In theory, could free range chickens live entirely off free ranging

[Bryce Thomas]

If I owned a lot of protected woodland, and if I had a coop and everything, could chickens live off the land entirely if I had some fruit trees and natural streams? Im not saying im going to let them free range and not food them, but can chickens live entirely off free ranging in a large area with grass and insects and streams and fruit trees?

 

[neo71665]

They won't stay around very long. They will strip the land of resources and then move on to find more.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Theyl l soon deplete it and need to move on. I think the idea was over an acre per bird to keep them safe, full and loyal

 

[CoopsNPoops]

I asked the same thing. I planned on strictly free ranging because i assumed it was the healthiest and most organic way of doing so. And i did this until their first winter until i obviously had to actually feed them.. Some people brought up some great points though. It's easy for free range chickens to become deficient in vitamins and minerals. We dont know exactly what they're getting, or if they're getting enough of it. Sure, it's probably safe to say they will get plenty of protein assuming there is an abundance or land to forage. Its kinda hard to run out of protien and nutrients on 40 acres in my case. But do i know what vitamins and minerals are on my 40 acres? No. Are they probably getting enough calcium for proper egg production? Probably not. Or maybe so. It's the unknown. With supplementing their feed, i atleast know they're getting it. Of course they won't need as much supplemental feed free ranging, so it's still cheaper for me/you and better for them. I wouldn't think its a must, but it's safer and better. Especially if eggs are the reason you got chickens in the first place.

 

[JedJackson]

Chickens are not jungle fowl. They've been domesticated for centuries and have been bred for specific traits that don't necessarily help with the qualities they need to survive in the wild.

Jungle fowl are smaller birds, so don't need as much food, the hens lay few eggs so don't need as much protein or other nutrients, and these birds move on when they've exhausted their food supply. Also, they come from a tropical climate where it stays warm all year and food is more likely to always be available. They are also wary and flighty, and much, much better at avoiding predators.

So to answer your question, I don't think that chickens can survive long term as free range birds on one property. They need a continual supply of good food and they are just not built to last in the wild. Even semi-wild chickens in places like Hawaii and Florida take hand outs whenever they can, and those that survive are usually some type of game fowl that are closer to their wild ancestors than most chickens.