best foraging chicken breed

[ThatFarmerChick]

Oh, this past summer we went to a feed store to pickup more buckeyes, and they were not worth it. They said that they came from Mt. Healthy. Our better Buckeyes came from Meyers Hatchery.

 

[rSpriggs]

No problem. I think that all chicken keepers need to be happy with their flocks. Our first year we did a trial with over 30 breeds. Some breeds did as expected, some surprised us, and others didn't make the cut. At the end of the first year we looked to see who had survived, who laid well, which birds lived best with other birds, who gave us the most meat, and who tasted better. I figured that our study wasn't just for us, but for others trying to live sustainable lives similar to ours.
rSriggs, your run with the Welsummers sucked, and you have every right to be fed up with them. I want this to work well for you. Try connecting with others in your area, and see what's been working for them...see if it fits your needs.

I've been at this for 10-12 yrs &have a pretty good list of what has worked. Last dedicated breed was Delawares. They were fine in all respects except they liked standing in the chow line. As the coordinator for www.inwPrep.com, I'm more interested in sustainability - foraging & propagating their own. Egg production means more to me than meat production, but on the other hand, I don't want to deal with RIR roosters again. So, looking back over the dozen or so breeds / mixes I've had, I am revisiting barred rocks, but am still considering all possibilities for this spring! All input appreciated.

 

[rSpriggs]

Oh, this past summer we went to a feed store to pickup more buckeyes, and they were not worth it. They said that they came from Mt. Healthy. Our better Buckeyes came from Meyers Hatchery.

Worth noting, thanks!

 

[Bullitt]

I took the advice of those proponents of Welsumers, and, so far, have been overwhelmingly disappointed!
I bought 4 pullets & 1 cockerel in Apr / May 2016, and have only been getting ONE egg every 3 days. This being nearly Jan, that's pretty poor. The brown eggs are speckled, not very dark. The birds look at earthworms as if they are aliens. I bought another 8 that were hatched in June from a different source, nothing out of them yet either. Somebody, please tell me it gets much better??!! Yes, I have lights on in the coop, 16 hrs.

If you want brown eggs, I suggest you get production reds or one of the Sex-Link varieties. You will get nearly 300 eggs a year in the first year out of one of those hens.

 

[Bullitt]

I've been at this for 10-12 yrs &have a pretty good list of what has worked. Last dedicated breed was Delawares. They were fine in all respects except they liked standing in the chow line. As the coordinator for www.inwPrep.com, I'm more interested in sustainability - foraging & propagating their own. Egg production means more to me than meat production, but on the other hand, I don't want to deal with RIR roosters again. So, looking back over the dozen or so breeds / mixes I've had, I am revisiting barred rocks, but am still considering all possibilities for this spring! All input appreciated.

Oh, you want a sustainable breed. Then you do not want Sex-Link chickens. And you said you do not like Rhode Island Red roosters. Production Reds are just Rhode Island Reds bred for production.

You are looking for a sustainable breed that reproduces on its own, forages well, lays well, and obviously can handle the cold in Idaho. You want the all-around great chicken.

I think one of the best sustainable breeds would be the Dominique. This is why this breed was very popular on small farms for generations.

The Buff Orpington, Ameraucana or the Buckeye would be good also.

The Barred Plymouth Rock rarely goes broody, so you may have difficulty with them reproducing themselves.

 

[rSpriggs]

Oh, you want a sustainable breed. Then you do not want Sex-Link chickens. And you said you do not like Rhode Island Red roosters. Production Reds are just Rhode Island Reds bred for production.

You are looking for a sustainable breed that reproduces on its own, forages well, lays well, and obviously can handle the cold in Idaho. You want the all-around great chicken.

I think one of the best sustainable breeds would be the Dominique. This is why this breed was very popular on small farms for generations.

The Buff Orpington, Ameraucana or the Buckeye would be good also.

The Barred Plymouth Rock rarely goes broody, so you may have difficulty with them reproducing themselves.

Wasn't aware of the rare broodiness of the Barred; I've had some, but not enough to note that - Thanks!
Yup, I was looking at Doms a few posts back, I've had Buffs, & need to re-check them. trying to recall if they were good foragers. It would be nice if the various lines didn't stray so far from the breed descriptions!

 

[rSpriggs]

Thinking back, I've had good experiences with Black Australorps, better than Buff Orps and, I believe, more productive than Barred Rocks. Maybe these Welsumers (who are intimidated by earthworms) will be replaced by BAs.
Convince me otherwise, if you can . . .

Thanks!
Russ

 

[Bullitt]

Thinking back, I've had good experiences with Black Australorps, better than Buff Orps and, I believe, more productive than Barred Rocks. Maybe these Welsumers (who are intimidated by earthworms) will be replaced by BAs.
Convince me otherwise, if you can . . .

Thanks!
Russ

I will not try to convince you, because Black Australorps are better all-around chickens than Welsumers. The Black Australorp is a dual-purpose chicken that will lay about 250 eggs a year.

The Black Australorp does not go broody often, but all you need is one hen to go broody each year to sustain your flock.

The Black Australorp is very good at foraging. It states on the Cackle Hatchery website that the Black Australorp makes a good winter laying hen also.

Black Australorp may be the breed you are searching for.

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

Bullit, I agree mostly with you on the Aussies. Our reason for keeping them is because they have made the best mother's on our Farm. We have a set of girls that brood for months, and never get too nasty. We have a separate place to put broodies, their eggs, and chicks. The best part is after they finish training a brood they go right back to their original coop and begin laying an egg a day again. After that she completely disowns the chicks. We have one that complete hers in 3 weeks and 2 days without fail.The other 2 stop at two weeks.
Also in our bunch are some good Aunties (a BLR Wyandotte, a Splash Cochin, and a Lavender Ameraucana.)that will help guide the new chicks, and help them integrate into the flock.

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

Has anyone had abnormal predator issues this year? Because our weather has fluctuated so much her on the MD Shore our hawk season has been prolonged. Our harshest hawk (and Eagle) season here is in October. Our area is a stopping point for migrating hawks. By the first week of November we are usually in the clear, this year has been our worst year. Our chickens spend a lot of their day in cover due to the fear of being attacked. We have lost hens 4 hens and 2 roosters have been injured. It is almost January and we are still dealing with hawks. Usually around this time we are looking out for coyotes. I fear the the seasons may begin to cross.

Is anyone else having issues with the change of weather and predators patterns? How are your birds coping? Who are your fighters? Which breeds are taking it the worst?