How did chickens survive before modern times?

They survived by scavenging - dropped feed from livestock, undigested seeds from manure, scraps thrown out by the household.  They didn't lay as many eggs as today's chickens do, but they survived just fine (obviously).  Today's chickens would survive just as well.  However today we want chickens to produce an "egg a day", and that kind of production requires a diet that contains more nutrition than a scavenger's diet.

I have wondered about this, but concerning old chicken breeds that won't go broody, or rarely go broody.

For example, Leghorns are an old breed from Italy that rarely go broody. I am guessing that the hens must have gone broody often enough to keep the breed going.

I understand that with breeds like Rhode Island Red, which was created by selectively breeding in the 1800s, have been kept going through the assistance of people.

Or the farmers might have done what I do... put the eggs from non-broody breeds under broody hens of other types.  I keep some broody breeds (games) just to hatch eggs from other breeds. 

I guess in the 6,000 years since chickens were domesticated they have had a lot of time to develop into non-brooders like Leghorns.

Farmers must have had a mix of chickens around in order to have broody hens. This allowed some types of chickens to survive even though those hens wouldn't hatch eggs.

But long ago I don't think a farmer had as many options about the type of chicken that was available. It is interesting how some types of chickens survived.

Aren't silkies one of the oldest breed of chicken? And super-broody at that.

Back in the 30's from what my father told me family's stuck together. In the summers my father was shipped to live with kinfolk because down south yellow fever was around & during the summers the parents didn't want the young to get sick. He said money wasn't an issue because no one had any. The family mainly farmed the land & put up canned goods to survive. My father would hunt for food such as squirrel & rabbits for the family's dinner, I know they had chickens but he never said. I'm sure they ate the eggs & a few chickens. It was definitely a different world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Time-Out 

Aren't silkies one of the oldest breed of chicken? And super-broody at that.

I was wondering how non-broody breeds survived. I can see how broody breeds like Silkies survived. But Silkies also needed human protection to survive because they can't fly into a tree to roost. They need humans to provide a secure coop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7L Farm 

Back in the 30's from what my father told me family's stuck together. In the summers my father was shipped to live with kinfolk because down south yellow fever was around & during the summers the parents didn't want the young to get sick. He said money wasn't an issue because no one had any. The family mainly farmed the land & put up canned goods to survive. My father would hunt for food such as squirrel & rabbits for the family's dinner, I know they had chickens but he never said. I'm sure they ate the eggs & a few chickens. It was definitely a different world.

I think you misunderstood. The discussion is about how chickens survived.

The original poster was wondering how chickens didn't eat poisonous plants and die.

I was wondering how non-broody breeds of chickens were able to survive.

It's a wonder the Cardinal survives without people putting out bird feeders....Seriously? The jungle fowl and up to modern chickens can forage quite well. If left alone would naturally select back to great foragers, hearty to whatever climate they happen to be in and go broody each spring at the very least. More over would survive with varying patterns that would weed out white birds for camouflage.