What to Look for in a Broody Rooster

[centrarchid]

Receptacle used for brood 1 has been cleaned and partially filled with crushed oystershell. The single egg produced yesterday was placed in it as well. Based on prior such manipulations hen would have adopted new box without egg present. Location was more important than presence of an egg.

 

[centrarchid]

Pictures.

Foreground is post hen laid first egg in and background is nest I want her to use. I pulled nest forward about one foot and cover it with wooden slats so she could not get in. New nest was placed in original's position so entrance was obvious as hen tried to get down into old nest. She piddled about for maybe 15 minutes before giving in and laying where I wanted her to lay. Note two eggs visible.

Hen with five juvenile offspring roosting on my Honda Ruckuss seat. Two cockerels and three pullets (one under hen). Man what a shame to have so much crap on the scooter seat.

Remaining cockerel from brood 1. Hen still puts him in his place when he harasses his younger siblings.

Hopefully in next year or two barn will be realized so all chicken related can be removed from garage.

 

[centrarchid]

Below shows three flock ranges currently in place. Blue demarks cockyard where several broody hens ply the heavy vegetation near breeding pens arranged in two rows about 100 feet apart. Yellow demarks a smaller flock of American and Missouri Dominiques where most hens either have chicks or a clutch of eggs. The red area is occupied by the house flock and includes ground owned by two neighbors where at least 1 acre in each location is foraged. Generally dogs stay on my property which is bounded by gravel road dividing yellow area. Arrows indicate locations red fox has been coming in and going after my birds. When fox noted chickens retreat immediately to our side of road where dogs provide protection. Chickens usually run while producing alarm calls but are fully capable of flying all the way back to house and landing on house. Two losses have been incurred over last 45 days. Both where males, one juvenile of brood 1 and second was rooster recently brought out to replace Slugger. Both birds where less capable on the wing and caught very close to tree line upper arrow crosses.

 

[centrarchid]

The day before yesterday hen was moving about in area of lower arrow near a patch of sumac. One of her brood 2 juvenile offspring was on gravel road between her and house. I was to north on same road where I could see juvenile, hen and area behind her. Hen saw something to her south and immediately got into a nearly crouching position as she started a run back towards house. She made a call I could barely hear that caused her offspring to do the same and she even made short flight of about 100 feet to catch up with her offspring as both approached the house. In area hen had just been in a red fox popped out to briefly track hen by scent but veared to south before entering our yard. Dogs where alerted to situation and moved to SE side of house but did not have a line of sight on fox which was also not upwind.

Hen produced a call for her juvenile offspring that indicated a predator but was not of the sort like a cackle that also tells predator she knows it is there. Juvenile responded by moving to cover (area protected by dogs).

Neighbor to NE has been loosing birds and has tightened up his mobile coops and surrounded them with electrified poultry netting. My dogs even patrol him periodically but fox still comes in causing him losses. We are going to have to work together to get this fox.

 

[centrarchid]

Couple of changes. Until last night Blanch allowed chicks to roost in close contact with her. Tonight as everyone goes to roost she drives juveniles of brood 2 away. Juveniles of brood 2 have also taken up foraging with their older brother of brood 1 but they do not roost together. Early this morning before work I released a bullstag from another line that should provide a genetic marker enabling detection of when he starts to father eggs in clutch. Since no eggs deposited in nest yesterday the egg laid today is number 3. Most likely if fertile it will have been fertilized by the previous bullstag. New bullstag covered Blanch this morning so starting no sooner than tomorrow eggs will be out of him. New bullstag is a brown-breasted brown red and will be double dutied as bait for a coyote probing property. Dogs not able to catch so will be trapped or shot. Coyote is putting a major hit on neighbors flock and making my dogs work too hard.


Image below of grandsire to Blanch that looks very similar to current bullstag. Biggest difference is current bird lack a tail due to molt.

 

[centrarchid]

Blanch now at 8 eggs in the nest. She has been laying 2 eggs every three days; 2 days lay, one day off. She is also lighter in weight than when laying with previous two clutches. Forage quality not likely the problem as insect abundance very high and recent rains keeping new plant growth up. She will hunker down any day now to incubate. Cockerel of brood 1 one is still hard on juveniles of brood 2 despite their interest in following him. Brood one cockerel may have figured out what girls are and is starting to look for his own place to setup a territory. He is starting to develop adult tail feathers so soon will look very pretty.

Also had a owl fly into garage a bit ago where it crashed into storage cabinet. Dogs got onto it very quickly. That means I have mice working feed bag pile again. Dogs alternate between sleeping with kids and going out to patrol. They are working even at night hard enough to get hot.

 

[centrarchid]

This new harem master (to be call Steve) has not been very aggressive in the defense of brood 2. He chases them occasionally and really goes after the brood 1 stag.

Blanch is now at egg number 12 producing almost one egg per day for the last four days. She has been doing a lot more laying prone on ground today so something is changing. She is also getting even crankier with offspring from broods 1 and 2. She should being setting very soon.


The two previous broods have experienced very different forage bases especially with respect to insects. Brood 1 had lots of hawking opportunities for hawking highly mobile craneflies, moths and beetles. Brood 2 has had to make use of immature grasshoppers that do not make themselves as available by hawking. Additionally the neighbors field to the east and northeast has been managed in a manner that does not promote grasshopper abundance.

 

[centrarchid]

Actual new harem master. He is about 2 weeks into growing new tail feathers

Brood 1 stag / cockerel.

Big brother with little brother in background.

 

[centrarchid]

Critical Harem Master Behavior Coming Off the Roost

Each morning the harem master comes off roost first. He then runs about with cotton showing and wings down while fluffed up. Hens not broody solicit him to cover them. Hens broody are all fluffed up and he breaks off display to them. Chicks with down on their head are ignored. Juveniles run from him a short distance although older juveniles are chased harder and longer. Following this harem reunites for the day and usually goes straight to water before first bout of foraging. I think this interaction is what promotes dispersal of juveniles from harem,

I have been wanting to film this for some time but light levels too low unless it occurs over a very light background.

 

[aart]

Interesting...I've noticed my roosters seem very active to mate first thing in the morning ...they get a little then calm down.