Strange Behaviour from Rooster

[Sarah1711]

I am new to keeping hens so need a little help! We have a Plymouth Rock rooster and two Plymouth Rock hens all are about 1 year old. They have settled in very well into there hen hotel that my husband built and are now roaming around quite happily. We have had them for two weeks. I have two laying boxes in the hen house and we are getting on average 2 eggs everyday. The problem is I have not seen any activity of mating from the rooster, yet - is this normal? He sits on the hens eggs, I can't believe this to be normal behaviour? Also they don't eat scraps from the kitchen. I thought hens liked scraps? I wanted hens for eggs and to breed some chicks but I am not sure if this is going to happen. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you would post a couple of pictures especially side views, people can tell you if he may in fact be a she. He might also be too young, or he is just helpful modern man, LOL.

 

[Sarah1711]

You made me smile, thank you! I will go take photo now.

 

[Sarah1711]

Here are photos of Charlie our Rooster:

 

[Den in Penn]

That's a rooster for sure. Sometimes they do spend some time in the nest. Most of the time it is to show the hens, hey I found a good nest. He should stop that after a while. If he's sleeping in there it may be because he doesn't like the roost.

 

[azygous]

Your Charlie probably is one of those rare gentleman roos who like domestic bliss - fluff up their hens' nest boxes so as to be more inviting, and doesn't mate any more often than is necessary, resulting in calm and secure hens.

For hens eggs to be fertile, Charlie would only need to mate with each of his two hens no more than once or twice a week. If Charlie had ten or twelve hens to keep fertile, he would, no doubt, appear to be a much busier boy than is required of him with just the two hens.