Breeds to start with for insect control in an orchard?

[LearninMyFlock]

And yes communication this way can have its downside as the first was said sweetly and with a grin on my face it was also in all seriousness for the gratitude of knowledge from those who truly know I love this info center

 

[Krazyquilts]

I just wanted to say what an interesting read this thread has been. My husband and I are buying a 50 acre farm (should be closing next week! ) and I want to try daytime free-ranging some chickens and guineas. Subscribing!

 

[Digby57]

The more the merrier! Congrats on the new property!

 

[centrarchid]

I would give serious thought into what plants will be used as ground cover between rows of Elder Berry. Some plants can be consumed directly and attract insect drift that chickens can use. I would not mow is tight like most people grow yards. You might even consider mowing half each time in alternating strips so chickens have short and tall ground cover at all times. That will encourage more complete / uniform foraging pressure on the 3 acres of orchard.

 

[Digby57]

Well heck, if you are recommending I mow half as much you"ll get no argument from me! This is a portion of what was formerly a horse paddock, so its in mixed grass right now, mainly bahia. I was intending to rent a small disc to break the rows. Maybe I could run it shallow between rows so I could come back through and scratch in some native wild flower mix or something. Clovers? I'll take a look at what my local extension and the university has to say about that.

Also, I had meant to direct a question to you I had posted above. How do you feel about AGBs instead of the the standard size?

 

[centrarchid]

Bantams of any sort I would steer away from. They have been bred so much for looks that survival instincts are degraded. If you are going to be stupid, more size likely to be better.

 

[centrarchid]

I am not familiar with what constitutes a native mix on your area. Having a mix of grasses and forbs with legumes included is a good idea. You will have to play around with mowing regimen to see what gives a quality assemblage for orchard and poultry concerns.

 

[Digby57]

I'm getting votes for jungle fowl as well. I see that those are significantly less expensive and seem to be easier to come by as well. They are also smaller but maybe not quite as small as the OEGB or AGB?

I see "Red Jungle Fowl" and "Indian Red Jungle Fowl" for sale as chicks. Are those the same thing?

Then I ran across Lakenvelders which I see recommended as predator resistant and rangy, and of a medium to small size.

I think I'm going to just build a small coop here at the house and try a small flock of something. The problem is that the only place that makes sense to do that is right by my okra patch which would be a pain to fence off as it is pretty large. That makes a smaller chicken more interesting. In any case, I'll gain some valuable experience and make some good observations as the setting won't be all that different than the eventual goal. Just smaller. It will even be complete with hawks and owls, raccoons, opossums, fox, coyote, bobcats, snakes, alligators, you get the picture Oh yeah, and within about 50 yards of a few stands of elderberry.

 

[centrarchid]

I see "Red Jungle Fowl" and "Indian Red Jungle Fowl" for sale as chicks. Are those the same thing?

When it comes to free-range toughness among domestics, none are even in the same galaxy as American Games with exception of feral crosses involving American Game.

Red Jungle fowl will face you with a containment issue. Even American Games will if motivated to fly much. Both can clear a 10' fence will little effort.

If the terms in bold above from a biologist with expertise in birds, then the latter would be one of the subspecies of the former. Most you can get will have some domestic bred into them, enough to calm them down. The number of chickens needed to suppress insect population will require supplemental feeding.

Try Cackle Hatchery as a source of chicks. I am looking for a couple game hens in my area now and expect little trouble finding them.

 

[Digby57]

Cackle Hatchery is where I saw the Red Jungle Fowl. I also see they have Asil, which hasn't been mentioned, but I am curious about. All the sources I found for American Game online were breeders that were asking fairly high prices even for eggs. Pinnon Hatch Farms caught my eye.