Chickens in nature

[chooki]

What type of rooster is that? He looks like mine, coloring-wise.

If you are talking about him:

Unfortunately, I don't know his exact breed as I bought him as an egg, given to my broody hen and he was the only one that hatched. He has 5 toes on each foot, some of the other eggs were supposed to be pure silky, so I assume that he is some kind of silky mix. Also someone saw his picture said he might have American fowl gene in him as the colour pattern is very similar.

 

[chooki]

Free ranging rooster flock on a windy day:

 

[McChooky]

The isabrown mom rejected her black baby. Even in the last photo I notice now that the baby seems to be scared and standing away from her. Anytime it got too close yesterday she would peck at it and drive it away

After about an hour of hoping the isabrown would accept the baby (and being disappointed repeatedly) my wife placed the baby in front of a game hen broody with week-old babies of her own. The game hen clucked to the baby and accepted it under her wing, despite fully knowing it was a strange baby

They've been happily off in the forest all day today where it's very hard to photograph them
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It was a mistake letting a production hen hatch babies. The isabrown also abandons her young and runs away when my dog gets too close, unlike this heroic game hen here that will fight anything off it doesn't want around

Lesson learned

None of my heritage breeds have gone broody but my Sapphire Gem has gone twice (hybrid)She's currently raising 5 chicks

 

[McChooky]

These are not new, I have taken these pictures 1-2 years ago:

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Looks like a military operation!
1 in front, 1 in the middle and 2 on both sides!

 

[McChooky]

Good to know! I have some pullets that are close to POL right now in addition to my adult hens so maybe once they all are laying regularly, I'll give them more free range time.

Its hard to protect them from everything that likes to eat them

 

[McChooky]

Looks like a military operation!
1 in front, 1 in the middle and 2 on both sides!

 

[Beau plus penny]

I'm making this thread to show people that chickens can do fine in more natural settings. My chickens are completely organic, live outside 24/7 and sleep in trees. They spend most of their time running around the forest and swamp, existing around countless different types of wild animals

I don't think the gamefowl need me at all, but the production chickens do. Keeping a semi-feral flock is a balancing act of these two genepools- survivors and producers. Currently I'm aiming for 3/4th dual-purpose, 1/4th gamefowl (dunghill) mutts that are camoflaged with the environment. I believe this is the optimal balance for my set-up to keep food on the table

Here's an assortment of pictures since I began keeping chickens, going roughly from old to new. It's been a long journey and I've learned much over the years:
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Credit to my wife for taking most of the good pictures here. Also my LGD deserves credit for making this all much easier. I did this for a year and a half without a dog, which was much more stressful
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I'll post more in the future

thats actually cool also you have sumatras i love those i want some so bad

 

[McChooky]

I tried to save some game chickens that were roosting in trees before a winter storm.(Their owners home burned and he was unavailable to feed them)I fed them everyday but they wouldn't let me catch them. I never saw them after the storm sadly.They were tough chickens

 

[chooki]

Looks like a military operation!
1 in front, 1 in the middle and 2 on both sides!

Rooster troop having a field operation!

This picture was taken more than 2 years ago, I still have some of these roosters.

 

[McChooky]

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Rooster troop having a field operation!

This picture was taken more than 2 years ago, I still have some of these roosters.

Such a beautiful place you have! Chicken paradise!