Rooster flock behavior

[Hheysunshine]

so I just added a 2 year old Brahma rooster to my flock of 9 hens. They needed better protectection from the hawks etc. no Toe joe adjusted well, the girls were t sure about him at first. Now his name is no toe joe due to frost bite he apparently had a d lost pretty much all his toes! He can still perch luckily and roosts with the gals as normal. Will this toe issue be a problem with protecting my girls? We also want to let our broody girl sunny hatch some eggs. How do I know if he’s even doing his thing or if he’s just not interested. I always spy on them in the yard from a window. He sees me everytime . I need to make sure he’s a worthy rooster or do I need a new guy. I couldn’t bare to get rid of him but I want actoister that definitely does his duties and hopefully not aggressive. No toe joe is not aggressive towards myself, kids or even cats and dogs. I feel lucky with that. Thank you I find great input here from very helpful and knowledgeable individuals.

 

[GuineaLove]

As long as he still has his spurs he should be able to protect the flock to the best of his ability. As to if he is mating with your hens I would recommend candling some of the eggs from your hens. If that isn’t an option for you then you could just watch them really closely like you have been. I hope this helps!

 

[tootmany]

I'm no rooster expert, so I'm here to wish you luck with your man! He sounds like a nice roo. One idea though- you could give him treats to see if he gives them over to the hens and initiates any mating.

 

[Hheysunshine]

As long as he still has his spurs he should be able to protect the flock to the best of his ability. As to if he is mating with your hens I would recommend candling some of the eggs from your hens. If that isn’t an option for you then you could just watch them really closely like you have been. I hope this helps!

Thank you for the great input! I have read about candling how many days before I can check?? I have read 7 before but is that the rule of thumb for that?

 

[Hheysunshine]

I'm no rooster expert, so I'm here to wish you luck with your man! He sounds like a nice roo. One idea though- you could give him treats to see if he gives them over to the hens and initiates any mating.

Yes he is nice! I can get close and hold him if I catch him on the roosting bar. After that he won’t let me catch him. I have tried kneeling and handing him treats, he won’t accept it. When I throw food or treats out for everyone, he will back off from the girls and let them go for it. He was more of a loner prob his first two weeks then I noticed lately he sticks with most of the girls. I have noticed him Mia and in the coop with one or two girls. Not sure if it’s this crazy winter weather having anything to do with that.

 

[Trish1974]

his name is no toe joe due to frost bite

When I was a kid we had a hen who lost a few toes one winter... we called her " No Toes"

 

[GuineaLove]

Thank you for the great input! I have read about candling how many days before I can check?? I have read 7 before but is that the rule of thumb for that?

Yes that is the general rule of thumb. Good luck!

 

[Hheysunshine]

Thanks everyone! Now I just came across a similar posting to mine. Someone suggested when cracking eggs to look for a bullseye in the yolk. Apparently that shows you are getting fertile eggs. Anyone familiar with this?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

To start off with,a handful of roosters are not going to fight a hawk or any predator.But,a lot will.Either way,it’s not their job,it’s use and you shouldn’t depend on anything but a loud call from them and running the hens to safety,sorry but he is still just as much of a chicken the others,nothing too much special about a rooster then a hen.He will fight with or without spurs.

If he is mounting the hens he is doing his job.Give him some time to adjust and you might see him show his true colors.

 

[Hheysunshine]

So today I noticed this bullseye in two of 3 cracked eggs. None in the one cracked egg yesterday. It looked like the 1st yolk photo.