Best recession/depression chicken breed(s)?

[Trollkiller]

Quote:
What breeds are you calling "old American breeds"?

Heritage breeds that were developed here in the united states by crossing several different breeds.
Here is a short list:
RIR
RIW
Wyndottes
Barred Rock
Iowa Blue
Buckeye
Java
Deleware
These breeds are hardy and good foragers and duel purpose birds !

Henry

Thank you

 

[Trollkiller]

Quote:
Yeah I think the neighbors and the wife would have cows... Hmm a cow...

 

[seriousbill]

Hey, Henry has a point. One of the reasons I decided to keep Delawares is because I think of them as the ultimate dual-purpose homestead bird, and that might be the ideal chicken in tough times, although I suppose some might make an argument for production egg-layers. But for me, I'd pick one that I could keep for both meat and eggs.

As a dual purpose bird, IMO the Delaware was an improvement over both of its parent breeds, the New Hampshire Red and the Barred Plymouth Rock. Generally, it lays better than a Rock, and it is meatier than the majority of New Hampshire Reds; and, as a mostly white bird, it dresses out more easily than either. In terms of homestead use today, the Delaware usually wipes the floor with its most direct competitors among rare heritage breeds because the really historic breeds like the Java might be better foragers, but they lack the Delaware’s more modern production qualities.

Then I thought: what breed would I choose to take with me if I had to choose only one breed to support life on an old-time farm? I thought about gathering eggs, about butchering and dressing out birds for the table, and I thought about calm-tempered hens that could reliably brood a new generation, so, yep, that's when I figured the world would lose something valuable if they lost the Delaware. But that's just me.

 

[digitS']

I guess I'm following suit with Henry & Bill but I'm just going with what my 90 year-old father tells me his family had during the Depression - Dominiques.

Dad claims that they got next to nothing to eat and I have to say that he's not particularly sold on the breed for production. Dominikers were apparently valued just because they could survive on a hard-scrabble farm.

I know a little about Southeast Asian chicken-keeping. You aren't expecting much in the way of egg production. What you want them to do is produce a clutch of eggs, hatch them, and raise the chicks successfully. The family is expecting surplus chickens for the table. It is like that old promise of "a chicken in every pot."

That may have been was pretty much all that was expected of the family flock 75 years ago. A lot of folks were probably praying every Saturday night for a chicken dinner on Sunday.

Steve

 

[kstaven]

For all round birds that can survive and thrive I would always pick Delawares or Dorkings.

 

[walkswithdog]

I'm improving partridge rocks with delawares and barred rocks.

I went through the same thought process. Production PRs need improvement to compete with either delawares or barreds. But I happen to prefer the partridge pattern.

They lay well, they forage, they're heat and cold tolerant and don't need a ton of feed to gain steadily. They get to a good size.

Most heritage breeds have served that range of criteria. I'd also consider dorkings.

I don't want uber prolific layers, that tends to shorten their lives.

Sustainability needs birds that live a good while, and most of the VERY prolific layers don't go broody often or at all, so produce fewer chicks. Not helpful in a farm with a need for meat AND eggs.

I agree dominiques may forage well but that's some scrawny meat.

I just like getting to work on an aspect of sustaining ourselves.

It feels really good to be rearing our own food.

 

[ThiefPouter06]

I have been thinking on this as well. But some important features needed are broodiness, mothering ability and intelligance. If your stock never rears it own young then they will die out eventually. This would eliminate many breeds. I am breeding an american game into my dual purpose breeds (BR, BO, SLW). AMerican games are tough, forage well, raise well, are predator smart and are smaller than heritage breeds. The only problem will be the 50/50 roos will be too game to keep without seperating. I am planning to cull the roos early and use the hens for the next generation. Hopefully 25% game will be less aggresive.

 

[Kanchii]

Barred Rocks. They're hearty, smart, lay well, produce a good amount of meat, and can fend for themselves pretty well!

 

[cubalaya]

my dad went through the depression and he said they kept some dominique hens for eggs and had english games running loose that would roost in the trees at night. they would catch a game chicken for dinner.

 

[onthespot]

if I was looking to prepare for tough times, I would to go places that have had tough times for a long time already, the poverty stricken areas, and buy the chickens that roam around those towns freeranging and wild. Proven hardy, disease and parasite resistant, excellent feed conversion, good mothers, predator resistant, weather proof and cost nothing to feed. They would most likely be small, unattractive birds, but they would not cost you to maintain and anything you got from them, meat or eggs, would all be gravy. There are countless semi-feral self sustaining populations of chickens in all parts of the country with adequate forage. Just pick the one from your zone and give it a whirl.