Nesting Roo....and now, and EGG!

[Portia]

My girls are about 19.5 weeks and haven't started laying yet, that I know...they free range, but I have been watching & checking. My rooster appears to be impatient and it seems has decided to locate preferred nesting sites for the girls. One of his favorites is up on the deck in an abandoned planter set beneath some deck chairs leaning against the house. He goes up there with one hen after the other, sits and settles into his chosen spot and coos and chortles. I'm assuming he is selecting nesting sites, or is he doing something completely different? Either way, it is very endearing to watch him bring one hen after the other up to this spot and display how to settle & sit while he chortles lovingly.

So here's a picture of Mr Feisty roo and one of his gals checking out his chosen nesting spot. She is just exiting the cubby.

 

[Portia]

I just arrived home from work and guess what I found in Mr. Feisty's nest....yup, the FIRST EGG!!! What a guy, he's taking such good care of his girls.

Gotta love em'

 

[keeperofthehearth]

How Sweet! What'a guy! Sounds like Mr. Feisty is a keeper.

Congrats!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Aww what a good hubby he is! Cute too! Congrats on getting your first egg! I can't wait. NOVEMBER! I have to wait till then!

 

[Portia]

We have been waiting and waiting, watching the girls combs and waddles red up and wandering the yard looking for stray eggs. We have 14 girls, so soon we should be getting plenty of eggs

 

[chilling in muscadine]

One day earlier in the year while working in my yard for the entire day I witnessed my 5 year old free range game roo named Rocco escort one of his many girl's around to check out prespective nesting spot's. He would try it out for size first then coach the hen to try out the spot. Rocco has been around so long he know's all the good spot's. What made me first notice what he was doing is because they were not eating. Rocco was relentless, he wasn't going to give up. It seemed like the hen wasn't satisfied with anything he showed he, but he kept going. Now this lasted the entire day and I remember thinking ya'll better eat. In the end the hen settled into a spot she found herself. I still think It's so cool how good roo's are to there women. I guess they are making up for hopping on the hen and taking a ride any time they want. Isn't there alway's a price for everything. DARN. I couldn't imagine life without any could you?

PEACE

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Portia- beautiful bird's btw. When you get egg's would you be interested in selling any? pm me and let me know.

 

[Portia]

My dh thinks that the chosen spot is awesome, right outside the door (of course so is there coop, but you need to go down the basement). If they keep laying there we may have to make a more permanent structure to keep the weather out. As it is I put a bit of straw down, we'll see if today is another lucky day. I have a feeling there may well be more eggs out in the woods, but neither I nor my dogs have run across them in our daily forages out there.
Y'know, we weren't going to keep a rooster, but now I'm so glad we did. In fact my dh is his biggest fan, he keeps collecting feathers and tying these crazy little flies just for fun.