Rooster hanging out in nesting box?

[centrarchid]

@MissHenrietta,

I see as you describe routinely, although usually no eggs involved owing to the way birds are managed. You can even get birds to do it under more controlled conditions for public display when I demonstrate chicken reproductive biology. The behavior as described is in itself not a sign of being broody, rather the natural way the rooster attempts to promote a given female to use a potential nest site within is territory / home range. In almost all cases you see such behavior, a hen / pullet in the group is about to come into lay. She is giving a signal that is not visual that lets the rooster know what stage of her reproductive cycle she is in. I am pretty sure the signal is a vocalization as roosters do not need to see a female to know her status. Much of the time the female will nest in the location the rooster selects for her. On the male side of things, it is not broodiness, although nor is it abnormal behavior.

Broodiness I see can be induced is with some regularity and likely has a strong genetic component. The broodiness may have considerable adaptive value with breeds like game chickens that have been bred free-range with less care for thousands of generations. Broodiness of this sort has been limited to care of chicks through 5 weeks of age and juveniles through about 10 weeks of age. The male can increase the number of offspring that a given brood matures by investing broody behavior in it.

Below is link to example I documented a few years back. Hopefully I will have time to repeat the documentation effort to do a better job. Currently it is a disjointed read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-to-look-for-in-a-broody-rooster.882368/

 

[MissHenrietta]

Does he make any sounds while he's doing this? My cockbird will do that (in front of the hens), making soft purring sounds and arranging the straw as if he is showing them where to lay. (Little does he know they were laying there before he was even born ). I find this to "gentleman-ly" behavior.

Yes! He makes a really low purring sound. I really was thinking something was wrong with him! And I did notice, at one point, that one of my hens was trying to get into the box while he was in there. How cute!

 

[EggWalrus]

I just lost a Leghorn rooster that liked to help the broodys by sitting on the eggs when the broody would get up to do her daily business. Here's a pic of him keeping some eggs warm for his lady.

She seems to be saying "Whuuut?"

 

[MissHenrietta]

@MissHenrietta,

I see as you describe routinely, although usually no eggs involved owing to the way birds are managed. You can even get birds to do it under more controlled conditions for public display when I demonstrate chicken reproductive biology. The behavior as described is in itself not a sign of being broody, rather the natural way the rooster attempts to promote a given female to use a potential nest site within is territory / home range. In almost all cases you see such behavior, a hen / pullet in the group is about to come into lay. She is giving a signal that is not visual that lets the rooster know what stage of her reproductive cycle she is in. I am pretty sure the signal is a vocalization as roosters do not need to see a female to know her status. Much of the time the female will nest in the location the rooster selects for her. On the male side of things, it is not broodiness, although nor is it abnormal behavior.

Broodiness I see can be induced is with some regularity and likely has a strong genetic component. The broodiness may have considerable adaptive value with breeds like game chickens that have been bred free-range with less care for thousands of generations. Broodiness of this sort has been limited to care of chicks through 5 weeks of age and juveniles through about 10 weeks of age. The male can increase the number of offspring that a given brood matures by investing broody behavior in it.

Below is link to example I documented a few years back. Hopefully I will have time to repeat the documentation effort to do a better job. Currently it is a disjointed read.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-to-look-for-in-a-broody-rooster.882368/

Interesting!

 

[TheBeardie]

I have a few pictures of my old rooster, Rodney, in a old smoker turned nest box, helping the hens make a nest. He was picking up hay and making noises telling them to come Check out the nest box. Rodney has since passed away. I'll have to go fine the pictures on my old computer and post them.

 

[Compost King]

I have 2 roosters who I often find sitting on eggs, the first few times I kicked them out of the nesting box then it dawned on me, they know more about being a rooster than I do so I just let them be... maybe roosters go Broody? But nope they never stayed long enough to hatch any out.

 

[Chickassan]

 

[CannedMonster]

My Naked Neck cockerel, Angus, has exhibited this behavior.
He’s become better at it over the few months that he’s been doing it.
At first he would choose extremely unsuitable locations...such as the blade cover of the riding lawn mower
I don’t think Emily and Red are impressed.

I

 

[MissHenrietta]

I’ve noticed that he only chooses the one nesting box to do this in, which interestingly is the nesting box where I get the most eggs. I have 8 nesting boxes with 13 hens and they only use about 3 of them...but the one I’ve been seeing him in definitely gets used most! How cool =)

 

[MissHenrietta]

This is actually pretty adorable. But, yep...that’s exactly what mine is doing!