foraging abilities of different breeds

[beans2]

I always ask people who keep various species and breeds how good they think their animals are at self-selecting good food when given choice.

I find that my Scots Grey rooster, welsummer hens and cream legbars are all excellent at finding forage. they also tend to favour leafy greens over corn when given the choice.
Gold Tops on the other hand are useless at foraging. they wait for the roo to tell them where to look then look unimpressed when he shows them food. either they need different things or don't know whats good for them.

What are all your experiences?
1-what species do you have experience of?
2-what breeds do you have experience of?
3- what country and region are they in?
4 - what feed do you provide?
5 - what forage do you have?
6- and what forage do they choose?

 

[centrarchid]

You may need to have so everyone reporting has some sort of standardized procedure when testing. I have spent as lot of time as an adult crawling around with a free-ranging flock to figure out what you are looking for. Procedure is everything when it comes to outcomes.

 

[beans2]

You may need to have so everyone reporting has some sort of standardized procedure when testing. I have spent as lot of time as an adult crawling around with a free-ranging flock to figure out what you are looking for. Procedure is everything when it comes to outcomes.

what do you mean by procedure?
I just watch the birds behaviour whenever i'm working outside and they're near.
I also look at what wild birds choose to eat.

 

[centrarchid]

How long have they been out, what have they been fed, what time of day, season, weather? How close do you observe from. Age of birds?

 

[beans2]

How long have they been out, what have they been fed, what time of day, season, weather? How close do you observe from. Age of birds?

right, so why can't people just say what season they're talking about where its relevant?
like "in early spring in Scotland welsummers make good use of raspberry leaves whenever they're having trouble laying but Gold Tops don't." for example.
common sense

 

[chrisb01]

 

[meetthebubus]

what species do you have experience of?
2-what breeds do you have experience of?
3- what country and region are they in?
4 - what feed do you provide?
5 - what forage do you have?
6- and what forage do they choose?

I always like when people want to genuinely observe and learn bout chickens

So I have buff orps and Easter eggers the orps from baby chicks were natural foragers loved scratching the eggers are almost 5 months now and are just starting to forage better they didn't scratch much before that

That being said a side note eggers are better and more often dust bathe

I don't notice a big difference in forage choosing in general they don't like raw carrots otherwise it's personal preference per chicken, though the hen who is laying the most tends to be less picky and eats more of course

I'm in USA, the desert so they just get bugs and grit naturally I have to provide greens and treats plus layer feed

 

[chrisb01]

I always ask people who keep various species and breeds how good they think their animals are at self-selecting good food when given choice.

I find that my Scots Grey rooster, welsummer hens and cream legbars are all excellent at finding forage. they also tend to favour leafy greens over corn when given the choice.
Gold Tops on the other hand are useless at foraging. they wait for the roo to tell them where to look then look unimpressed when he shows them food. either they need different things or don't know whats good for them.

What are all your experiences?
1-what species do you have experience of?

I'm not sure what species they are, and don't think the people I got them from know either, if I could find them, lol..

2-what breeds do you have experience of?

Zero experience, I'm new to keeping chicken, but loving it..

3- what country and region are they in?

I'm in Lakeland, Florida (Central Florida)

4 - what feed do you provide?

I mix the Dumor Cracked Corn with Dumor Organic'?' Chick Starter.. I also feed boiled white rice, beans, chopped up meat (whatever I'm eating, I share), watermelon, peach, they love greens, I feed spinach, kale, etc..

5 - what forage do you have?

Regular Bahia grass, they do forage almost all day when it's not raining, smh.. I don't know what they are finding out there.. I know they find earth worms cause when I'm planting something I find them too, they do have a full pouch when I pick them up..

6- and what forage do they choose?

They like digging under plants, and how I know worms are a good part of it..

They really don't pay much attn to the feed unless it's raining and they have no other choice cause they can't free range and are confined to the coop, lol
Edit: Forgot to mention they love Chinese food..

 

[#Midlifecrisis]

I have been contemplating this subject too, so I am really excited about this post! I am new to chickens and have a mixed flock of 2 Plymouth Barred Rock, 2 Speckled Sussex and 2 Easter Eggers. They are 5 weeks old (I did say I was new!) I have noticed in the short time I have had my girls that the Speckled Sussex are great foragers, especially for bugs. If I start digging in the garden, they are right there to help. They also eat greens, wild berries and dirt. My Plymouth Rocks forage well, but tend to lean more toward berries and greens. They will pick at bugs but with less gusto then the Sussex. Now the easter eggers, they are something else. They will eat greens and berries, but prefer flying bugs to crawling. They also tend to spend more time being nosy and checking out what everyone else is doing. If someone is relaxing in the sun, the EE's are perched on top of them. When the SS stumbled upon a feast of ant eggs, the EE's kept pushing them out of the way, but not to eat, just to check things out. I also notice they were the first to try dust bathing.

 

[chrisb01]

I have been contemplating this subject too, so I am really excited about this post! I am new to chickens and have a mixed flock of 2 Plymouth Barred Rock, 2 Speckled Sussex and 2 Easter Eggers. They are 5 weeks old (I did say I was new!) I have noticed in the short time I have had my girls that the Speckled Sussex are great foragers, especially for bugs. If I start digging in the garden, they are right there to help. They also eat greens, wild berries and dirt. My Plymouth Rocks forage well, but tend to lean more toward berries and greens. They will pick at bugs but with less gusto then the Sussex. Now the easter eggers, they are something else. They will eat greens and berries, but prefer flying bugs to crawling. They also tend to spend more time being nosy and checking out what everyone else is doing. If someone is relaxing in the sun, the EE's are perched on top of them. When the SS stumbled upon a feast of ant eggs, the EE's kept pushing them out of the way, but not to eat, just to check things out. I also notice they were the first to try dust bathing.

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