Best Breeds For Free Ranging?

[Cee]

I’m wondering which breeds best survive airborne predators? In terms of awareness, canniness, running speed, agility, and foraging skills. Live in the Southwest. Chickens are for eggs. Chicken will free range during the day and be in a coop at night. Given bag feed. Ample places to hide.
Someone at feed store suggested Cream Legbars….
I’m not looking to avoid purchasing feed by free ranging. I’m just looking for chickens that won’t stick out
(white). Looking for chickens who won’t just stand around waiting to be picked off by hawks, owls, and so on.

 

[nuthatched]

Brown leghorn

 

[fluffycrow]

Games, Phoenix, things like that. With that out the way, it might be best to focus on what your terrain, climate, and property looks like, as well as your other needs. What can be good for a dawn till dusk free ranging flock in the Mediterranean will be very different than a 3 hours a day free ranging flock, whose owner wants some meat out of, in Canada

 

[No Coop No Problem]

First and foremost it needs to be camoflaged in your local environment. Even the most alert and tough breed would be killed fast if they weren't camoflaged

I would personally recommend American Game, Cubalaya and Sumatra for pure free ranging. Egyptian Fayoumi may also work only if their color matches with your environment

 

[nuthatched]

And they still need chicken food as the bulk of their diet.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Phoenix. Don't let their tails fool you, theyre pretty dang hard to catch

 

[Cee]

Brown leghorn

I’ll check it out, thanks.

 

[Cee]

And they still need chicken food as the bulk of their diet.

Yep!

 

[Perris]

I expect it gets quite warm in Albuquerque, so I'd recommend heritage Mediterranean breeds: they are relatively small, fast, and tight-feathered, built for a quick getaway. So that's things like Leghorns (named derived from their original Italian town of Livorno), Anconas, Minorcas, Penedesencas. Be aware that there will be losses to predation at first, whichever breed(s) you decide on, but the survivors will gain experience with each attack and can live to a good age (my oldest are now in their 7th year of living free; hawks are a constant threat here).

 

[Acre4Me]

For eggs, I agree with the brown leghorn suggestion. They are considered a high production type. They are a Mediterranean type bird, smaller/thinner, less heavily feathered (so can handle heat better), and they can run and fly pretty well. But, the brown coloring will help.

I do have to say though, that we once had Dark brown leghorns from an exhibition line. Simply gorgeous. But, took forever for them to start laying. This was likely due to the fact they were exhibition quality, so not selected for egg laying.

My neighbor got some regular brown leghorns and they laid really nice eggs, and lots of them regularly.