Will Fighter Chicken protect the flock?

[animals1981]

My Bengal cat kills large rats, possums, and weasels. I have pics of them also. I was disappointed though. I thought a large game rooster would at least attack a rat at the very least. But still, he was not able to stop a rat from taking his hens chicks. I taxidermy predators that my pets catch while protecting the flock. Still kinda surprises me because in the wild these predators avoid areas where more dangerous predators lurk. Weasels don't go near wild cat turf.

 

[123RedBeard]

OP is in India ...

And I doubt any chicken will regularly defeat a determined mink ...

OP, are these European wild mink, or some from the fur farms that got out/released?

 

[varidgerunner]

I have had "slow oriental" hens defeat possums, weasels, coons, skunks, rats, and snakes, cats, dogs, and hawks. Sometimes in the dark. Long history of Asils protecting their chicks against everything from cobras to tigers. Make a chick make a bad peep and you better have your eyes covered. I guess if you have never had a real one, then you don't know.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I have seen game hens (fighting breeds) kill large snakes that got close to their eggs or chicks but the roosters were easily killed by hawks. There was always one game fowl guy that had access to strychnine that would help out other game fowl flock owners that had a hawk problem but it was illegal then and still illegal now. They would take a low value rooster or hen, put them on a tie cord, and smear the poison on their neck and head.

Their second tactic, also illegal, was to put a tall post near where the roosters were staked out on tie cords and put a trap on top with a short chain.

Other than that, I have never seen any way to keep them out short of fencing, using fishing line over the runs, or just living with the losses.

 

[Shadrach]

If you get a local Aseel that is used to free ranging it may defend the flock against a mink.
They are quite capable of taking on dogs.
There are some problems. An Aseel rooster introduced to a domestic flock, if that is what you have, is likely to fight and possibly kill the two roosters you already have.
There is quite a bit of difference between the Asian fighting Aseels and game fowl found in Europe and the USA I have been told. There are direct Asian imported Aseels here which were bred for fighting.
A further problem could be that a newly introduced rooster may not view your hens as his problem and not defend them.
I would try to deal with the mink instead of getting an Aseel.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a single Aseel stag. Nothing about him makes me think he is more capable of taking on a predator unless he has a small firearm under his wing and he knows how to use it. The legends about the Aseel under other Oriental games appear to have no basis in fact. It is just that not enough people have them for the general public to have a real understanding.

Based on what I have seen of this pet little Aseel, he is less capable of dealing with predators than my American Games which are faster and more capable of simply flying away. The Aseel clearly has endurance for movement on ground and is very good at dumping heat when exerted, but they are slow. The Aseel also have a stronger bite although that would make little difference against a mink that goes for a killing bite at the back of your head. I doubt the Aseel could even survive a battle with a weasel.

 

[SarahGfa]

If you get a local Aseel that is used to free ranging it may defend the flock against a mink.
They are quite capable of taking on dogs.

Based on what I have seen of this pet little Aseel, he is less capable of dealing with predators than my American Games which are faster and more capable of simply flying away. The Aseel clearly has endurance for movement on ground and is very good at dumping heat when exerted, but they are slow. The Aseel also have a stronger bite although that would make little difference against a mink that goes for a killing bite at the back of your head. I doubt the Aseel could even survive a battle with a weasel.

Aseels are supposed to smarter and more tactical. Even though they are slow, they are strategic and know how to hit a predator where it hurts, based on what I have read.

 

[centrarchid]

Aseels are supposed to smarter and more tactical. Even though they are slow, they are strategic and know how to hit a predator where it hurts, based on what I have read.

I do have some actual experience with what you have read about as they compare directly to American Games. What is written has a lot of un-truths.

 

[Shadrach]

Aseels are supposed to smarter and more tactical. Even though they are slow, they are strategic and know how to hit a predator where it hurts, based on what I have read.

I honestly don't know. What knowledge I have of the breed is mainly from a guy in the village who keeps them. I hope to have a breeding pair from him next year.
His (the guy in the village) has already killed two of the cats they had and he doesn't worry about weasels which are common here.
Granted Mink, assuming we are talking about the large black American mink that we are unfortunate enough to have here as an invasive species have the reputation of being deadly.
I'm not condoning any of what I write below but the Aseels here are essentially fighting cocks. The man my friend got the Aseels from used to fight them. It's illegal here now but people still do it.
Centrarchid may well be right and their reputation may have been 'talked up'. I know an Aseel can kill a weasel because people here have put both in a cage and let them fight.
One person might be exaggerating but I've heard such stories from a number of people I consider reliable.
For the OP I still think an important factor is how the rooster was kept. There are very few free ranging here. Most are kept in runs.
In India where the breed is more common, this may not be the case. The mentality of a caged fighting cock and a free ranging cock with a female I would expect to be rather different. This is the common wisdom here.
I think the saying 'it's not the dog in the fight that matters, it's the fight in the dog' may be relevant here.
Whatever the reputation and the real capabilities I would still advise the OP against getting an Aseel cock hoping it will defend his flock against Mink. Far better imo to deal with the Mink.

 

[centrarchid]

The single Aseel cockerel I have is from 'working" stock. The source of that cockerel goes to great lengths to keep predators even as small as weasels away from his birds. Most of the weasel action I have dealt with has been at night. The fighting chickens are not very good at fighting in the dark, especially against a foe that is not a chicken.