{"id":1454,"date":"2021-01-26T16:58:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T16:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pentagonpets.com\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2023-11-10T14:44:15","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T22:44:15","slug":"do-roosters-have-a-favourite-hen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pentagonpets.com\/do-roosters-have-a-favourite-hen\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Roosters Have a Favourite Hen?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The pecking order of a flock can sometimes seem like you can’t tell who’s in charge of who, but when you have a rooster he usually takes charge of the top spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s then normal for the hens below the rooster to have their own hierarchy, so you might notice a particular hen who bosses around the hens lower down in the flock, especially when it comes to food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a rooster owner, I’ve spent time watching his behaviour towards the hens and although he’s not nice all of the time, he can at times be the perfect gentleman towards his girls providing they stick to his rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roosters often have a favorite hen they spend more time with, showing preference by offering her food, protecting her, or mating with her frequently. This favoritism can be due to the hen’s health, fertility, or temperament. Observing flock dynamics and rooster behavior can typically identify a favored hen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to find out more about a roosters behaviour towards its favourite hen\/s, find out about how roosters are not always nice to the hens within their flock and what to do if the attention becomes overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just to let you know before we start, we sometimes recommend products which we feel might be helpful for a particular topic. Chicken Pals may receive a small commission for the recommendation however we only link to quality products and where possible those we have tried – for more information please see our privacy policy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why Does a Rooster Have a Favourite Hen?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the rooster, one of its roles in life is keeping charge of the hens in the flock, but this can be a tricky job especially if they’re free-range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we let our hens out in the morning to free-range, they have the option to wander off to various areas and they tend to do this in small groups, much to the dismay of the rooster who will get very agitated and vocal when they separate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most are only interested in going off to find the best food, there’re always one hen or two hens who are loyal and will stay by his side throughout most of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These hens are not high up in the pecking order, so while the others are more unruly, these are hens who can be easily influenced and controlled. In return, he will keep them safe and find them morsels of food as they graze providing they allow him to mate with them on a regular basis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the rooster does have his favourites, he will still mate with the other hens too when he gets a chance and it’s usual to see that most of the eggs within a small flock are fertilized – for more information on how to check this see the post below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need a rooster for hens to lay eggs?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you spend time watching the roosters behaviour around a hen when it’s being attentive, it’s interesting to see how they behave with each other. Here are just some of the things which you might notice if you keep a rooster with hens:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n