Rooster in the nest.

[lazy gardener]

This afternoon, Jack is in the nest boxes chuckling up a storm. Interestingly enough, the only girls that are paying attention to him are the spring pullets. 2 girls are climbing in and out of the nest boxes with him. They are 14 weeks old now. Surely, too young to be interested in nesting. Amusing! He'll often do so for the hens, but it seems early for him to be seducing the pullets to the nest boxes.​

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[sourland]

Hope springs eternal in the hearts of all males.

 

[centrarchid]

Someone in earshot is producing sounds indicating about to come into lay. Vocal way of saying I am in heat. I can have a row of rooster pens blocked off so they can not see a hen walking down row yet all will give the nest-chuckle display as she walks by. Either she gives a particular call I have yet to recognize or her voice changes subtly in a manner roosters can pick up but is less obvious to us. Other hens not coming into lay do not stimulate the same male response. Some fish give a similar visual signal I can pickup on that nest males also get riled up to.

 

[lazy gardener]

Obviously, he likes the cute chicks!

 

[azygous]

I think it's adorable. My one-year old Cream Legbar Strawberry loves to get into the nests and chuckle the older hens in to joining him. His favorite hens, who also return the sentiment, are all six and seven. He seems unimpressed with the younger girls, though he mates them all. Here he is in the nest with his favorite hen Francie, a six-year old EE.