Should I get a roo with 6 free-ranging hens?

[anyakatarina]

I am going to get 6 hens, and we are going to be letting them free range in our big backyard. Problem is, we have A LOT of huge hawks around. I know that you are generally not supposed to have a rooster with a small amount of hens, but in this situation do you think we could? I know that roosters protect the flock very well. Is there any very docile rooster we could get that wouldn't be too much for the hens? We are on a very tight budget, and I would love to make a huge run for the girls but we sadly can't. Sorry if this question is an obvious no, I am new to the backyard chicken world.

 

[Pork Pie]

Whilst roos can be a good alarm for signs of danger, i have never seen any of my roos try to defend any of my hens against hawk attacks. Maybe type "preventing hawk attacks" in the search box and seeing what comes up. Lots of bolt holes, e.g. vegetation cover (hedges, bushes, large shrubs, for example) for chickens is one way of helping reduce hawk attacks. I relocated my feeding stations some time ago to an area of my garden where the vegetation cover is greatest and it seems to have reduced attempts by hawks to try and take my birds.

I'm sure that there are other measures that the search will yield. Otherwise, maybe post your question on the "predators and pests" forum.

Good luck
CT