Best Free Ranging Chickens.

BGMatt said:

Alert active breeds do best. Leghorns, Andalusians, Minocras, Ancona, Sumatra, Campine, Hamburg etc etc. Also any sort of game fowl.

Click to expand...

i agree

Are any of those breeds prone to going broody?

I have only had birds for a few years, so please do not take this as an expert opinion. All the breeds I have, Welsummers, Partridge Wyandottes, Legbars, Partridge Brahmas, Marans, and now Langshans forage well. They have a large electronetted yard to roam in, with compost piles and semi wild areas. The point I want to bring up is that it might be important to encourage foraging behavior as chicks, by making sure they have food in places other than a feeder, and to have a wide variety of feed available so they expand their palate, so to speak. I was giving them shovelfuls of compost full of worms and bugs, leaves of greens, anything I would feed adults when they were still in the brooder...once food turns into an easter egg hunt for them, maybe all breeds want to forage.
As far as broodiness, the Partridge Wyandottes were amazing mothers, but lay a medium egg. The Brahmas went broody, but I did not give them a chance to raise chicks. The Langshans are new to the flock, but have a reputation for broodiness.

i also want to add that long tail breeds like phoenix and yokohamas are great free rangers. game breeds like old english, american games are all great birds for free ranging too. great mothers, tend to go broody but don't lay as much. if eggs are a priority go with Mediterranean breeds like leghorns, fayoumis ect. or even some non-Mediterranean light birds like hamburgs and lakenvelders.