Breeds to start with for insect control in an orchard?

[Digby57]

Hello! I just signed up here after several google searches kept bringing me back to posts on these forums. I'm going to just break it down and introduce my project and desired outcome here. I am at a very early stage, so any suggestions on breeds and strategies would be most appreciated. I have working experience in animal husbandry and some limited experience with keeping a flock of chickens from my youth. I realize this is not exactly a "backyard" project, but it is a microfarm topic, so I hope you'll let it slide

Project:

I am putting in a berry orchard on approximately 3 acres. I am located in north-central Florida. As an example, it has rained daily here for 12 days in a row in the afternoons, for a total of about 3" of total rainfall thus far in June. This will continue through July and taper off, and then we'll have a dry season where it may not rain enough to pay attention to for up to 6-10 weeks at a time. Yesterday it was 89* with a heat index of 103* - so suffice it to say that heat tolerance is of paramount importance. It will "freeze" 2, 3 maybe 4 times in late winter, but by freeze I mean that it may dip down to 25* for a few early morning hours over the period of January through March. Of course now that I say that it will freeze hard 5 times, but that's what I get for having a big mouth .

So this climate lends itself to crop-eating bug infestations (not to mention ticks and all kinds of crazy bugs), and I am keen on limiting the use of insecticides to say the least. First of all I don't like insecticides for all the obvious reasons, but I am most focused on doing everything possible to enhance beneficial insect populations including earthworms, pollinators and carnivorous insects.

The orchard rows will be drip irrigated and covered in bird netting for a couple months per year. I will mow inter-row on a schedule that keeps the grass (mostly Bahia) at an optimal height. The property is rectangular, so I plan to build 2 large coops at 1/3rd the way in from each end (advice there also appreciated). Electricity is available on one end where the well is, but I was not planning to electrify the coops. I will be replacing the existing fence with 8 foot fence capable of keeping deer out. I am considering keeping a guard dog to protect the flock from bobcats or anything that manages to dig in, though I have a plan for a barrier to digging as armadillos are a significant problem here. Hawks are a major concern, and obviously fox, but coyotes are also around in decent numbers. There are probably several items I'm forgetting as I am in the early stages of planning this renovation, so any other topics to be mindful of would be of help.

Purpose of the fowl:

I am not interested in meat or egg production per se, but some limited amount of harvest would be welcome. I am far more interested in the insect eating ability of the flock and its ability to be self-renewing to a degree. I will of course feed and care for the flock appropriately, but I would like to optimize the flock for population growth and hardiness. The property is within 20 minutes of my residence, but at certain times of the year I will only be visiting the property twice daily. So to sum it up, attributes that I'm looking for include: insect-predation ability, hardiness, reproductive ability, "wildness" and lastly visual interest is of some concern, but that would just be a "nice-to-have". I am considering guineas to compliment the main flock, but I do have neighbors and would like to steer away from anything that would irk anyone as I feel strongly about being a good neighbor. I'll have to talk to them more on that topic and I have never been up close to guineas, so I don't have a good feel for them. For now I'm concentrating on chickens with guineas being a definite possibility as a supplement to my program, though I would not rule out the possibility of the guineas being the focus of my strategy if that's what evolves from all of this. And if they are actually good snake killers I would definitely appreciate that, though rodent populations are also on my mind.

Breeds I am considering and why:

Silkies: I have this feeling that a larger population of smaller birds will yield better results for my purpose. Great brooding qualities and small in size, plus I just like them

Game varieties like Red Pyle and Old English Game, etc: While I gather that these are not as good as bantam in the reproductive department, they strike me as insect eating machines capable of getting through taller grass. I could be totally wrong about both points.

Sumatra: I read briefly that these are capable of going nearly feral. I'm not sure of all the implications of that, but something about this breed piqued my interest. It seems like there are "bantam" varieties as well.

Jungle fowl: I'm just now learning about these, I suppose my interest in these primitive breeds comes from the word "primitive" itself, as related to "wildness".

Bantam (but which I have no idea): As I understand it, several bantam breeds are very hardy compared to my climate and are capable of good reproductive results if reared correctly. I almost didn't even include "bantam" in my poll because I realize its such a broad category.

A mix: I do not know the first thing about the implications of cross-breeding the breeds above, but hybrid vigor in a multi-generational flock is of interest to me, and diversity in the flock seems like it would be a good thing in my case. While I am interested in the maintenance of an optimal flock, I will not have time for keeping breeds separated or otherwise planning hybridization to any meaningful degree.

Conclusion:

So let me have it! I can take it. I'm sure I'm overlooking some important considerations and I am not afraid of the possibility that I may be headed in the completely wrong direction. That's why I'm starting early. Thanks to anyone who replies or votes in my poll.

 

[Digby57]

Another consideration I totally jumped right over is what number to start with. I feel like a total of approx 90 chickens / guineas is what I would eventually be looking for (30 per acre) but I may be wildly off on that too. And what ratio of roosters to hens do I want to aim for and how does that change with the breed(s) I select?

 

[Goosegrrl]

Instead of Silkies... OEGB. Old English Game Bantams.
I personally keep them as my bug brigade. They are small, forage like crazy, reasonably 'tame'(hens can be very, roos tend to be a bit more flighty and are extremely watchful), eat little purchased feed, and are nicely fertile and the hens brood their own chicks perfectly. Their hard feathers make them hardier than fluffy birds. No matter how many roos are in my flock my OEGB hens never suffer from a naked back. They are small enough to get into tight spaces for bug hunting, but their small size means they don't scratch things up as badly as large birds. If the NEED to they can fly like quail to flee predators.
I keep the Spangled color. To me the white in the pattern makes them harder to see when out foraging.

Keep a few silkies if you just like them... but, silkies are well known for being a rather stupid bird that isn't a great forager. The crests of fluff impede their vision and make predation an issue as well. I keep a few myself but they'd rather follow you around than forage.

 

[Digby57]

Great - thank you! That was definitely one I was looking at. I was also looking at the "Red Pyle" and M&M has them listed as more likely to sit eggs than the Old English, but I have no idea if those "quick stats" on their web site are really something I should be going by.

I've never been around silkies, but if they're rather stupid that is definitely the exact opposite of what I'm wanting for this purpose.

So when you say no matter how many OEGB roosters you have you don't get beat up hens should I take it that I could buy straight run without the need to eventually cull the cockerels? I had envisioned keeping a handful of roosters and eating the rest of the cockerels. Fried chicken is my second favorite food after all , but if given plenty of room to roam could I just let them do their thing? I would just let them breed and let the flock grow to a manageable size if that's the case. I don't have experience with a large flock like what I am considering. We just had a small bunch of hens and a single rooster growing up.

One more question: if I wanted to mix in hens of any other breed(s) are there any of those I originally stated that would not be a good choice to mix with OEGB? I kinda have my eye on "Modern Game" and maybe even some Sumatra or Indian Red Jungle Fowl, but that's for whimsy's sake, admittedly.

 

[Digby57]

I think you can tell that I am not very knowledgeable about chicken breeds, but I have continued to research the topic since posting this. I see that some of my comments about the breeds listed above are incorrect and that I didn't categorize my breeds very well. Still, if anyone else wouldn't mind giving me their perspective I would appreciate it.

I have one recommendation for Old English Game Bantams, and that does appear to be a very good recommendation. It was one of my original picks, but I was classifying them as "game chickens" and thought standard bantams were significantly different. I guess I was thinking of the small plump hens of my youth and thinking of those as "bantams".

I may very well go with OEGBs and guineas to start. That seems like it would fit the bill and get me started so that I can add some other genes in as I go. Since I am building a tall perimeter fence to replace the broke down horse fence already in place I think I'll just electrify that by putting double hot wire all around the top so when those raccoons and possums go to the trouble of climbing an 8 foot fence they get zapped back to the ground. I don't think they'll try that more than a couple times! That said, I still need a "flighty" "scrappy" bird - and that seems to run counter to a good multiplier, but again, I may be totally wrong about that, and the OEGB possess some of both traits per the recommendation I received above.

Thanks!

 

[Digby57]

Ya know what? I think I can sum this all up in a far more simple way. If I don't get any hits here it might because I was too long-winded and I'll just make a new post. It will say, "I want wild chickens. What is the closest thing?"

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Instead of Silkies... OEGB. Old English Game Bantams.
I personally keep them as my bug brigade. They are small, forage like crazy, reasonably 'tame'(hens can be very, roos tend to be a bit more flighty and are extremely watchful), eat little purchased feed, and are nicely fertile and the hens brood their own chicks perfectly. Their hard feathers make them hardier than fluffy birds. No matter how many roos are in my flock my OEGB hens never suffer from a naked back. They are small enough to get into tight spaces for bug hunting, but their small size means they don't scratch things up as badly as large birds. If the NEED to they can fly like quail to flee predators.
I keep the Spangled color. To me the white in the pattern makes them harder to see when out foraging.

Keep a few silkies if you just like them... but, silkies are well known for being a rather stupid bird that isn't a great forager. The crests of fluff impede their vision and make predation an issue as well. I keep a few myself but they'd rather follow you around than forage.

X2 on both the OEGB and silkies being a per fit

 

[SunHwaKwon]

https://www.cacklehatchery.com/free-range-predator-resistant-special.html

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I loooooooove my OEGBs. Right now I have 16. I really do not have to worry about them too much when they are free ranging. They are flighty enough to be predator resistant but very, very friendly. I have two favorite girls that love to walk up to me and start chattering away about the gossip and complaining about roosters and such. The males are attentive and good to the girls and helpful with chicks.

Now that I think about it, my guineas do not mess with them either.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Another option, which would be quite low cost, would be to take in unwanted roosters. There are always roosters that need someplace to go and since you are not interested in eggs you won't have to worry about hidden nests and broodies.