Rooster Saved My Whole Flock

[The Moonshiner]

Great story.
I love tall tells.

 

[Vantic]

Wait, I'm confused. Did the hawk get the hen?

No. Big Guy sounded the alarm and she vanished to cover while he stayed to defend. He didn't have to fight as he used size to run off the hawk.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

No. Big Guy sounded the alarm and she vanished to cover while he stayed to defend. He didn't have to fight as he used size to run off the hawk.

Ohhh. I understand now. Great roo you have there!

 

[Tytsofie]

This is why we do NOT despur our defenders.

I had a pair of Barred Rocks roos. Big Guy was alpha. It was winter and most of the flock was under the coop, except Big Guy and his #1 hen, they were roosting outside. I looked out the window and saw a hawk diving, by the time I refocused to the two chickens, the hen was gone and Big Guy had doubled in size. The hawk slammed on the air brakes not five feet from my roo and flew off. Not as heroic as Nathan, but I was proud of him.

I will say this, we are missing some details.

It definitely sounds like an urban legend but I really chalk it up to how serious he took his job. He was very loved and knew his humans, and i’m sure he valued his hens even more. He was around 10 lbs, a little taller than my other two roos who were a Partridge Wyandotte and Brahma. I had seen him attack a pesky cattle dog we had who bit at his comb and he cut him up pretty hard. My Brahma actually attacked my Uncle and he needed 80 stitches. Their spurs are a lot more powerful than you think, and a fat desperate raccoon is easily a victim to that. He may have had help from my Brahma, but Nathan was the only one dead out there.

 

[Tytsofie]

Almost every rooster I've had in the last 5 years or more were great flock protectors and I haven't had one of this breed try to attack me. That's after well over 100 roosters. I did get attacked by a white and a partridge rock many years ago. They tasted just like chicken.

I've never had a rooster kill a raccoon yet but the raccoons don't arrive till after dark when the chickens are blind. I did have a flock of adolescent chickens free ranging one day that were attacked by a mink in the field. It had a cockerel by the head on the ground and all the other young cockerels were attacking the mink but he didn't care. I ended up stomping the mink to death. It was mayhem.

Roosters are great for the flock. And minks are SO sneaky, i’m glad you caught up to it. When I was little I lived on a farm, and my friends and I had a campout on my sisters birthday and we awoke to probably 10 chickens laying on the ground twitching. A mink or weasel had come in the night and sucked the blood out them and my Dad had to go around and take them all out of their misery and I remember helping. Not a fond memory but definitely an ode to the sneaky and stinky predators that lurk!

 

[Tytsofie]

I love good roosters. I hope you were able to collect and hatch some of his eggs.

That whole flock has since passed away but if i’m not wrong, my parents still have around 10 Silver Laced Wyandottes who I believe to be Nathan’s grandkids!

 

[MamaGer8ty]

I wish I had a digital photo of my favorite rooster Nathan, but this was before the time of iPhones. He was a silver laced Wyandotte who was kind to me, the hens, and all the little kids who always wanted to pet him. I was very lucky. I had three roos at that time, and around 30 hens. Nathan was about 6 years old when I came out to the coop in the morning, and saw three dead raccoons. Laid near the dead raccoons was also a dead Nathan. They had entered the coop, and it seems as if Nathan chased them out and gored them. All of my hens and 2 remaining roos were safe inside the coop, huddled together and very visibly uncomfortable and upset. I bawled my eyes out, and we had a funeral for him and his courage. To any new chicken folks who are worried about predators, there are tons of things you can do structure wise to keep them at bay. But in my opinion, my roosters have always been there for the flock in times when I can’t.

Such a brave boy and I am so sorry for your loss!

 

[The Moonshiner]

So not only did you have a rooster that killed 3 raccoons but you also had one that caused a grown man to get 80 stitches?
Have any fishing stories?

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

So not only did you have a rooster that killed 3 raccoons but you also had one that caused a grown man to get 80 stitches?
Have any fishing stories?

 

[DaWookie]

I would just like to clarify something, you're saying that your rooster killed three raccoons overnight. I must be missing something because I think that's extremely unlikely. Chase them off I believe, but not kill.

How did this get to page three before someone called you out lol.