Chickens living free sharing the land with the predators

[Dita Orlik]

Yes. I've let the borders grow wider and wilder. My flock have been free ranging since 2017; the oldest hens are 7, still sprightly, still laying, still fertile even (one of the matriarch's eggs was set this year and it is already apparent at 12 weeks that she is going to be another bossy boots). She's an Araucana, btw, not a game breed, and Araucana are in the make up of Americaunans and some EEs; your EEs may also have the genetics to do fine for years.

One, until about a year ago, but he did not live out, and I'm not sure he had a lot to do with their survival actually. The chickens have managed their security themselves since then.

Very nice.

Ditto!

Ditto. Broodies teach chicks to scatter apart though, and not all the hens stand their ground; some run and hide instead. This was the most recent example that I spotted through a window (so poor quality photo). Dom near the middle; his subs on the wings, facing different directions; hens in the middle. The no.2 roo must have been elsewhere with more hens, and I've no idea where the broodies were at the moment this group were spooked and on alert, but everyone was there for tea, so the threat passed, and they were fine.
View attachment 3982772

Nice birds, they look as if they rather looking what the danger is because some of them don't even look up. But now imagine you will have a coyote staring at them. That's a different ball game. And that is not coyote passing by that's coyote coming to get the chicken. I like the bushes, good cover.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

What did the fox do?

It was going after an old American Gamefowl's babies. They were running away and when the fox got close she turned around and tackled it directly in the face. The fox jumped back and hesitated, which gave the hen and her babies enough time to escape

First, jungle fowl, live in .... jungles. Heavy cover, harder for raptors to attach using speed. Harder to spot the chickens.

Very true

 

[Perris]

But now imagine you will have a coyote staring at them. That's a different ball game.

My birds have developed fitness to survive the predator threat that they face here. I don't doubt that in a different environment, with different threats, different behaviour would be needed to survive. That's what evolution is all about.

 

[Dita Orlik]

A couple of things. First, jungle fowl, live in .... jungles. Heavy cover, harder for raptors to attach using speed. Harder to spot the chickens.

Back in the 70's when game chickens were still allowed to be raised, people would "farm" young stags. Six to eight months old, too big to let run loose or they would kill each other, but they would place one stag per house out in the country. The stags tended to stay put, roost in trees, browse for its own food. If it survived it was a pretty healthy and pretty smart rooster in excellent shape flying up in the trees to roost. Owls would get some of them by flying up into the tree and climbing along the branch to get to the rooster. Possums, same thing.

Game fowl owners would also have a lot of "yard" birds living free range, usually fed once a day. Lots of free, no work chickens, usually young stags running around too, before they became old enough to be territorial and would start fighting. And meat birds of course. Good luck finding the eggs though and few of the yard birds would be useful for fighting as their lineage was unknown. Owls and possums were know to take out a half dozen chickens on a branch, killing them one at a time, the birds rarely being able to fly or see at night.

Chickens are prey species, like rodents, so they have large clutch sizes and reproduce several times a year, depending upon their numbers to provide for some of the chickens making it through the year to repopulate. The down side to trying to raise free range no coop birds is that they will draw more and more predators of all sorts.

In SE Oklahoma chickens do not have enough food on their own they would have to travel in late fall and winter. I do not let my chickens to breed, I left one egg for one to sit on and of course it's another rooster .. Easter Egger. With this predators here non would survive. I have 3 pairs of Barred Owls who would pick them up like raspberries after dark. I can catch all of them but I don't have to because they love the coop. I have laying boxes from the outside of the coop and some screwed to the side of my house, so whatever the danger is, they can go around somewhere else to lay eggs, I give eggs away for free. The best thing on the side of the house is they don't poop where they lay, so that porch has never chicken poop on it. Those RJF had a serious fight three weeks ago and since then they never fought again. Easter egger rooster stays with main rooster in the coop. It's like a circus here. because I have them as my companions I have a different approach to breeding, I don't want to breed them. But I need one Red Junglefowl female Diego strain to replace my poor Goldi. I almost got one, but I don't want her to sit in the box for three days to be shipped here. if you build a coop like this, what is just for sleeping and you can put the food there you will lose almost no chicken because it is the same like they sit on the trees except they are safe, and you don't have to worry they would love the coop you will never have to force them to get it. I promise you.

 

[Dita Orlik]

My birds have developed fitness to survive the predator threat that they face here. I don't doubt that in a different environment, with different threats, different behaviour would be needed to survive. That's what evolution is all about.

Oh, I like that evolution, that's right. Mostly my chickens, they got lucky with this method if the dogs were not here that would not work.

 

[BDutch]

My chickens free-range 24/7, sleep in trees, and share my land with predators. It's a pretty simple operation to get going in my opinion

The only essentials are using tough chicken breeds, and only camoflaged colors. My American Game, Red Junglefowl and Sumatra are all basically immortal and breed like rats. The AGF/RJF mutts are particularly problematic with how fast they multiply

In fact I've been trying hard this last year to reduce their numbers and introduce more egg/meat productive blood. It's almost impossible to catch any of my chickens

Here's some cursed Sumatra, AGF, RJF and Egyptian Fayoumi mutts in some trees. Don't ever get Fayoumi heh
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In my country there was a group of wild chickens, that established themselves. Also a place where people dumped chickens and people (with children) gave feed (like old bread).

They survived as a group and the numbers increased.

It got problematic because the roosters were too loud for the people who lived there. A home with elderly and patients had problems with people waking up jn the middle of the night.

I don’t know how many got killed by predators during the years they lived there. But finally the local authorities started to catch all chickens and gave them a new home/got them euthanised within a few months time.

Again it was the supreme predator who won.

I have chickens who free range several hours during the day. I want them to come back to the coop and lock them in. They are not wildlife and I am responsible for them. Its a no go if they go elsewhere to bother people.

And I want some eggs too. Real free rangers often seek places where you cant find the eggs anymore. And thing can get out of control.

Btw, the predator load here in Europe is not as bad as in many places in the US. But I had several chickens who got killed or vanished. I never intended to kill the predators because I believe a natural balance is the best to rely on. Having a safe coop for the night and a safe run for the early hours is very important where I live.

Oh, and btw my chickens are bantams. The small ones are real good flyers.

If they start to roost on top of the run or in trees, I make sure that they are locked inside before sunset.

 

[Dita Orlik]

In my country there was a group of wild chickens, that established themselves. Also a place where people dumped chickens and people (with children) gave feed (like old bread).

They survived as a group and the numbers increased.

It got problematic because the roosters were too loud for the people who lived there. A home with elderly and patients had problems with people waking up jn the middle of the night.

I don’t know how many got killed by predators during the years they lived there. But finally the local authorities started to catch all chickens and gave them a new home/got them euthanised within a few months time.

Again it was the supreme predator who won.

I have chickens who free range several hours during the day. I want them to come back to the coop and lock them in. They are not wildlife and I am responsible for them. Its a no go if they go elsewhere to bother people.

And I want some eggs too. Real free rangers often seek places where you cant find the eggs anymore. And thing can get out of control.

Btw, the predator load here in Europe is not as bad as in many places in the US. But I had several chickens who got killed or vanished. I never intended to kill the predators because I believe a natural balance is the best to rely on. Having a safe coop for the night and a safe run for the early hours is very important where I live.

Oh, and btw my chickens are bantams. The small ones are real good flyers.

If they start to roost on top of the run or in trees, I make sure that they are locked inside before sunset.View attachment 3983125

I don’t know were you live, but in SE Oklahoma no chickens can survive without a night shelter. The thing is that my coop is perfect solution for free chickens. They come in and out whenever they want and in the night even the door closes by it's self and not only that, it is so safe that one hen was sitting outside on the balcony on the eggs for 22 days every night and nothing killed her. So even without the door the coop will be safe. I understand they can be noisy, but that was everywhere back then everybody had chickens hundred years ago or 200 years ago… people are just out of it now. always so sensitive, nothing alive except them is allowed to make a noise except cars, buses, planes, trains TVs, radios and the highways.. horrible!. That's why I stay away from rich people, you know, they are the worst about that. my chickens lay eggs maybe 5% of the time in the woods and I always find it. I believe because they have 4 different places to lay eggs where ever is dangerous they go around the house and do it, they take turns, waiting and all the places are off the ground, at least four or 5 feet high so I don't have a problem that either. This what I'm doing is still evolving, I only do it for free chickens that means they must love it to voluntarily use it and that is a good motivator. I like your input thank you.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Having a safe coop for the night and a safe run for the early hours is very important where I live.

I'm glad to hear that your coop works for you. I personally prefer tree roosting. In over three years of tree roosting with a flock that ranges from 50-100 in number I have never lost a single chicken in a tree

 

[Dita Orlik]

I'm glad to hear that your coop works for you. I personally prefer tree roosting. In over three years of tree roosting with a flock that ranges from 50-100 in number I have never lost a single chicken in a tree

But where do you live? Where are the chickens living? My chickens can stay in the trees, the woods are all around me all the way to the house and that is the coolest off all, they choose to sleep in the coop. Just like my dogs have a dog door and they choose to sleep on the sofa and not outside. But of course I don't have hundred of them, mine are my pets. They would not survive first night on the trees here.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

But where do you live? Where are the chickens living?

I'm in the southeast. The chickens live mostly in a black titi swamp

They would not survive first night on the trees here.

Maybe. The local vegetation and predators have a lot to do with it I'm sure. I've heard that wild junglefowl have a symbiotic relationship with bamboo. It allows them to perch on a tall, thin pole that bends over as they sleep on it. If a predator attacks they simply fly away

My chickens all roost on black titi and yaupon. Thin trees that grow at crazy angles high off the ground. Maybe they're functionally similar enough to bamboo to keep chickens safe

I wouldn't want mine roosting in an oak tree or anything easy to climb