Using a Rooster to protect my girls

[speckledhen]

Just don't delude yourself that a rooster can really battle a large predator and live. Most of the time, he'll fight to the death to allow his girls to get away if they can because that is in his makeup, it's what he does without a thought to his own safety. A rooster spends most of his time just watching while the hens stuff their faces and he is your first line of defense, but be prepared to lose him in a fight with a predator. I've heard of rare cases of roosters coming out on top in battles with foxes and coons, but those are the exceptions.

 

[gryeyes]

My dominant rooster is an EE. He's wonderful.

But I also have a BCM rooster, a splash Jersey Giant, and several bantam roosters. It seems they have their own specialties.... the bantam Buff Brahma used to be the 2nd in command in the flock, but he got badly beat up by a bad rooster (which is now history) and his status is lower than the JG and a bantam mottled Cochin roo. There are other roosters and cockerels in the flock but these are those which act as protectors. And as centrarchid mentioned, they have mating rights.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I have yet to see rooster engage predator in fight to death. Rooster very much wants to live but will take calculated risks in effort to protect his bloodline. Death in most intances comes to rooster even after he decides to run as his initial interactions with predator make escape later difficult or impossible. In all instances I have seen rooster do his bit, it was offspring, not hens he was putting himself at risk for. Risking life for hens without offspring of his does not make biological sense.

Mine do not battle foxes or racoons. The former they will attempt to distract but latter is almost always enountered at night when rooster will fight nothing.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
I have yet to see rooster engage predator in fight to death. Rooster very much wants to live but will take calculated risks in effort to protect his bloodline. Death in most intances comes to rooster even after he decides to run as his initial interactions with predator make escape later difficult or impossible. In all instances I have seen rooster do his bit, it was offspring, not hens he was putting himself at risk for. Risking life for hens without offspring of his does not make biological sense.

Mine do not battle foxes or racoons. The former they will attempt to distract but latter is almost always enountered at night when rooster will fight nothing.

Most rooster this is true..........not with a good game rooster its in their blood ....they will fight to the death , i seen one fighting a cooper hawk , the hawk flew off after the fight started, my GSD as a pup lost a fight with a game hen protecting her chicks. DIL saw a game hen attack a fox after her peeps. now the fox grab her and ran off. A good game rooster i had did attack a dog, he kill the rooster , before i could get the dog.

Big rooster do scare off cooper hawks...most every rooster would lose a fight with a coon.


Anyway a rooster are good protector from hawks. but not a sure thing.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
I have yet to see rooster engage predator in fight to death. Rooster very much wants to live but will take calculated risks in effort to protect his bloodline. Death in most intances comes to rooster even after he decides to run as his initial interactions with predator make escape later difficult or impossible. In all instances I have seen rooster do his bit, it was offspring, not hens he was putting himself at risk for. Risking life for hens without offspring of his does not make biological sense.

Mine do not battle foxes or racoons. The former they will attempt to distract but latter is almost always enountered at night when rooster will fight nothing.

ummmmm what? roosters will sacrifice themselves for the hens because that is what they do. They are fertile for up two weeks after one mating which means future offspring but the girls are his flock. I have witnessed mine attack a fox, stand his ground against a coyote he was prepared to fight to the death against but I shot it before it got to him and watched him fighting feet and beak against a fox that had a bite into his chest and thigh. There are no babies involved in the picture here as I have never had a broody hen and I incubate my eggs.

She posted a link as did I to the stories of my roo, Lancelot and there are hundreds more on this forum of roosters protecting the flock ie hens not offspring.


The rooster in my signature attacked a dog (chichi) and was beating the snot out of it...I had to rescue the stupid dog from him. That fight was over the hens again no offspring.

They do not fight a night because of they have poor eyesight at night which is why I have a nightlight on in my coop...they will come off the roost if startled another reason I talk to them before I enter the coop at night. Speckledhen has a hen that will flat out attack you if you go into the coop after you have locked up at night.

 

[Mattemma]

Sometimes even a roo doesn't get a chance to make a peep,but he will try helping the hens by fighting the predators.

 

[Ole rooster]

My rooster is a Golden Laced Wyandotte. I would say about 8 or 9 pounds. The girls follow him everywhere, but the strange thing is when I'm out with them he follows me and does his clucking to call them to come along. I've not seen him fight which I don't know that he would, but he is always looking around and up, but the girls are forever eating. He'll make a different noise and they all freeze and stay that way nearly 10 minutes. He does look after them. He does expect something from them in return.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I have yet to see rooster engage predator in fight to death. Rooster very much wants to live but will take calculated risks in effort to protect his bloodline. Death in most intances comes to rooster even after he decides to run as his initial interactions with predator make escape later difficult or impossible. In all instances I have seen rooster do his bit, it was offspring, not hens he was putting himself at risk for. Risking life for hens without offspring of his does not make biological sense.

Mine do not battle foxes or racoons. The former they will attempt to distract but latter is almost always enountered at night when rooster will fight nothing.

ummmmm what? roosters will sacrifice themselves for the hens because that is what they do. They are fertile for up two weeks after one mating which means future offspring but the girls are his flock. I have witnessed mine attack a fox, stand his ground against a coyote he was prepared to fight to the death against but I shot it before it got to him and watched him fighting feet and beak against a fox that had a bite into his chest and thigh. There are no babies involved in the picture here as I have never had a broody hen and I incubate my eggs.

She posted a link as did I to the stories of my roo, Lancelot and there are hundreds more on this forum of roosters protecting the flock ie hens not offspring.


The rooster in my signature attacked a dog (chichi) and was beating the snot out of it...I had to rescue the stupid dog from him. That fight was over the hens again no offspring.

They do not fight a night because of they have poor eyesight at night which is why I have a nightlight on in my coop...they will come off the roost if startled another reason I talk to them before I enter the coop at night. Speckledhen has a hen that will flat out attack you if you go into the coop after you have locked up at night.

Rooster protecting his bloodline and in that case hen carrying it in form of sperm and potentially eggs going into a clutch.

 

[chickensbythesea]

Quote:
My guy was a buff orpington, I hear great things about all the orps though. I think their big size is a definite bonus, and in my experience, they've almost all been incredibly friendly.
As speckled said, and I mentioned, a good rooster WILL fight to the death, if that's what it takes to save his flock, chicks or not. It's not his desire, but they're like berserkers, they don't give up until they win or die trying.

My little guy, the heir to the flock, is already practicing by flogging the crud out of my big hounds. They are terrified of him, but he loves to snuggle with people, and is great with the hens. I will be really sad if and when he gives up his life for the ladies, but I'll be comfortable knowing he's guarding them.

 

[johnsons-r-us]

Quote:
My guy was a buff orpington, I hear great things about all the orps though. I think their big size is a definite bonus, and in my experience, they've almost all been incredibly friendly.
As speckled said, and I mentioned, a good rooster WILL fight to the death, if that's what it takes to save his flock, chicks or not. It's not his desire, but they're like berserkers, they don't give up until they win or die trying.

My little guy, the heir to the flock, is already practicing by flogging the crud out of my big hounds. They are terrified of him, but he loves to snuggle with people, and is great with the hens. I will be really sad if and when he gives up his life for the ladies, but I'll be comfortable knowing he's guarding them.

This makes me smile because my little guy does this "chest but" thing on my pug and poodles back end when they are outside minding their own business. I guess because all three of them are small it's