rooster not protecting the hens?

[farmert]

Did you actually find evidence that she was taken by a predator? It’s not uncommon for a hen to go missing suddenly then return 3 weeks later with chicks in tow.

No -- no sign of her. This is interesting -- she has never strayed from her ''sisters and bro'' -- I can't imagine her doing such a thing, but I like hearing this. Thank you.

 

[azygous]

She could be brooding a nest. Have you tried shaking a container of scratch grain? That often will coax a chicken out of hiding.

 

[fluffycrow]

What I've found through observation is that the females, the hens especially, do not expect the rooster to protect them.

That is why you'll notice the hens running away from the male when he sounds the alarm call, not near him. If your rooster sounds alarm calls to warn his hens to hide, preferably sounding the alarm in time, then you've got a good rooster.

Not all roosters will go after a predator if it's got to one of their hens, and it usually isn't very smart to do so. In some cases, more than what would be ideal, the rooster would lose this fight. That leaves his whole tribe/group without a male, or at the very least, without an experienced male to sound warning call in future attacks which are sure to come in nature.

Like the others have mentioned, if you have found no evidence of an attack, and this hen does not have a history of wandering, she could be brooding

 

[Chicken and turkey parent]

My rooster and three hens have been together since babyhood. When they free range, which is typically just around the farm house area, they are a very tight knit group. Each hen was never more than a foot or two away from the other. Yesterday, our lovely Lily disappeared during the day.

We have predators of all sorts, but I'm trying to figure out if it was a fox or coyote, for example, why did the rooster not attempt to defend her? He and the other two hens were fine and not even showing any fear. Usually, when something attacks them, there is a pale in the air of danger that lasts a while.

My thought is perhaps a chicken hawk who swoops with little warning other than the crows' sqwaking -- but I will say that the chickens, especially the rooster, tend to pay attention to the crows' warning.

I'm curious to know why the roo is none the worse for wear. I'm also curious why a predator wouldn't take him first simply because he is a bigger bird. Obviously, I'm just curious and will never know.

Thanks for reading.

I am smiling as I write this, not because I have no empathy for your situation, but because I've had roosters. My experience is that when danger arrives, the roosters hide behind the hens. I know we assume the bigger meaner bird should gallantly stand up for the girls, but alas, no. They are bigger and meaner only to the extent they need to compete with other roosters - sorry to say they are quite useless at protecting hens from predators.

CR, HighFields Farm, VT.

 

[McChooky]

Most roosters will die to protect their favorites but they can't protect hens that willingly wander off alone (or don't respond to alerts) The odds all your hens listen to him would be rare. There's a little rebel in all of them

 

[McChooky]

Read posts by people who've found missing chickens at a neighbors house some 1/2 mile away .You'd be surprised how far a chicken can fly when its afraid(not saying they can fly 1/2 a mile but they can fly across a creek or fence

 

[Perris]

If the rest are showing no sign of anxiety, then either they know she's brooding somewhere or they didn't see her get taken, as others have said.

Roos can and do protect hens, and hens can and do seek protection from them when they sense danger but don't know what exactly it is or where it's likely to strike. This flock free ranges, and was spotted in this self-arranged formation through a window

I never found out what spooked them; dog or fox most likely, but it did not attack.

A roo making an alarm call draws the predator's attention to himself and signals his location, as well as alerts the rest of the flock - his hens and chicks - to impending danger, so the particular circumstances can influence whether a roo calls or not. Evolution selects those that manage this trade off well. Usually the hens' and chicks' response to an alarm call is to scatter; forming up close as in the photo is very unusual.

Some roos are a bit quick to sound an alarm, and the hens come to ignore them. Selection works against them too.

 

[Debbie292d]

If the rest are showing no sign of anxiety, then either they know she's brooding somewhere or they didn't see her get taken, as others have said.

Roos can and do protect hens, and hens can and do seek protection from them when they sense danger but don't know what exactly it is or where it's likely to strike. This flock free ranges, and was spotted in this self-arranged formation through a window
View attachment 3933094
I never found out what spooked them; dog or fox most likely, but it did not attack.

A roo making an alarm call draws the predator's attention to himself and signals his location, as well as alerts the rest of the flock - his hens and chicks - to impending danger, so the particular circumstances can influence whether a roo calls or not. Evolution selects those that manage this trade off well. Usually the hens' and chicks' response to an alarm call is to scatter; forming up close as in the photo is very unusual.

Some roos are a bit quick to sound an alarm, and the hens come to ignore them. Selection works against them too.

That is peculiar as our roosters will wind up having the hens all up against the house or in the coop. I'll come out and look around and see nothing but far off is a hawk.

The one time a neighbor dog came here, rooster got them all in the coop. I came running out to see what was going on as my rooster and two dogs were running behind the coop. I came around the back side of the coop and saw the three of them were squared off with that dog who then saw me and ran home.

They are pretty amazing creatures, but to gather together is a bit strange, and it almost looks like they're having a meeting.

 

[Perris]

it almost looks like they're having a meeting

lol the roos were doing all the talking! Seriously, almost all of them were on high alert, heads up, looking round, and yes indeed not a common behaviour. But it went on long enough for me to be able to grab a camera and get a photo of it.