What chicken breeds are closest to "your grandfather's chicken"?

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

A lot of farms also had multiple animals. So chickens could usually find goodies in other pens and in gardens

This makes a lot of sense! Never thought of that.

That is exactly how I raise mine. They get a little feed in the morning and they free range all day. My birds are very healthy and laying great!

Nice! What breed(s) do you have and how long have you been feeding this way? How old are the chickens? What kind of environment do they free range in?

Not being critical, just genuinely curious because I wonder if some breeds can thrive this way and others can't.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

My hens only get commercial feed until I let them out of their runs in the morning, then they have a few bites at night before going to bed. The rest of the day, they free range in our two acre backyard (and the neighbor's, when I'm not watching them ). They each lay about five eggs a week, which is perfect for our family.

This seems like a really cost-efficient way to feed your chickens. I like that. What breed(s) are they?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So what I'm gathering is, you guys are saying you could still raise today's chickens this way, but they will be less productive. I expected that, but I thought they would also just not survive long or something, or get health issues - which is kind of what I've heard people say on here. I thought people have said that (the majority of) today's chickens were essentially bred to produce heavily and need that commercial feed. Which kind of makes sense because if my production red chicken is bred to pass an egg through her reproductive tract every day and lay it, and she isn't getting enough nutrients (it requires a lot) to form that egg, then she would probably have some issues. So idk, I guess I'm having trouble believing chickens like this could just get some scratch and the only issue would be less laying. Am I talking crazy? Lol. I think I'm having a hard time expressing what I'm trying to say.

They will have health issues if they only get a bit of scratch each day. The birds today have more taxing done on their bodies than the birds back then.

They likely will lay less, may have weaker immune systems and lower fertility and younger deaths

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I don't think it's that chickens "can't" be raised this way. I think it's that they "shouldn't" be. We have learned so much as far as what they need to not only live but to thrive, that feeding them the old school way probably wouldn't cut it anymore. But there are still people that do and say it works for them. I say, whatever works for you and your animals, have at it. One more thing, back in grandpa's day, chickens were not pets, they were livestock. On the farm for a purpose and if they no longer served that purpose, they got eaten. That's how a lot of us still view our chickens and others view them as pets. To each his own

But is it really that we've learned more about what they need, or do they just need more now due to breeding? I guess that's the question I'm sort of pecking at here. And if it's the latter, are there breeds today that are more like the chickens from a long time ago that did not need as many nutrients (if that IS the case)?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

They will have health issues if they only get a bit of scratch each day. The birds today have more taxing done on their bodies than the birds back then.

They likely will lay less, may have weaker immune systems and lower fertility and younger deaths

Okay, yeah, that's what I was thinking. So with that said, are there any chicken breeds today that are less like "today's birds that have more taxing done on their bodies" and more like the old ones? I feel like I'm doing such a bad job of asking all these questions so sorry if I've been unclear lol.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

But is it really that we've learned more about what they need, or do they just need more now due to breeding? I guess that's the question I'm sort of pecking at here. And if it's the latter, are there breeds today that are more like the chickens from a long time ago that did not need as many nutrients (if that IS the case)?

Ornamental breeds may be less needy because they likely will not lay many days a week. Smaller/thinner birds won't need as many calories as say, an orpington. Less feathers = less protien needed to grow them.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Ornamental breeds may be less needy because they likely will not lay many days a week. Smaller/thinner birds won't need as many calories as say, an orpington. Less feathers = less protien needed to grow them.

Okay, that makes sense. So... silkies for meat and eggs as my next sustainable chicken project? Lol! (Joking, as I don't have the space for chicken projects anyway)

What about heritage versions of some older American breeds such as Plymouth Rock and RIR? Those are bigger birds, but were commonly raised long ago, presumably with these feeding methods. Or are even the "heritage" birds today way different than the birds back then?

 

[tripletfeb]

But is it really that we've learned more about what they need, or do they just need more now due to breeding? I guess that's the question I'm sort of pecking at here. And if it's the latter, are there breeds today that are more like the chickens from a long time ago that did not need as many nutrients (if that IS the case)?

I think it's both. The more we breed them to what we want, the more we learn about them. I think it goes hand in hand. Personally, I will always give me chickens feed 24/7 but they run around my yard during the day too. They eat what they want or need through foraging and eating from their feeder. They aren't like my dog, who would just eat and eat if he had the chance

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Okay, that makes sense. So... silkies for meat and eggs as my next sustainable chicken project? Lol! (Joking, as I don't have the space for chicken projects anyway)

What about heritage versions of some older American breeds such as Plymouth Rock and RIR? Those are bigger birds, but were commonly raised long ago, presumably with these feeding methods. Or are even the "heritage" birds today way different than the birds back then?

Game breeds might be your best bet, honestly. Unless you get them from a breeder, even heritage strains have become egg machines

 

[3KillerBs]

Game breeds are often hardier, but if you don't have a breeding population of feral chickens in your area then your area probably does not have enough year-round productivity to support chickens.

A lot of farms also had multiple animals. So chickens could usually find goodies in other pens and in gardens

This aspect is very important.

A diversified small farm with various crops and various kinds of animals produces a LOT more forage -- spilled feed from the other livestock, undigested grain in their droppings, bugs from the manure piles, the nutrients from the crops that they raid, fallen fruit from the orchard, spoiled vegetables from the garden, and the houshold's own waste from canning, butchering, etc.

Our great grandparents a century ago didn't have a trash company hauling stuff off to the landfill, they had their own dump on their own land so the birds picked through that as well.