Rooster acting like a hen 🤣

[everyday_farmlife]

Our Standard Light Sussex rooster is a weird one please tell me I'm not the only one!???
Every time a hen (he is in with 6) goes in to lay an egg he goes and sits next to her at times pushes her off the nest until they scream at him and he backs away a little way. Then if the hen spots me they come running thinking they are going to get treats and he does this whole broody hen clucking noise and goes and sits on whatever eggs are in the nest, until she gets back on the nest. Is this normal!? Or is he really mixed up ‍♀

 

[LaFleche]

The rooster is showing them where it is safe to lay their eggs and even protects the eggs keeping them warm.

Although at first sight this seems funny for a male to do, this for me is a very desirable behaviour in a rooster showing his superior social skills.
These individuals usually sit beside the nest during hatch greeting the newly hatched chicks with soothing sounds and they take especially good care of the chicks feeding and protecting them, even sitting down like a mother hen to keep them warm.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes it's normal but unfortunatley due to the way many chickens are kept the rooster doesn't get the chance to do what you have seen.
Not only is your rooster showing normal behaviour it also tells you that your keeping arrangements allow for the hen and rooster to carry out these behaviours.

Cillin and Mel trying to decide on the best nest site.

Tackle telling Cillin that the egg isn't ready yet.

Twitch suggesting to Gedit that the basket might be a better option.

Cillin waiting for Ruffles to lay her egg.

Knock asking Treacle how long she has to sit there for. She had just started laying.

Notch siting on top of Donk as she lays an egg in an outside nest.

Yep, all perfectly normal.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

My rooster does this, too. He tries to make nests on the floor of the coop for his hens, who then push him out of the way so they can try it out. More often than not, they don’t like it, and go into a nest box to lay their eggs. I have one that’s been laying on the floor under the roost, because he keeps making a nest for her under there. He stands next to her and waits while she lays it, and is very polite. He has also gotten into a nesting box before, but I try to discourage that, for fear he’ll break the eggs trying to make a nest.

 

[everyday_farmlife]

Well I'm glad this behaviour is normal it was starting to worry me
Yes this cockeral loooves his chicks, (incubated chicks at that!) He never pecks or harasses them only finds them food and tries to drop it into their cage.
They have been outside from 2 weeks old with full access to a heat source. We are in Australia so it's starting to warm up quite a bit as we head into late spring early summer.

 

[3KillerBs]

The rooster is showing them where it is safe to lay their eggs and even protects the eggs keeping them warm.

This is one of the behaviors that set me on keeping the cockerel I then called "green" after his band color -- the one who is now my flockmaster, Rameses and my avatar.

 

[everyday_farmlife]

Oh my I just ran across this. That is definitely a tough situation. I don’t know if it’s the correct advice but it’s just what I would do is yes block that area off for the others. I would worry about the eggs getting smashed also but I would worry more about something worse happening. And maybe it will teach the other chickens to sleep on the roost if there are other option is gone.
I realize this post was put up Sunday. How is everything going?

Thanks for your reply
I ended up having to move all the other hens out, they are now roosting on perches in a temporary coop (I purposely put one small nest box in there, so there isn't enough space for 4 massive, sussex, fluffy butts to fit at night)
Sarg the roo had to stay with the broody and is quite content... we had an incident when she got off the nest I went in to change the feed and water and coz the feed is sort of just inside the 'huge' nest box (for broody to reach) he actually went me.. I shouted at him and he ran straight past me and into the box then tucked all the eggs under him (he must be seriously desperate to be a dad idk )
So yea we separated them and now when I need to replace the feed in there I'll lock myself in the coop while he's outside. Lesson learnt...
He has not gone me since it was only a one off, so he will get a second chance coz I suspect he was just being OTT with protecting the eggs

 

[Cold-Blood]

The rooster is showing them where it is safe to lay their eggs and even protects the eggs keeping them warm.

Although at first sight this seems funny for a male to do, this for me is a very desirable behaviour in a rooster showing his superior social skills.
These individuals usually sit beside the nest during hatch greeting the newly hatched chicks with soothing sounds and they take especially good care of the chicks feeding and protecting them, even sitting down like a mother hen to keep them warm.

This is true-
I used to have a rooster that would brood eggs and chicks when the hen was away.

 

[everyday_farmlife]

I need to record him , it's so weird seeing a rooster do it

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes this cockeral loooves his chicks, (incubated chicks at that!) He never pecks or harasses them only finds them food and tries to drop it into their cage.

It's wonderful to see the boys being good daddies.