questions about getting a rooster

[CJClucks]

I currently have 4 standard hens and 1 bantam hen. They free range with 5 goats and a livestock guardian dog in a 1 acre pasture. Last week we had a raccoon break into the nesting box & eat several eggs that were due to hatch soon(fertile eggs I'd gotten from someone else). Our LGD patrols all night & sleeps most of the day. She had him in a tree when I went out to feed but I think she was probably snoozing in the shade somewhere unaware of the raccoon until the damage had been done. So, in light of that incident I'm considering getting a rooster. My hope is that he will be the daytime guard who can sound an alarm to alert my LGD of a problem.
I have historically thought of a rooster as unnecessary given that we have the LGD and I'm not keen on the idea of my hens looking all ragged from his loving. I think I want an adult rooster (vs cockerel) based on reading that they do more work to impress the ladies. I like the idea of a Bantam rooster since I have a bantam hen but wondering if standard would be better should he need to confront something before my LGD gets into action. Thoughts on that? My hope is that he would only need to sound an alarm but no clue whether that's what would happen.
I've introduced hens before using a dog crate during the day/coop at night method....is that the same route I should go with a new rooster? Is it bad to intro just a lone rooster? (vs maybe a rooster with a hen he already knows)

 

[HuskerHens18]

Are you looking for something to confront the problem or just sound the alarm?
I might suggest getting an Ancona rooster, they are a bit small, so they aren't going to crush your hens if they get in an extra loving mood, and they're also EXTEREMELY observant. My Ancona rooster is more of a "stand back and observe" than an "attack anything suspicious" kind of guy. He's also perfect at giving me space, he doesn't try to charge or challenge me at all. I have NEVER lost an Ancona of either sex to a predator.
For confronting, I would suggest an Orphington. I have a Lavender Orphington and he's my King, super protective, he herds all hens together so nobody is alone, and he rarely mates(which is such a huge plus, because he is massive).

Now, personally I am a standard size person. My bantam roosters can be really sassy to me and to the hens. My bantam rooster flock is in a confined area, they DO alarm the free range flock if they see a hawk, but they're also the first to dive for cover (even though their run has a roof).
I'm sure there are better protecting bantam breeds, I have very few breeds of bantam, so you'd probably have to do your own research there.

As for introducing, I would suggest the dog kennel method. This gives your hens a chance to know him and vise versa.
I tried introducing a rooster/hen pair and it went poorly, my high ranking hens would maul the new hen whenever I let her out and the rooster did nothing. It was better when I removed the new hen and just let the old hens and new rooster work it out. The hens put him in his place the first couple weeks, and then they finally let him do his duties and it's been great ever since.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

You most definitely should ask the temperament of the adult rooster because just because their grown doesn’t mean their worth anything,not every rooster is a good one.

You can pretty much introduce them the same way you would a hen,and you may even get a greater response then you would introducing a hen as hens can take to a male way better they can another female.

I would get a large fowl rooster.Most will sound an alarm and soem will even fight predators if necessary.Atleast a lathe toel rooster has a better chance of survival then a bantam,IMO bantams are drama and quite useless escpecially it you ever plan on hatching as you will likely only hatch bantams because it is very difficult for them to breed with grown hens.
Maybe up your ratio as you have very few hens,a good ratio would be eight hens to one male atleast.
As for breed I would get a New Hampshire.Their huge and friendly and great at their job.

 

[CJClucks]

@HuskerHens18 @TheTwoRoos Thank you both for the info. I'm hoping the rooster will only need to sound an alarm but I would also hope it would try to protect the hens if it comes down to it. So it's ok for me to put him in the coop at night while the hens are roosting during the intro period too? Do roosters get into that calm roosting state just like hens? With my previous hen intro I'd slip the newbies into the coop at night once everyone was sleeping then get up before dawn & put them back in the dog crate while my first hens free ranged. After 3-4 nights I let them free range together.

 

[HuskerHens18]

@HuskerHens18 @TheTwoRoos Thank you both for the info. I'm hoping the rooster will only need to sound an alarm but I would also hope it would try to protect the hens if it comes down to it. So it's ok for me to put him in the coop at night while the hens are roosting during the intro period too? Do roosters get into that calm roosting state just like hens? With my previous hen intro I'd slip the newbies into the coop at night once everyone was sleeping then get up before dawn & put them back in the dog crate while my first hens free ranged. After 3-4 nights I let them free range together.

I think that would be fine, roosters do roost and sleep like the hens do, but they get up pretty early to start crowing. I really don't expect you to have any problems after the first few days.