I am not so sure of attacking a predator, and not all roosters are worth a pinch of salt. My last rooster, was only so/so, he tended to keep his girls under an old shed, when they got let out. My new rooster takes the same girls over to scratch around bushes and brambles. He tends to keep them there, and whenever I come up on the flock, he is the first one to see me.
I do think most of my day time predators are hawks and eagles. Often times I don't even find feathers, they are just gone. I also have coyotes, which have been known to get my birds during the day time. Bobcats can be either day or late dusk, and once I found one in the dark in the coop. Coons for me always hit mine in the night. Roosters are not much good against anything in the night.
I have had chickens for 15 years, I free range often. When I don't have a rooster, I tend to lose birds, not every day, but every couple of weeks. When I have a good rooster, my daytime losses are greatly reduced. However, some roosters are better than others. I don't free range on a pattern, I don't on real windy days, or over cast days, too much advantage to the predators.
Too each our own experience.
Mrs K
