Best Breeds For Free Ranging?

[Az OEGB]

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.

Jungle fowl are chickens, the difference is RJF live in the wild thus having the wild look but just because they look more wild doesn’t mean they aren’t chickens. Take quail for instance they are more domesticated breeds, but that doesn’t mean wild quail aren’t quail.

 

[TXChixRock]

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.

Breeds aside, have you thought about stringing 20lb fishing line in a crisscross pattern overhead? Mine free range on a large piece of property and some of my fishing line stretches 150-200 feet. I placed a pole in the center of the yard (bucket with pole cemented in it works or in ground) and strung it up back and forth creating a grid. In the spring I tie on mylar “tape” as extra deterrent. Haven’t had a single attack on the chickens in 5 yrs after suffering many previously!

 

[TXChixRock]

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).

Also I’ve found the Mediterranean breeds to be on the skittish side, which is not a bad thing when dealing with arial predators!

 

[Vicker]

No matter which breed you choose, the less you try to tame them, the better. My friendliest, most tame individuals are the ones that get picked off first. If you need to catch them, you can always get them off the roost in low light.

 

[fat brown hen]

How come no one has suggested liege fighters?

 

[Mark Park]

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.

There is a tradeoff between good temperament and self reliance. At one end we have modern hybrid meat chickens like the Ross, Cobb, etc. and at the other we have fighting chickens like the Aseel, etc.

I have had good luck with Marans chickens. The Cuckoo Marans are tamer than the Copper Black Marans. The Copper Blacks can be quite friendly and if you are sending kids to collect eggs they will have to defend themselves with a rake or shovel to avoid the wrath of the rooster. The eggs are very brown and if you have too many of them you can get some of those recycled newspaper egg cartons and give them to your friends and neighbors, who will know that they are receiving something special.

Copper Black Marans can be allowed to roam without a fence if there is plenty of cover like trees that they can hide in if something scares them. You will lose very few chickens. They are not great roasting chickens, but they lay lots of the most beautiful brown eggs and can fend for themselves well.

 

[RcoM]

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.

I was happy with the Hamburgs, for all reasons listed above. Also known as EverLayers. Read up on them! They are becoming increasingly popular in Australia because of their ability to avoid hawks.

 

[Tucs]

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).

Not sure if they do learn. After more than a year of happy free ranging I started loosing two chickens per week. I finally had to put them on lockdown and let them out whenever we are right there. Hubby is working on a huge, safe outdoor enclosure to prevent further losses.

 

[Perris]

Not sure if they do learn. After more than a year of happy free ranging I started loosing two chickens per week. I finally had to put them on lockdown and let them out whenever we are right there. Hubby is working on a huge, safe outdoor enclosure to prevent further losses.

the ones that don't learn don't get to reproduce their genes. The ones that do, do.

 

[pvaldes]

I would suggest bantams, more alert and fly better.

The most dangerous moment with free range is with the broody hens, specially at the 20 and 21 days of incubation, when chicks start chirping in the eggs and attract predators. If you don't find them before, the predators could

About color, it does not matter so much if you have a rooster, and they can fly or dive into a near bramble.

I had white hens living alone for months, while wild patterns like brown leghorn were picked first because they look like thrushes so, known preys. white leghorn were in great disadvantage on the nest but compensate it being much more paranoid and prone to flee. Wild and mille fleurs are more probable to survive brooding. But most can survive if provided with some refugees, safe nests and roosters. More than one rooster is even better.

I can totally see an entirely black race like Ayam cemani being ignored by its crow look, but in the end all predators learn, so a good wise and paranoid rooster is a much better guarantee.