Rooster attacking chick.

[Thomas76]

I have a bantam rooster that has been acting like a hen laying on the chicks. He has been showing them how to hunt food. For some reason he has been grabbing the runt by it's neck and shaking it. My question is. Could there be something wrong with the chick?

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Please the chicks away from the rooster.

 

[Thomas76]

I took all the babies out. They are in a pen by them selves.

 

[earlybird10842]

Good. I have no Idea why the rooster would act like a hen.

 

[centrarchid]

My game roosters act like a hen fairly frequently. When a broody hen weans a brood and begins incubating another clutch, the rooster will often take over parenting role directing the foraging activities of juveniles and even fight (hawks) or distract (fox) predators to protect his offspring. Sometimes such a rooster will also brood chicks and can be very important in getting them to move to an elevated roost. With some roosters I can put young chicks under them and they will become broody much like a hen although that is not natural despite capacity for it. Aggression towards one chick, especially a runt may be indicative of something being wrong with chick that confuses rooster, My game roosters have a reputation for being mean but they make pretty good parents relative to any other breed I have ever seen.