Philosoraptor

Oddly enough, that rooster is sick. Mottled comb, eyes and wattle. Either is sick or been stressed all to hell. Could probably due with a round of antibiotics lol

He's not sick. Stressed, maybe. He is 6 years old and has to take care of 6 free range hens who all hang out in different places. But trust me, he is very robust.

Wow, six years old :-) He's doing well. :-)
Ours sometimes get mottled combs etc. when there has been an upset like if pecking orders change drastically and there has been arguing lol. It usually will clear up on its own. Or, if the weather is too cold. Once our lateral lines backed up in the yard and they decided that it was the most lovely thing they'd ever tasted lol We did antibiotics for that and wasted the eggs for two weeks.
Do you have pets, layers or meat?

Pets.the eggs are a bonus. But even after 6 years I'm getting an average of an egg every other day from each hen. My rooster, the one in the picture, is very protective of his girls. I have scars on my legs from his spurs which are now almost two inches long. But I want him viscious so my hens will stay safe. I would lay money that he could take down a coon or a small bobcat. They are such fun to have.

Oh my goodness. We've had chickens for about 5 or 6 years now but I think our oldest hen at the moment is only 3. I heard they stop or seriously slow laying after a year and a half. Ours free range so I don't always get an accurate number on the eggs lol Sometimes they will sneak a clutch into the woods. :-D So, that is very good news to know that they may still lay into old age.
It's great that you can appreciate him being so protective. Our roosters that would buck up on a human don't live through the night. Crow over my voice, that's fine. Flap wings when irritated with me is at the edge of tolerance. If they touch any of us in aggression ... so long lol We've had a few in the past that have in one way or another. That's a no no. With kids around here I just consider it unnecessary risk, like you said, they could wreck an otherwise nice day lol

I hear you. Mine have been known to have a rogue nest or two. It usually takes me a couple of days observations to find them. As far as the roster goes. All of my neighbors say that they would have him on the table after the first attack. But I am fond of the old gentleman. Our child is grown so no worries there. I do have to protect our dogs from him though. The dogs know not to touch the chickens and I don't want them blinded so I carry a stick when the dogs do their business. The rooster knows just where to aim for maximum damage. I would swear he could break my shin bone if he ever got a good shot in.
As far as laying time, I know they will quit eventually. Even so I will keep them til they die of old age or get predated.

I would love it if our roosters would tag our dogs when they go for the hens. So far, nope. We've lost TOO many hens to dogs in the past. The two dogs we have now haven't killed any but the last two we had ... life on the homestead was too much like a Roman Colosseum lol Terrible stuff. One learns though I suppose lol Still, I think Dudes, you don't lay eggs ... protect these girls or get in my belly lol

Here's an action shot of JW (my rooster's name) in combat mode

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Our rooster's names are "pretty tail" and "the other one" lol