Establishing Feral Chicken flock

[rogueriverhens]

My modest experience would lead me to go with American leghorns. They are the most hardy domesticated birds that I have ever raised. They actually make me feel like they absolutely could do without me. We use leghorns to teach other chickens to free range as not all chickens are created with equal foraging IQ it seems Leghorns readily roost in trees...very high away from predators...one of the most flighty birds for sure. I have also seen them on a native reservation where they were completely free and saw a hen with a few adolescent chicks following her. God bless everyone

 

[Nija Chick]

In my experience, any chicken breed who can fly up to a tree limb to roost at night, and is sufficiently "flighty" rather than "calm and friendly" would be able to go feral. That would mean all breeds except the extra heavy, fuzzy, etc.. I wouldn't expect a Jersey Giant to be able to fly sufficiently enough, nor a Cornish rock, or a frizzel, but 90% of breeds could. In Africa, most chickens seen are at least mostly feral. The neighbors know who they belong to, and catching one is usually not attempted, but is done when your hungry enough, and the feral dogs can't catch them, they live well on the wild brush in every vacant spot.

That said, here in the USA now, the chickens here would have to learn on the spot, so if perhaps there were ppl letting them loose due no feed stores open, there would be some losses from predation before the flock learned to protect itself, but most should survive, they still do have the natural instincts to hide at night, and be flighty of predators during the day, and the ability to forage. Also the colored chickens would fare far better than the lighter colored or white ones just because of hiding in the bushes. Which is why the lighter colored chickens are often pecked at in a flock of darker chickens. (Instinct to get the one who glows in the dark away from the flock)...

My flock forages in a huge forested feild, for 3/4 of their diet. I only feed them small amounts of layer each day to supplement. They might be pissed that they don't get their daily petting and meal worm from Mom, but they would do fine in that situation.
My flock are americaunas, BC merans, olive eggers, faverolies, and a few others.
I also raise Cornish cross for meat, they can barely walk, much less fly.

 

[Nija Chick]

Btw, my rooster took on a red tailed hawk and won. The hawk flew away missing lots of feathers, and Baba lost a toenail. He might not make it if attacked by a coyote, but that's why they fly. He can defeat a hawk or owl who threatens his flock. That's him as my avatar

 

[Chick-Addict]

Btw, my rooster took on a red tailed hawk and won. The hawk flew away missing lots of feathers, and Baba lost a toenail. He might not make it if attacked by a coyote, but that's why they fly. He can defeat a hawk or owl who threatens his flock. That's him as my avatar

I have several large roosters but my little black bantam Cochin runs the yard! He also jumped a red tailed hawk that had a guinea hen pinned down! In fact, he had it pinned it down when I dispatched it! He’s a badass for sure! He continued strutting around the carcass and crowing for a good 1/2 hour-45 minutes afterwards! He looks like a little cannon ball runnin across the yard or chasing down the other roosters! In 20+ years of raisin birds, I’ve never had a better rooster!

 

[Nija Chick]

If you mix a new flock of birds with an experienced flock would the new birds learn proper responses from the already experienced birds?

yes definitely. however

when I get new day old chicks, I put a lone adult experienced rooster in with them to teach them to be proper chickens. they treat him like "mom" and he protects them. sometimes i can put a hen in there also, but since they are not her chicks, the chances of her accepting them are 20/80. that's why i put a rooster. he accepts them readily as hens, and babies (so doesn't try to breed them) and isn't as picky at them being his.

putting a new adult flock in with an experienced adult flock, expect some infighting as the hens sort out their pecking order, putting a new adult rooster in with another adult rooster is a bad idea...

 

[Nija Chick]

I have several large roosters but my little black bantam Cochin runs the yard! He also jumped a red tailed hawk that had a guinea hen pinned down! In fact, he had it pinned it down when I dispatched it! He’s a badass for sure! He continued strutting around the carcass and crowing for a good 1/2 hour-45 minutes afterwards! He looks like a little cannon ball runnin across the yard or chasing down the other roosters! In 20+ years of raisin birds, I’ve never had a better rooster!

heck yeah, generally bantam roosters are all bad ass, more then the larger roosters, i'm not sure what it is in larger animals vs smaller, the larger animal tends to be calmer and more docile in general then a smaller one. true with horses, rabbits, chickens... not a hard rule, because my rooster Babba is certainly a bad ass, and hes huge, but i think a feisty bantam would kick his feathered backside lol

 

[Nija Chick]

Interesting question on a philosophical level. To me a feral flock would be one that feeds and waters itself and does not get any help from humans for predator or weather protection. They would reproduce on their own. They do not have to be in the middle of a wilderness to be feral. I don't know if you are thinking along these lines or have something else in mind.

To me the biggest challenges would be predators and to a lesser extent food and water. They should be able to handle weather just about anywhere.

I agree that games would be a really good choice. Some bantams might work out pretty well. Stay away from the decorative breeds with fancy headdresses or other handicaps. I'd go for camouflaged colors, reds for sure, maybe black. Avoid white, buff, and other bright colors and patterns. And I'd want hens that often went broody.

Where is the best place? Where are there feral flocks now? Several years back a forum member of great experience and common sense talked about a flock that went feral in the Michigan peninsula one winter. They survived the Michigan winter. He felt they probably ate snow and foraged in farmer's fields. They can do better than many people expect. He mentioned that the next year they caught that feral flock and ate them, did not leave them for years.

But the feral flocks I'm aware of are warmer places. Hawaii has been mentioned. Their predators are pretty limited to mongoose, dogs, and flying predators. Rats could be a danger to eggs. Mike Rowe did a "dirty Jobs" episode on catching feral chickens in Miami. I'd think the best places would be where warmer winters would make food easy. It would probably be easier in cities or towns with parks, some woodlands, and a stream with overgrown banks to give them foraging and hiding places. While they have predators they tend to be suppressed.

How would I establish a feral flock if I found a suitable place? I'd find chickens raised by a free ranging broody hen that raised them without humans feeding them. I grew up on a farm like that, such chickens exist. Then I'd just turn them loose, quit taking care of them. Either they make it or they don't. I'd think predators would be the reason they don't.

Some food for thought. Many pioneers that settled our country had flocks of semi-feral chickens. They'd provide predator protection and not a lot else. There have to have been many times when those pioneers were no longer around to protect those flocks. Maybe they died or just moved on without taking all their chickens. This may not have happened all that often but it had to have happened. I'm not aware of feral flocks of chickens roaming our wildlands like wild turkey or pheasants. Those flocks did not make it, my guess is because of predators.

you have a very good point. there would be feral chickens in most woodlands if they were THAT good at going feral because of escapees etc, so being truly feral, they would have to be game type that can fly well,
other more domesticated breeds of chickens would at least have to have a protected place to sleep, and they could feed themselves. to truly thrive in that situation.

 

[Don 27]

yes definitely. however

when I get new day old chicks, I put a lone adult experienced rooster in with them to teach them to be proper chickens. they treat him like "mom" and he protects them. sometimes i can put a hen in there also, but since they are not her chicks, the chances of her accepting them are 20/80. that's why i put a rooster. he accepts them readily as hens, and babies (so doesn't try to breed them) and isn't as picky at them being his.

putting a new adult flock in with an experienced adult flock, expect some infighting as the hens sort out their pecking order, putting a new adult rooster in with another adult rooster is a bad idea...

Interesting, I have heard of a broody rooster system before but never considered putting a rooster with chicks and not a hen. My guess is a rooster is more likely to accepting foreign chicks because it goes along with his natural instinct to par with a hen in raising chicks. Unlike a hen who most of the time rears the chicks she's incubated.

My birds are free ranging the roosters have developed territories. If I do decide to introduce a new rooster he will have his area to strut around with the hens. If he does decide to harass the other roosters I will improvise.

 

[centrarchid]

I would not simply put a rooster on day old chicks and expect benefit and definitely not a hen / pullet without expecting bad things for the chicks. Somebody just hammered out on a keyboard a lot of off the wall ideas that need scrutiny.

 

[Don 27]

I would not simply put a rooster on day old chicks and expect benefit and definitely not a hen / pullet without expecting bad things for the chicks. Somebody just hammered out on a keyboard a lot of off the wall ideas that need scrutiny.

I would closely monitor the situation. I don't want dead birds just as much as you don't.