Rooster midwife?

[TeamChaos]

Posting in the other rooster thread reminded me that I want to ask here- when my ladies are in the nest box, my rooster (Deputy 40) paces the floor and hands them things- feathers, straw, pine chips, whatever- sometimes the ladies chase him out and seem annoyed, other times they ignore him. What is he doing? I've even seen him sit in the nest box next to her and "talk" over the wall to her.. crazy dude.

 

[PhilErvin]

This reminds me......I've noticed that sometimes when a girl doesn't want the advances of the roo another of the hens will help him hold her down. I've seen more than one hen help him at a time. I'm thinkin

what's goin on here?

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, the roosters are part of the whole process. Some will get into the nest box and trill, turn around, sit there, move the bedding around, just to show the pullets it's a NICE nest box and she/they should use 'em.

Not all of 'em are as solicitous as yours, though - wanting to help out with the laying part. Mine will sing the Egg Song with the girls, but he doesn't hang out in the coop with 'em for long. He DOES do the "This is a nice nest box" thing, though, as the pullets get closer to laying. (I have several different ages of pullets.)