Guardian rooster advice?

[NHMountainMan]

Our 13 pullets are in their coop, and the predators are prowling about.
When I bought our first ever chicks, I assumed that the "meal maker" would be a rooster. But no... All hens.
I'm looking to add a rooster. He'll need to be very cold weather capable. His job is really to create a warning so I could let the dogs out to chase off the bobcat, bear and coyotes we've seen circling the electric netting.
Other than a breed recommendation, anything else I need to consider?
Thanks.

 

[sourland]

The most flock protective and least human aggressive roosters I have dealt with are game fowl roosters. They are also easy on the eye. The drawback is that they are extremely rooster aggressive.

 

[LizzzyJo]

My buff Brahma is great at aerial predator protection. And pretty massive. He’s a sweetie to people.

 

[NHMountainMan]

The most flock protective and least human aggressive roosters I have dealt with are game fowl roosters. They are also easy on the eye. The drawback is that they are extremely rooster aggressive.

Thank you. Game fowl is a new term to me so I had to do a little googling... Cold weather hardiness is essential - are there cold hardy game fowl?

 

[sourland]

American game fowl are generally very winter hardy - especially if they have been dubbed.

 

[Folly's place]

If not a game bird, look at Chanteclers; large, dual purpose, tiny combs, bred to be cold hardy.
Mary

 

[50-45-1]

If you are concerned about cold weather birds, i would sugest you get a rooster with a rose comb. All chickens can do well in cold climates but those single straight combs can get frostbite. Hens too by the way, what breed are your hens?
Any rooster should become a good alarm for preditors, but they can bring other problems like human aggression, overbreeding hens causing feather loss and sometimes injuries, crowing all the time bothers some people... young roosters can be more trouble than older birds.
I had a bantam old english game rooster who started crowing in the middle of the night once.
When i went out to investigate a weasel had killed 6 of my birds. Caught the weasel the next night.
I will always have a rooster. Just finding the right one can be challenging.

 

[NHMountainMan]

If you are concerned about cold weather birds, i would sugest you get a rooster with a rose comb. All chickens can do well in cold climates but those single straight combs can get frostbite. Hens too by the way, what breed are your hens?
Any rooster should become a good alarm for preditors, but they can bring other problems like human aggression, overbreeding hens causing feather loss and sometimes injuries, crowing all the time bothers some people... young roosters can be more trouble than older birds.
I had a bantam old english game rooster who started crowing in the middle of the night once.
When i went out to investigate a weasel had killed 6 of my birds. Caught the weasel the next night.
I will always have a rooster. Just finding the right one can be challenging.

Thanks for the great advice. My little flock includes New Hampshire, Barred rock, buff orpington and golden buff- all supposedly cold hardy dual purpose birds. Living at elevation in the NH mtns, we will typically see a week or two every winter with -20 with wind chill in the -40 range. So I've been conscious of frostbite risk. I've had my dogs (Great Pyrenees / Swiss mountain dog mixes) exposed to the chicks and vice versa, in and around the coop and run. 1 of them has really bonded as chicken guardian. My hope is that the rooster will sound the alarm and I would turn out the dogs until I can get there. We've had a bobcat hanging around a dusk, and despite the dogs chasing him off twice, he keeps coming back circling the electric fence.

 

[FowlWitch]

Thanks for the great advice. My little flock includes New Hampshire, Barred rock, buff orpington and golden buff- all supposedly cold hardy dual purpose birds. Living at elevation in the NH mtns, we will typically see a week or two every winter with -20 with wind chill in the -40 range. So I've been conscious of frostbite risk. I've had my dogs (Great Pyrenees / Swiss mountain dog mixes) exposed to the chicks and vice versa, in and around the coop and run. 1 of them has really bonded as chicken guardian. My hope is that the rooster will sound the alarm and I would turn out the dogs until I can get there. We've had a bobcat hanging around a dusk, and despite the dogs chasing him off twice, he keeps coming back circling the electric fence.

I wonder if any wildlife agencies would be willing to come out and relocate the bobcat? I'd look up and state agencies in your area and ask before the cat ends up killing somebody's dog or house cat

 

[centrarchid]

I use chickens as their own alarm systems. Chickens give alarm and dogs run to investigate. Much of the time I am not aware of such happenings as I am either asleep, at work, or kids have television too loud. Often only evidence I have things are working properly is on the game cameras. I am the weak link if must let dogs out. Setup you invision likely to work better if dogs outside all the time.

Bobcats in particular are fast and quite, you may not know present except by reduction in chicken numbers.