Best Breeds For Free Ranging?

[No Coop No Problem]

But, like I said, conditions vary. I am not saying it can't work, but I definitely believe losses are inevitable when free ranging if you have predators in your area. Now, in places like Hawaii, where predators are few and far between, chickens have multiplied like crazy and live pretty much wild. And it can happen in special environments elsewhere too, like the LA freeway flock that lived for years on their own. But where predators are common, you'd have to be very lucky not to get some losses. Which may be perfectly acceptable for some people, and that is fine, too.

That makes sense. Humans are a lot more population dense in the eastern half of the US and so the predator situation is quite different

 

[Az OEGB]

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.

Red jungle fowl, American game, and phoenix, and Asil are some good ones to look into

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Brown Leghorn and Welsummer would be a good place to go. Possibly even Partridge Cochin.

 

[rural mouse]

I have a gold penciled hamburg roo. He's little for a standard breed, but he's the most alert and active. His offspring (even though mixed half hamburg, half assorted other breeds) are mostly keeping his build and are 100% keeping his alertness. Even his grandoffspring have that alertness. I free range: coop and no run. The only time they are confined to the coop is when the temp is below zero F.

 

[skeeeter]

As the stated purpose of the fowl is for egg production, I too, would recommend mediterranean breeds, hamburgs and campines. With these breeds it'd be a good idea to work on feeding them late evening in the coop so they must roost there. There are also plenty of darker colored american, english and continental breeds which are quite free range savvey. You really have a wide choice. I too, would try to avoid black or white breeds.. they are VERY visible from long range.

 

[Bluecharm7]

I have Mille fluers that free range they do hang with peacocks and Guinea hens. I’ve found ones that fly are the ones that live.

 

[Ifitaintbroke]

I've got lots of grass. Are there any green chicken breeds?

 

[Sylvester017]

@No Coop No Problem and @JedJackson seemed to have my favorite opinions for full open ranging. As they said -- environment such as terrain, climate, hiding shelters, foliage, trees, types of predators, etc, are what determines poultry safety in free-ranging.

As for me -- free-ranging in a city suburb backyard means the hens are in an open backyard to go wherever they want on their side of the fenced yard while we fenced them out of our people-side of the yard. They are free all day long and voluntarily go into their coop at dusk which we then lock. We're retired so we have the luxury to be vigilant.

But we still have to worry about predators even in the 'burbs. We live in a valley area but very very close to a mountain range so 'possum, raccoons, and coyotes have jumped or crawled over our privacy-fenced block wall. Homes closer to the mountain range get bears too. Plus we are close to very tall freeway trees where Cooper's hawks nest every Spring and spy our yard from our house and patio roofs and from telephone poles to watch our hens. One young hawk fledgling flew straight into our dog-kennel wire chicken pen to get at a hen and knocked himself out when he hit the tough wire! No chicken wire is used in OUR yard -- only strong dog kennel wire walls for us because of predators!

I noticed once a Mourning Dove in our yard flew into a neighbor's Banana tree to evade a flying Cooper's hawk pursuit. The hawk didn't bother to go into the leaves to extract the Dove. That's when I did some research about hawks. In general birds of prey fly after ground prey and use their talons in flight to grasp the stationary or fleeing animal. Since a hawk needs flying air space we figured to cut down that space by building patio roofs (we even built a patio roof over the coop and pen), planted trees for hiding under as well as shade, and we filled the rest of the open areas with 3 pop-up canopies that blocked a lot of air space as well as giving shelter from hot sun or rainy days. We even set out more dog houses around the chicken yard when we saw a Silkie hide in a dog house we set aside for Goodwill donation so we bought more dog houses. The hens love their coop so they know to use the coop nestboxes to lay their eggs. They don't lay around the yard -- they expressly use the coop nests.
Barn coop and kennel wire run left open all day for access to nestboxes

When we remodeled the yard we tore down the useless chainlink fencing and contracted for a property-encircled block wall with added privacy fencing atop the block, plus iron bar gates. Even with all this added security from predators they still manage to find ways to enter -- their hunger makes them wily. As a result that's why we have a strong barn coop with dog-kennel wire pen to close up the hens at night. In torpor sleep birds in the open night are too easily a predator's dinner. So far in 13 years of backyard chickens and cycling through 2 dozen birds not one has suffered loss to predation. They learn how to hide and sound alarms when cats enter. I've seen our hens over the years run after and attack stray cats in the yard. Today, all neighborhood cats walk atop our fence wall rather than venture a flock attack. We've even seen the bantam Silkie hens join the standard size hens to chase stray cats. Chickens seem to develop the survival skills they need for their own particular environment.

Some owners swear that guardian flock dogs have warded off coyotes and foxes, etc, but without property fencing dogs will wander off. And having a dog or two is an added expense we didn't want (licenses, vaccinations, vet bills, flock training, etc) -- plus, some of our chickens have lived longer than any guard dogs we ever had!

The chicken side of the backyard -- trees, canopies, patio roofs, dog houses. Deer fencing separates the chicken yard from our garden beds.

Backyard trees provide shade and hiding shelters

The mountain ablaze in summer behind our house -- very tall trees in foreground are where Cooper's hawks nest in the Spring. Luckily we have lots of neighborhood Crows that chase off the Cooper's hawks. I love, love, love Crows!!!!

Well, as owners we all have different situations and ideas about "free-ranging" -- for myself we've found what works for us. I won't have all-white birds cuz their feathers get dingy yellow from dust baths and rainy muddy days and the stains remain and show on the white feathers until the next molt brings out new white plumage. Otherwise I don't see that color of the bird matters as much as the individual bird's personality or smarts to survive in free-ranging. Also, birds learn from each other where the best foraging places are, where the safest hiding places are, when to sound an alarm and when not to, etc, etc. Natural selection (or luck?) -- the smart birds survive and the pre-occupied or inexperienced ones expire.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Red jungle fowl, American game, and phoenix, and Asil are some good ones to look into

Red junglefowl are not chickens, they are a separate species that was the wild ancestor of all chickens. While red junglefowl are masters of escaping predators, foraging, and doing all things a wild bird species does, the OP asked for chicken breeds.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I will put in my personal opinion. If you are looking for a breed that will forage on their own and are great at hiding from predators, aerial ones included, then I would suggest getting Sussex. I will be talking about Speckled Sussex, as they are the ones I keep.

Pros of keeping the Sussex:

• Camouflaged coloring in the speckled variety that can be easily passed up as leaves, tree bark, or anything else found in nature that is similar in color.
• Does not want to eat chicken feed or any treats you give them, and would rather be foraging all day like a feral chicken.
• Great at escaping predators; cannot fly as far as other breeds due to their heavy size, but can quickly find the safest places to camouflage when an aerial predator is near.
• Lays eggs almost every day, with their production decreasing in winter. (I personally see egg production decrease as a good thing because I do not want my chickens laying literally every day－over time, that would weaken their body.)
• Gentle personality, but you need to continually handle them every day starting as a chick because they act more like feral chickens and will easily get unattached to you if you stop spending time with them.

Cons of keeping the Sussex:

• The females can be easily chased off by other chickens and are rather low on the pecking order, though the males tend to be more dominant and can become very aggressive to you or other males.
• Sussex are weak as chicks. Expect your Sussex chicks to have multiple health issues while they are young, but they eventually grow out of it.