Best modern but wild chickens?

[chickenman95]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if their is a breed or if their are types of breeds that i could combine and get a type that i can throw in my backyard with some trees and a couple of nest boxes and let them forage and fend for themselves. Raising chicks in the spring but also producing eggs for the table. They would need to get everything from where they lived but i would supply some table scraps and leftovers. Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Tiramisu]

How much land? Would there be any shelter for them? Chickens can't really 'fend for themselves', especially at night, they cannot see. Depending on how much nutrients they can get from just free-ranging you may or may not get many eggs. As for "wild" chickens, I think the closest to those types might be asiatic breeds, I have no idea and don't know how well they would lay.

 

[chickenman95]

their would be about 2 acres of wooded land enclosed by electric poultry netting and i was hoping that they could roost in low trees and use them as their shelter. As far as nutrients go, i live in a mostly warm climate so their would be lots of bushes,grasses,berries and all of that stuff. Would that be okay for them to live on while i would supply some table scraps? Thanks for the quick response. Anyone else can join in as well.

 

[pongoid]

What about Guinea fowl? I just read about them and they seem pretty hardy.

 

[Buckguy20]

Game chickens are the best I have ever seen but even those are targets for predators. They will roost in the trees but will be targets for Owls. We used to have hundreds running around and they fended for themselves pretty well. We also had several horses so the chickens cleaned up after the horses.
Just my two cent comments.

 

[chickenman95]

I was thinking about Old English Games, Dominiques, and Australorps. Which one of these do you think would do the best if i supplied them with enough protection? Like electric netting and that *night guard* device, would that be sufficient for owls and other predators?


**does anyone have experience with the night guard device which says it is guaranteed to stop raccoon,owl,fox,coyote,opossum,bear,cougar,wild boar,mink,skunk,mountain lion,beaver,deer,hawk and other intruders. I think that is basically every night predator around here. Of course i would put one on each side.

 

[tellynpeep]

It's a good bet that they would lay anywhere but in the nestboxes. You would be searching all over for eggs.
That said, I think some of the game birds or Jungle Fowl would be most likely to survive (not necessarily thrive) with those conditions.

 

[chickenman95]

I figured that they would not lay in the nest boxes but i might as well put some for shelter and just in case they would want to lay in there. when you say that they would not be able to thrive does that include producing and raising chicks and eggs? I know they would not lay every single day but would they lay at least a few times a week? Thanks ahead of time for all answers!

 

[DTchickens]

Quote:
Get you some American games.. They will do what you want, and will lay mostly everyday too if you can find the nest. Same for junglefowl (from hatcheries, not true jungles, but they work). Don't get bantams, they can fly fairly well but will not be able to get away from predators as easily as a large fowl game from what I can see. With the games though, when they do raise chicks any males you will have to pluck out and sell or kill otherwise at about 7-8 months they will take care of themselves (meaning, you will have dead cocks laying in your yard from fighting)..

If you're going to get them for that purpose, do not get light colored birds (white, grey, spangles, etc). They can thrive too, but typically red and darker colors are safer at night being harder to see.

-Daniel

ETA: But don't be surprised if they do come up missing, my birds I let free range do fine and I have seen other games do perfectly fine too. But things do happen.

 

[BrianT]

Game hens over populate several neighborhoods where I live. The western outskirts here are old residential areas where game hens and there chicks run wild in the street. The roosters are numerous in the same flocks also.