Why did the rooster not save his hen?

[bobbi-j]

The "brave rooster heroes" are few and far between, I think. They are usually also dead. Chickens - roosters and hens - really are no match for a predator. Maybe something small, but not a big hawk or anything canine. They might chase off a cat. For the most part, though, they are an alarm system, not a body guard.

 

[307151]

Actually no. This dog escaped through their fence, and dug under mine. It was the first time I've ever seen the mutt in my yard

 

[wkshaddon]

They need to be about a year old to be much good. They are quite a bit taller than the hens by then, and much more alert. I have had pretty good daytime predator control, but some roosters are better than others, and none are good with a dog, coyote or a fox.

And the predator ALWAYS gets your favorite! ugh!

MRs K

Ain't that the truth they always do manage to get the favorite. Happened to me three times in the few years that I've had chickens

 

[nuthatched]

Ain't that the truth they always do manage to get the favorite. Happened to me three times in the few years that I've had chickens

This thread is from 2015, sorry about your birds though.

 

[SamLockwood]

Immature roosters aren't fighters, and even if one were inclined to go after a predator until they grow their full spurs they don't have much better odds than the hens do. Plus, the kind of roosters that make good flock guardians aren't the kind of roosters most backyard chicken keepers care for.

Out of my 5 roos the only one that I think might chuck himself at anything bigger than a small rat is the one I nick-named "jackass" that I thought I was going to have to cull for aggressiveness when he was five to six months old.

Even then against a Dachshund (I think that's what you meant by "dashound") I'd rate his chances as roughly zero. Jackass is a pretty big boy, he comes up to my knee in that pose, but a Dachshund is still probably 50% heavier than he is. Those dogs were bred to chase badgers into their dens: they're fast, not afraid of anything, and if jackass stood his ground it'd hit him like an SUV hitting you.

Maybe jackass would get lucky and the dog would end up with a scar, but he's still going straight to Chicken Valhalla. Roosters are really only equipped to fight other birds, which they can do reasonably well if they'e big enough:

Anything else and they're depending on bluster or the element of surprise. Either one of those is only going to work on something that's inclined to be intimidated by a 6 pound bird.