Best Chicken for Everything?

[norvell84]

I know most predators can take even the largest chicken, but what breed is best in size and dark color when it comes to Hawks? I wouldn't mind also knowing which lays the most eggs that fit that category too.

I bought what they claimed were jersey blacks and they look more like australorps????
They are 1' tall.

They are 1' tall.

 

[redsoxs]

I'm by no means an authority on hawks vs. chickens, but I have heard that it's actually the smaller, more nimble (and alert) breeds that actually fare better against hawks. They often avoid attacks with agility or the attack never happens due to their nervous vigilance. While a hawk can't pack off a big Jersey Giant, it can probably more easily catch one and dispatch it...the effect is the same, a dead chicken.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I agree.

And I've actually heard that the more camouflaged chickens people think would fare well can sometimes get taken because they look similar to their natural prey. And ones that theoretically should stand out like white ones do well because they look nothing like natural prey. Don't know if it's true or it could just be one situation but I think it is @Beekissed that has a bunch of white chickens???? I think that's where I heard it from.

Now, that said, that may work on hawks or in open areas but if they're in thw woods trying to hide from a fox or coyote or something it may not work so well, why do you think there are so few white animals in the wild?

Anyway, regardless, I think others are right, it tends to be the more nimble and aware ones that fare well.

Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas, game hens, etc. All tend to be very wary and alert and fare pretty well.

 

[bantamrooster]

Brown leghorns.
Great at free range vs predators and nothing except production white leghorns out lay them.

 

[norvell84]

WE want the large because of all the rodents and small mammals in the back yard (7 acres) that will deter the hawks to pick them off before a larger animal. As for the dark we choose them for night time hiding as chickens tend to stay very still to hide better.
We owned over 200 of 14 different breeds before all the predators. down to all black and same breed. only problem now is possums and LARGE cats.

After we lost a third to owls during the night, snakes and wolves we moved to the larger dark ones that were not so fancy of a breed, they tend to survive longer for us especially since they tend to stay in cover all day at least the breed I posted in the picture.

I forgot to mention I had seen polls and such that leghorns were the best at egg laying and came across the dark brown breed. but they don't seem as big as Jersey blacks. We may go with the dark leghorns.

 

[3riverschick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ne...ingPreference=relevance&search=Texas&type=all
There is Texas thread here on BYC under the forum titled Where Am I , Where Are You? Ask there. You may find a close neighbor who has already solved this problem.
here ya go, a list of all ( or most) of the Texas threads:

Best
Karen