Rooster Husband

Maggie is sort of an energizer battery. She runs hither and thither, ready to kaypoh whatever I might be up to in the garden. Max is more laid back and chill.

Max is a very doting husband indeed. If there are treats, he lets Maggie eat first and eat most of it. In the first few days, he watched us suspiciously and flapped his wings around Maggie as she ate, as if to warn us that if we messed with his hen, he would mess with us. He stayed close to her wherever she chose to explore. I opened the screen to the cage late last night and could not see Maggie. He was hiding her behind his wings. Her head was leaning on his wing shoulder.

The above uncomfortable posture is what Max adopts when he is basking in the sun. I suppose it is the equivalent of The Husband lounging on the sofa. It is just Max's thing you know. He does that when he is feeling relaxed and comfortable.

The thing was, Maggie had other ideas. We were very surprised when Maggie pecked him on the wing and then used her head to ruffles his feathers, as if to say, "Come on! Get up!" Dutifully, Max did. Then, Maggie body-pushed him towards the long apron running down the side of the house. She wanted to walk there and she did not want to do it alone so she made Max walk with her.

Max was so indulgent that he actually did!

Apparently, roosters look after hens like this. They let hens eat better. They show hens nice nesting places. They stand guard over the hens. If there are multiple hens in the flock, he steps in to stop hen fights. See HERE.

I guess it is because the hens are the ones that lay the eggs and brood the babies. Even we spoil Margaret. Her eggs are important you see.