Rooster won't get off eggs!

[chicken3]

Ok, so I'm very new to this... I have raised 5 chickens (4 hens, and 1 rooster), they started laying eggs in January.
I have two nests for them, and have been getting on average 6 eggs/day. In the last week or so it seems my rooster has decided he is a hen and will not do ANYTHING but sit on eggs. I can't get him out of there except by using a stick (I don't want to be mean to him, they're all really tame). He literally is in the same position for days and very aggressive when you come for the eggs. If you try to move them away from him he quickly puts them back in place. Another fun fact, he never has "crowed"... makes me wonder if it really is a rooster.

*edit* Also, they were all really upset when I took the eggs...

Here are 4 of my 5 chickens all trying to nest at the same time... the rooster is bottom right, and not happy about sharing his nest.




I guess my questions are: Is this normal? What's a good way to get the eggs out? How can I get my rooster to get out of the box?

Thanks for any help or tips

 

[Sjisty]

I would guess your "rooster" is a broody hen.

 

[Sgtfirstwife]

It looks like a hen to me. You might want to try to find some fertile eggs for her.

 

[chicken3]

Oh... well don't I feel smart.

I thought that if it had a folded over comb that it was a boy, but I guess I was wrong. It's the only one of my chickens that looks like that...

Well if it is a hen, then that means I have no rooster. I'm just interested in egg production, What should I do about my "broody hen"?

 

[Sjisty]

It's really fun to watch them hatch and raise chicks if you can get some fertile eggs. Otherwise, you will have to break her from being broody. Putting her in a cage raised off the ground so air can cool her is one method. Some people have put ice cubes under a broody to break her. I have a dog pen with no place to nest that I use. I just put my broodies in there with food and water for a few days and wait for them to get over it. Usually, though, I just give them eggs out of the incubator that are about to hatch and let them hatch and raise them.

 

[sumi]

I think it's happened to many of us, don't you worry. I had this beautiful chicken once. I was 100% convinced it was a hen and would not hear anything else, thank you very much. Until one day... it was about 5 months old and sitting on my lap when it suddenly let rip with a crow. Yep, you guessed it: my hen was in fact a cockerel. Ever had a cockerel crow on your lap? And not one of those "help I'm choking on something" crows that young cockerels do either. It was a proper crow. It must've been practicing in secret. That thing could be glad I loved it so much..

If you cannot find fertile eggs for her you have two options: let her sit another week or two and slip some day-old chicks under her, removing the eggs at the same time. This method is more successful when the swap is done at night when the hen is sleepy and likely to forget all about it. Or break her broodiness. Put her in a wire bottomed cage for a few days with nothing but food and water. NO nesting materials. This method works quite well as broody hens' body temperature is slightly elevated and when in the cage it gets hard for them to maintain that, so after an average of 3-4 days even more determined broodies will give up.

 

[chicken3]

Thanks so much for the help... It may be difficult for me to get fertile eggs, but I'll see what I can do.

I live in Norway, and it is probably around 25 degrees F at night time now. Would that be too cold to have the broody hen away from a heat lamp and bedding materials? I'm guessing it's fine, but thought I'd check.

 

[mrbuch]

Don't worry I have a turkey that we just knew was a boy until he started laying eggs