Free range breed advice

[fluffycrow]

A recent fox attack has brought the population down by 50%. It had always been the goal to bring in new blood at some point, as this year any possible broodies would be hatching the fifth generation. With a hatching problem that seems to be genetic, I would rather outcross now, before we run into inbreeding issues in a year or two.
So now my task is to find suitable breeds. Since free ranging is still a top priority (but unfortunately not currently possible due to this persistent fox, though I’m hoping that can change soon) I need breeds that are compatible with that lifestyle. Heat tolerant breeds are also a must. Our summer temps are no joke; the Brahma that lived here for a while were close to actually melting. Broodiness is the third and final ‘big’ one. Unfortunately I need a lot of that. Currently there is only one hen that has brooded, so it would be a requirement for this breed and/or landrace to brood naturally.

I’ve narrowed down the list to the following breeds (keep in mind that this list also takes into account what I can find here. I’m not particularly interested in importing, or anything of the sort): Araucanas, Turkens, Dongxiang Lukedanji, Aseel (hens), Fayoumi and an unrelated strain of the landraces I currently tend to.

Some of the breeds mentioned possess traits that in my eyes at least, don’t seem favourable for a free range chicken.
Fortunately or not though, my job ends at introducing the breed to the current gene pool. I’ve learned that I’m a very poor judge of what can and does survive out on the property, so I’ll let natural selection do its thing after that point.

I come with this post, however, to ask for personal experience with any of the above mentioned breeds. Are Araucana really as broody as cited in most books and online info pages I have read?
Are turkens as good at free ranging as people claim?
Any of you that free range, I would love to hear feedback on whether or not you would even consider any of these breeds. I suspect the vast majority of you will say no, and you wouldn’t be wrong!
But options here are somewhat limited. There might be a chance to secure a dozen or so eggs of a different landrace, which would be sweet, but I’d much rather have a solid plan in place, before going out and chasing something that could lead to a dead end. Best case scenario, I manage to bring an unrelated breed as well as a landrace to the property

 

[kattabelly]

Not sure what the standard is for Araucana where you are but with the ones I've seen in the UK, I might be concerned about impaired vision if you have predators to worry about, unless you don't mind needing to give them "haircuts".

I don't have predators or hot weather to worry about here but I think my Fayoumi would do well with both, though you really can't generalise across a whole breed based on just one bird. She's very good at flying and seems to be able to turn invisible. Not sure what they're like for broodiness.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Have you checked out the Landrace thread? You might get some good advice there:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/landrace-adaptive-breeding-discussion.1624350/

I have read Aseels don’t play well with others but the people on that thread have more knowledge of that than I do. I do know a bit about Turkens though and will say they are good in the heat and my rooster is part Turken and is a great forager. He’s the only one who has figured out how to get water in the wild lol. Have you considered Leghorns?

 

[fluffycrow]

Not sure what the standard is for Araucana where you are but with the ones I've seen in the UK, I might be concerned about impaired vision if you have predators to worry about, unless you don't mind needing to give them "haircuts".

I don't have predators or hot weather to worry about here but I think my Fayoumi would do well with both, though you really can't generalise across a whole breed based on just one bird. She's very good at flying and seems to be able to turn invisible. Not sure what they're like for broodiness.

We have the rumpless variety here, some tufted and some completely clean faced.
Though I have found the UK Araucanas available here as well. I must say I prefer them since they look more ‘natural’, but I fear that they are not as heat tolerant or flighty. Leaning towards the rumpless variety though.

Thanks for the info on the Fayoumi. They seem pretty perfect on paper. One thing that’s a potential problem is that most don’t seem to go broody. Maybe they would be a better addition a few years down the line, when broodiness is common in the group, and they would only help to bring the overall look to a more natural state.
How is she with people? I’ve read some accounts that they turn feral very quickly

 

[fluffycrow]

Have you checked out the Landrace thread? You might get some good advice there:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/landrace-adaptive-breeding-discussion.1624350/

I have read Aseels don’t play well with others but the people on that thread have more knowledge of that than I do. I do know a bit about Turkens though and will say they are good in the heat and my rooster is part Turken and is a great forager. He’s the only one who has figured out how to get water in the wild lol. Have you considered Leghorns?

I have, and I think there’s some great info on there. I went the route of posting a thread of my own, as I sometimes feel like a nuisance on other people’s threads, derailing and asking too many questions .
I admit I have not checked the thread in some time though.

I did have what I can only describe as an Oriental Gamefowl male. Whether he was pure, of bad ‘quality’ or something else, I don’t know. He was given to me as an aseel. He produced a single daughter, which is the only hen that goes broody here.
They are a bit strange with other males (even my watered down aseel), and even the mixed hen has her moments. That’s why I’m mostly considering the females of that breed, as I know how excellent they are.

Encouraging info on the Turken. I hope this question doesn't read badly, but is he able to communicate with the rest easily? A lot of male body language comes from flaring the hackles, which Turkens obviously don’t possess. Has he struggled with territorial disputes and mating attempts at all?

I had white leghorns for a few years. I loved them, but they are quite the opposite of what I want for the current group. They are obviously not broody at all, but even the sheer amount of eggs they lay is something I don’t want to introduce to the group, especially when they can’t take breaks by going broody

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

but is he able to communicate with the rest easily? A lot of male body language comes from flaring the hackles, which Turkens obviously don’t possess. Has he struggled with territorial disputes and mating attempts at all?

He doesn’t have any issues that I’ve noticed. He was my only rooster but when I got a Leghorn he became the subordinate. He is smaller because he is mixed with bantam or jungle fowl or something. They share the flock during the day and sleep in separate coops with separate flocks at night so they have worked out a strategy and he mates with the hens when the dominant rooster is occupied. I’ve noticed his little mohawk stands up when he gets flustered so maybe that helps him communicate.

I’ve posted this photo before but here he is settling a dispute before I got the other roo. It was over the second he got next to the hens. He’s very good at what he does.