eggs?

Likely not. I have an illness going through my flock that may make it dangerous for chicks. I'll find out today for sure. Breaking her is going to absolutely suck. If she gets distressed she yells, which upsets her rooster. He's an incredibly gentle boy unless his hen is threatened. I had to grab her for mite treatment two weeks ago. She's not hand tame and freaked out. He came running at me and attacked. If I get near the cardboard box she has declared her brooding spot she yells in alarm, and he shows up with puffed up feathers to attack me. I'm going to have to buy some thick gloves to break her broodiness.



I've locked him in the shed with his hen and a crow collar for now. Will he get over her if he's bonded to her? This guy lives, eats, and breaths for her and her alone. He's never more than a few feet away from her. The other hens could get attacked by a raccoon and he wouldn't care, but Iif you even look at his lady wrong he will get ticked off. I didn't know chickens could form that strong of a bond!

 

[SueT]

My idea is to put this rooster in the cage with his little hen. It won't affect the broody breaking process, and he might shut up if he's right there with her.

I think this is a great idea! Are they bantams? Do you have an appropriate cage? I use a this kind of cage, in my basement, which is quite cool compared to outdoors. It takes 2-3 days/nights for my hens. If I put a hen back out and she is still broody, back to jail she will go.