Good for your rooster -- he's taking care of his ladies! This is not unusual behavior. Often when roosters have a treat, they make a big deal of showing it to the hens and letting them eat it. Every morning when I open up my coop I scatter scratch for the chickens. The rooster races to each pile of corn, makes a big deal about it until some hens come over, then races to the next pile. At first I thought he was trying to claim it for himself, but then I realized that he was pointing it out to them and doing the chicken happy dance to attract the hens. They think he's the BMOC because he finds the goodies and points them out. It's really cool to watch, isn't it? --Johanna

I use it for 2 years and it works! "I have used a similar solution for years. (We have 30-40 deer every night feeding on the field next to us and some adventuresome deer always manage to sneak in under the dog's nose.) Fill a 4 litre milk jug almost to the top with water. Take one egg. Whisk or beat the egg really well, DO NOT STRAIN. Pour into milk jug and close lid. Shake back and forth to mix. Now, pour some into a small squirt bottle and as you are walking around your acreage or yard mist the plants you do not want the deer to eat. You do not have to POUR the solution on your plants, a little mist goes a long way. Rain will wash it off. I reapply after EVERY rain or dew and otherwise about once a week, if no rain. I have NEVER noticed a smell of rotten eggs on my plants in hot weather. The mixture will smell if left unused for a few days and you will smell the solution as you are misting with old solution, but it goes away as it dries..... my garden does not smell in hot weather. The protein smell deters the deer. You can spray your plants with fresh or days-old mixture, both work. My spray bottle has been used for about 4 years and has NEVER "gummed up". Better solution... permanent solution...an eight foot fence or deer hunting season."

The Reddish Egret and its stunning feeding behavior. This bird was filmed at Green Key Beach, FL. Here is a link that might be useful: Reddish Egret video

Diane, I have seen similar behavior two years in a row. The first time was 2 years ago. My original female had successfully fledged two broods and had four chicks six days old when a new female appeared, stalked her and actually fought with her until the original female left. The new female then followed Papa around, wing-waving and going wherever he went. He rebuffed her and even attacked her for three days. She tried repeatedly to get into the nestbox but Papa wouldn't permit it. Then, he accepted her and she proceeded to kill the chicks. Several were pecked to death and I found one alive in the grass, about 25 feet from the nestbox. I put it back but they refused to feed it and the next day the nest was empty. The new female then built a nest and successfully fledged four chicks. This new female stayed with Papa over the winter and the last year they successfully raised two more broods. Then, when she had five eggs in her third nest, a new female showed up and chased her off. Papa reacted much as he had before. I watched and waited for several days to see if the first one would return. When Papa finally accepted her she began building a new nest on top of the five eggs. The prior brood was still hanging around and they would beg from the new female the same as they would from Papa. When they did she would ignore them. If they persisted, she would fly up in their face and as soon as they were weaned, they were chased away. Dave