Rooster at Treat Feeding Time

[joebryant]

Do you ever notice when giving treats to your chickens how much the rooster appreciates your tossing it in front of him first so that he can call the hens over to eat it. Mine never eats anything until the hens are eating or have eaten first. He knows 100% that I'm in charge, but doing this helps him maintain his status some way.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree. When I toss something out the rooster is almost always the first over anyway.

I've read a study where the hens are more receptive to a rooster's advances if he is a good provider, finding them food and letting them eat it. While the jogging after a hen may help keep the rooster in prime physical condition, it probably helps maintain peace in the flock and decreases the chance for bare-backed or otherwise injured-during-forced-mating hens if the rooster can maintain his traditional role in the flock.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Too true! I think he wants credit for finding the treat. Like, "Look what I found for you. Don't you love me know?"

As if the girls wouldn't find the treats anyway, since I've called them all over.

 

[gritsar]

My roo has always done that, with one exception.
The figs are now ripe. If he sees me heading to the fig trees, he tries to slip over there without any of the hens noticing. He eats every fig I offer him, silently so as not to attract the attention of the hens.

 

[Mervin]

I've only ever seen my rooster do this once. Last week I tossed some left overs in and he came out and gather several bits into a pile. He tried to call the girls over, but nobody really wen to him. He's quite young (17 weeks), but I was excited to see him actually acting like a rooster.