Best chicken for the apocalypse?

[Quailsong]

I think it is less a matter of wagon wheels versus tires than whether or not to reinvent the wheel. In any event, the Dominiques are quite happy to roost high up in trees and are quite willing to come in and share space with the people if you let them - or they can get away with it.

I personally wouldn't want my birds to roost up high in the trees. I'm not worried at all about zombies eating them. I'm worried about other survivors trying to kill my entire flock because they're easy & open targets. Gun use aside, I'd have to assume these survivors have learned how to make & use spears, basic bows, darts, slings or even throw rocks. Nearly anyone with a working arm can toss a sharp rock 100' up at a 70* angle with a fair amount of accuracy, even kids/teens. Desperation would improve the skill over time.

If the birds are up in the trees then they're easy to spot, and can be heard if one crows. Plus I can't get to them when I need since they're out of my own reach. That's why I said I want my birds living underground as much as possible. They can come out briefly under supervision for the vitamin D/sunlight (if it exists post nuclear or whatever), otherwise, I want them out of sight & not easily heard.

I don't want them to be noticed. If people don't think there's livable space/food/resources, they will pass my place by. Which also means the zombies are less likely to come since there's no other humans in the area.

Also, if this was a post-nuclear situation, I certainly wouldn't want them to 'free range' where they could be exposed to radiation. Trees absorb a TON of radiation over their lifetime. So underground in a pre-dug area is much, much safer.

(Concerning long-term outdoor info on radiation - There's a vid on YT called something like "Wolves of Chernobyl" which show radiation build up, and Nature's regrowth in that area, if you're interested.)

So to recap, Dominiques are NOT my preferred birds (even if they are yours) because:

Availability: I don't have them, and doubt I'll suddenly be able to find them if SHTF.
Heat absorption: They're not dark enough to absorb enough heat from the little amount of sun which may shine.
UV: Too many light feathers, reflects too much needed UV - esp if they'll be kept underground most of the time.
Comb/Wattles: Their combs & wattles are too big, so more prone to frostbite than my ideal mutt breed.
Overall: If I were to find a Pure Bred flock I'd already be at a disadvantage due to them often (but not always) being bred more towards form/colour(show) than resourcefulness.

My ideal birds:

Mutts, have darker feathers for better heat & UV absorption, smaller combs/wattles for frost bite prevention, hardier & good foragers. They will also have to adapt to living at least half of their lives underground. Whether pre-built structures or even man-made, natural tunnels or covered karsts.

TYK, I think it's not so much reinventing the wheel as I have completely different plans than you for my own SHTF flock. Including what I have access to at the time this theoretical apocalypse happens.

Cheers^^

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I personally wouldn't want my birds to roost up high in the trees. I'm not worried at all about zombies eating them. I'm worried about other survivors trying to kill my entire flock because they're easy & open targets. Gun use aside, I'd have to assume these survivors have learned how to make & use spears, basic bows, darts, slings or even throw rocks. Nearly anyone with a working arm can toss a sharp rock 100' up at a 70* angle with a fair amount of accuracy, even kids/teens. Desperation would improve the skill over time.

If the birds are up in the trees then they're easy to spot, and can be heard if one crows. Plus I can't get to them when I need since they're out of my own reach. That's why I said I want my birds living underground as much as possible. They can come out briefly under supervision for the vitamin D/sunlight (if it exists post nuclear or whatever), otherwise, I want them out of sight & not easily heard.

I don't want them to be noticed. If people don't think there's livable space/food/resources, they will pass my place by. Which also means the zombies are less likely to come since there's no other humans in the area.

Also, if this was a post-nuclear situation, I certainly wouldn't want them to 'free range' where they could be exposed to radiation. Trees absorb a TON of radiation over their lifetime. So underground in a pre-dug area is much, much safer.

(Concerning long-term outdoor info on radiation - There's a vid on YT called something like "Wolves of Chernobyl" which show radiation build up, and Nature's regrowth in that area, if you're interested.)

So to recap, Dominiques are NOT my preferred birds (even if they are yours) because:

Availability: I don't have them, and doubt I'll suddenly be able to find them if SHTF.
Heat absorption: They're not dark enough to absorb enough heat from the little amount of sun which may shine.
UV: Too many light feathers, reflects too much needed UV - esp if they'll be kept underground most of the time.
Comb/Wattles: Their combs & wattles are too big, so more prone to frostbite than my ideal mutt breed.
Overall: If I were to find a Pure Bred flock I'd already be at a disadvantage due to them often (but not always) being bred more towards form/colour(show) than resourcefulness.

My ideal birds:

Mutts, have darker feathers for better heat & UV absorption, smaller combs/wattles for frost bite prevention, hardier & good foragers. They will also have to adapt to living at least half of their lives underground. Whether pre-built structures or even man-made, natural tunnels or covered karsts.

TYK, I think it's not so much reinventing the wheel as I have completely different plans than you for my own SHTF flock. Including what I have access to at the time this theoretical apocalypse happens.

Cheers^^

OK. Many Dominiques are very good utility birds since during their period of decline, many of those who kept them were more interested in utility than showing. Their combs do not tend to freeze.

The point I was making is that you can teach the to roost in a coop, come in the human house, and they actually tend to hide. Much of the time mine manage to be invisible in a suburban backyard.

To each their own - but a lot of people do seem to reinvent the wheel.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

If you're in Canada, why not just go with Chanteclers? They were bred for specifically Canadian conditions.

 

[SanCarlos6127]

I personally wouldn't want my birds to roost up high in the trees. I'm not worried at all about zombies eating them. I'm worried about other survivors trying to kill my entire flock because they're easy & open targets. Gun use aside, I'd have to assume these survivors have learned how to make & use spears, basic bows, darts, slings or even throw rocks. Nearly anyone with a working arm can toss a sharp rock 100' up at a 70* angle with a fair amount of accuracy, even kids/teens. Desperation would improve the skill over time.

If the birds are up in the trees then they're easy to spot, and can be heard if one crows. Plus I can't get to them when I need since they're out of my own reach. That's why I said I want my birds living underground as much as possible. They can come out briefly under supervision for the vitamin D/sunlight (if it exists post nuclear or whatever), otherwise, I want them out of sight & not easily heard.

I don't want them to be noticed. If people don't think there's livable space/food/resources, they will pass my place by. Which also means the zombies are less likely to come since there's no other humans in the area.

Also, if this was a post-nuclear situation, I certainly wouldn't want them to 'free range' where they could be exposed to radiation. Trees absorb a TON of radiation over their lifetime. So underground in a pre-dug area is much, much safer.

(Concerning long-term outdoor info on radiation - There's a vid on YT called something like "Wolves of Chernobyl" which show radiation build up, and Nature's regrowth in that area, if you're interested.)

So to recap, Dominiques are NOT my preferred birds (even if they are yours) because:

Availability: I don't have them, and doubt I'll suddenly be able to find them if SHTF.
Heat absorption: They're not dark enough to absorb enough heat from the little amount of sun which may shine.
UV: Too many light feathers, reflects too much needed UV - esp if they'll be kept underground most of the time.
Comb/Wattles: Their combs & wattles are too big, so more prone to frostbite than my ideal mutt breed.
Overall: If I were to find a Pure Bred flock I'd already be at a disadvantage due to them often (but not always) being bred more towards form/colour(show) than resourcefulness.

My ideal birds:

Mutts, have darker feathers for better heat & UV absorption, smaller combs/wattles for frost bite prevention, hardier & good foragers. They will also have to adapt to living at least half of their lives underground. Whether pre-built structures or even man-made, natural tunnels or covered karsts.

TYK, I think it's not so much reinventing the wheel as I have completely different plans than you for my own SHTF flock. Including what I have access to at the time this theoretical apocalypse happens.

Cheers^^

Screw it, I'm just going to eat the zombies...

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Screw it, I'm just going to eat the zombies...

Won't that tun you into a zombie?

 

[SanCarlos6127]

Won't that tun you into a zombie?

risk I'll have to take I guess.

 

[Quailsong]

risk I'll have to take I guess.

Haha!

I actually used to say if a zombie apocalypse ever occurred I'd just join the zombie horde. I mean, you don't have to live in fear anymore, you can eat all the brains you want, and you're never alone.

Just avoid the tasty aromatic ones with the chainsaws & shotguns.

 

[LindaB220]

We have actually talked about prepping and what we would want for chickens when we were prepping. The main difference we think would be that there might not be power to actually run a refridgerator if the SHTF. So we wanted a bird that could be self sustainable and that we could process as we needed them. Right now I have dorkings, brahmas and australorps in a mixed coop. The dorking rooster over the australorp and brahma hens makes a very nice meat bird and the dorking hens are very nice broody hens.

I do like the Dominiques though and having lost a few to frost bite I might move more towards a rose comb and start keeping mixes that have the brahmas rose comb rather than the straight comb of the other two breeds.

And with the Dorking rooster, you are going to get some good eating.

 

[LindaB220]

Conditions post zombie-apocalypse would probably be significantly different than conditions for 19th century settlers, so the birds would be different. Most of the normal coop designs would be kill boxes, I'd think you'd want a bird that flies well enough to roost out of zombie reach.

Again, the dorking roosts as high as it can. Top rafters in a barn. Would love to roost in trees. It's going to be hard to hide the roosters. Maybe stock up on the rooster collars. Quieten them down.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

risk I'll have to take I guess.

Looks like your chicken in your avatar already ate a zombie chicken and has turned into one already.....