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In Texas where the OP is- maybe. It is still to be determined. How long do you have deep snow in Connecticut?

It wasn't the cold-hardiness I was commenting on really, but the ability to forage and find liquid water when winter comes. I wonder what your leghorn was able to find in your area during winter.

Comfrey doesn't like full sun. They need at at least partial shade.

The primary difference is flower fertility. True comfrey can spread via roots and via seed. Comfrey hybrids are sterile and can only spread via roots. I have the latter and have it in a planter to greatly slow down the spread. Still didn't stop it entirely as the roots made their way out the...

Won't work in Florida, but anyone else might want to check out the Siberian Pea tree. Produces pea pods that are very high in protein. Grows in zones 2-7. Comfrey can be hard to control. I grow some in a large planter because it does have good medicinal properties and is good for helping to...

This can be a good compromise if you have the right conditions. Basically, you are talking about much more free ranging when you have the right resources (woods to reduce hawk pressures and provide a variety of hiding places and forage) and they still tend to come home each night so that you...

This is an area of concern for me in this experiment. Although the OP didn't identify specific breeds, from the picture, it appears that they are common egg laying/dual-purpose breeds. So I'd be concerned because: Our egg-laying/dual purpose breeds lay far more often than wild (or semi-wild)...

And a source of running water and possibly assistance with shelter... I'm not sure this is practical, but may be possible in real need. You would provide a lot of the same inputs, you get far less from them and they still are very dependent on you.

@AccidentalFarm is in Texas with a lot of wooded land and good water resources. Those are all keys to making this work. Free flowing water is critical every day. Less forage = less food. Modern chickens have been domesticated from jungle fowl in SE Asia, so these are fairly close to their...

As for the hens- I'm sure the wild birds would find safe, hidden spots to stay in. Though it will be tougher on your birds to figure out without seeing it from older chickens, any that do make it through will likely be fully wild. I'd believe that about the roos. The ones protecting hens...

It will be interesting to see how this develops over time. Let us know how they do over the winter. Also, assuming they reproduce in the semi-wild, it will be interesting to see how the next generation develops and how the cockerels behave given that generally only the strongest jungle fowl...

I'm not surprised that chickens can live basically wild on enough land because that's how they were found before "jungle fowl" were domesticated. However, that was in SE Asia which has much warmer year-round climate than the US. Jungles aren't known for harsh winters. :) Most of us don't...