Guardian rooster advice?

[50-45-1]

Dogs outside during the day will help, but i lost 6 hens last year to a bobcat anyway with 3 dogs outside.
Cats will sneak in and pounce on a chicken that has wandered farther out, and kill quickly by biting the head to quiet them. A coyote or fox will grab a bird and run with chicken squalking in their jaws.
My dogs have saved my chickens hundreds of times, but the bobcat is a stelthy hunter, and quite successful.
Without the dogs i would be chickenless in a week.

 

[centrarchid]

I have had limited trouble with Bobcats. Once dogs caught on to where Bobcat operated, they made a routine of checking where the Bobcat hunted from resulting in Bobcat moving on.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Guineafowl act as alarm systems too, but they’re always being loud. Mine sleep in the coop with my chickens at night and free range with them during the day. They make a huge ruckus when they see dogs, hawks, or squirrels in the trees, and alert my rooster, who sounds the chicken alarm, which alerts me to chase off the dog/hawk/squirrel. An electric fence is a great deterrent as well... now dogs have started walking right on by my yard.

 

[cmom]

I hope you were able to solve your predator issue. A neighbor gave some fellows permission to hunt coyotes on his property. They may have got some because I have rarely seen them on my cameras in the last 3 months. They don't bother the birds but they are in their coops and pens. I don't let them out anymore much. When I do, they may come out for a few minutes but then they go right back into their pens. I think they feel safer in them. When I have seen any predators on a camera, it's been a camera not even close to the coops. Some neighbors got a divorce and split their property. The vacant property next to us was sold and the fellow's wife sold the house. Now we have new neighbors with a new house close to us next door and new neighbors in the other house. We probably should have bought the property but it is 5 acres and was way over priced but some people from South Carolina bought it. Here you can get 10 acre parcels for the same price they paid for the 5 acres. Since there has been so much activity building the house I thought that might be the reason I have had fewer sighting of predators.

 

[Mtnboomer]

My Brahma is big! 30" tall and weighing in around 11lbs. He is an excellent protector but pays no attention whatsoever to me or my children. However he will not tolerate another rooster.
I have had roosters that grew up together (brothers) that both got along fine .
We have the same predators here in the VA mountains.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Guineafowl act as alarm systems too, but they’re always being loud. Mine sleep in the coop with my chickens at night and free range with them during the day. They make a huge ruckus when they see dogs, hawks, or squirrels in the trees, and alert my rooster, who sounds the chicken alarm, which alerts me to chase off the dog/hawk/squirrel. An electric fence is a great deterrent as well... now dogs have started walking right on by my yard.

Guineas....natural alarm systems. If only they knew the difference between a fox and leaf moving. SMH

 

[cmom]

This one made the mistake of coming back. This was many years ago and the reason for the electric wire around my coops and pens. It dug under a fence and killed 14 birds a couple of nights prior.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Guineas....natural alarm systems. If only they knew the difference between a fox and leaf moving. SMH

I love going outside and spending a half an hour tracking down a squirrel... i feel bad for the neighbors when I’m not home to shut them up

 

[Mtnboomer]

I love going outside and spending a half an hour tracking down a squirrel... i feel bad for the neighbors when I’m not home to shut them up

Do you free range? How far do they roam?

 

[Henry&Friends]

Do you free range? How far do they roam?

They’re free range, but they choose to stay in my yard since I’ve put up an electric fence... my yard is surrounded by woods and they like to hang out in the bushes and thorns to the left of my yard with the chickens. Lots of trees over there, and lots of squirrels and birds to freak out over. One time there actually was a hawk perched right above them over there, so I do try and check every time they freak out, to both shut them up and chase off predators.