Is there such a thing as wild chickens??

[tuesdays chicks]

Quote:
Prairie "chickens" are a kind of grouse, not a true chicken. If there are any "wild" chickens they'd have to be in SE Asia. Remember turkeys are a N American bird that was domesticated by the Natives. Last I knew there was a flock of feral chickens in McDonough NY--a small town where most of the human population is feral.

: yuckyuck

 

[trunkman]

Quote:
Prairie "chickens" are a kind of grouse, not a true chicken. If there are any "wild" chickens they'd have to be in SE Asia. Remember turkeys are a N American bird that was domesticated by the Natives. Last I knew there was a flock of feral chickens in McDonough NY--a small town where most of the human population is feral.

 

[chickieboy]

the south american indians bred the aurucana by crossing then with another chicken that laid a blue eggs i can t find that information yet r were i saw it at

 

[gryeyes]

Loose chickens probably aren't the same as feral chickens, I suppose. And yet there are loose chickens not claimed by anybody, with no set home in which to roost, running around in many communities. Fair Oaks, California is one of them. There is even a Chicken Festival there, celebrating them.

http://www.fairoakspark.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=188

"History of chickens in Fair Oaks: While orange and citrus groves from the early 1900s have been replaced by homes, chickens continue to roam freely throughout town as they have for over 100 years. Featured in People Magazine and the subject of television, radio and newspapers stories, chickens that roam in Fair Oaks village delight visitors who flock from around the globe to feed and take pictures of them. The Fair Oaks Chicken Festival is a celebration of the rural history and present village atmosphere in Fair Oaks, California, colonized around 1895."

There are free range chickens on a street in West Sacramento where I often take my lunch breaks. They started out belonging to a resident there, but now they don't belong to anybody. A smattering of residents on that street DO ....ummmm.... feed chickens they claim as their own.

One fellow owns a gorgeous Buff Orpington roo and a nice hen. I admire that roo frequently. Of the "loose" free range chickens, of many non-descript breeds, I watched one hen with THIRTEEN chicks cross the road there, earlier this Spring.

Perfect place for a nice lunch break.

 

[Tvanbui]

Most Domesticated chickens came from the red jungle fowl. There are still wild red jungle fowl in SE Asia. I've seen some high up in the jungle canopy crowing away. I've also seen wild caught red jungle fowl up close, they are supper flighty. There are hobbyists in the US who breed red jungle fowl. They are very beautiful, look very much like black breasted red old English game.

 

[mboreham1]

i read this and was thinking, i should post about Fair Oaks, CA, well, someone beat me to it!

I guess they aren't wild, but they do sleep in the trees, fend and defend for themselves. Sometimes i read about the 1 rooster to 10 hen rule people here talk about and i think of Fair Oaks, the ratio is inverted because people release unwanted roosters from their back yard flocks. Obviously there is a lot of space for them to escape fighting but there are certainly a lot of roosters, not a lot of hens!

 

[curliet]

Have you been to Key West???

And, here in the West MI area, we've noticed that in a largely Hispanic area of town, (NO, definitely not trying to make any type of prejudicial remark, just sayin') that chickens run loose frequently, even tho our town says "No" to chickens.

 

[VERN]

The chickens in the Miami area are descendants from the chickens used in illegal cock fights. No one will claim the chickens for fear of fines and such. Thees chickens are not right in the head and never truly domesticate. Thats just their breed type really skiddish bird. I grew up in a large Phillipino community and sad to say that's what a lot were used for. The roosters will leave you alone, but those hens with chicks are what ya gotta watch out for. They fly better than any chicken I have ever seen. That makes them very hard to catch. DIRTY JOBS did a story on the chicken police in Florida. Was a funny show.

 

[Mahonri]

There are hundreds of feral chickens in the neighborhood to the south of me and the City of Phoenix passed an ordinance protecting them, as "Heritage Chickens". Some of the early settlers who built homes there brought in "China Games" and their decedents remain, mixed with chickens that have been either raised or dumped by others. There are also flocks of feral Guineas and a few peafowl. Folks in the neighborhood have put up signs, "Slow for Chickens"

The neighborhood feeds them. Some walk the hood gathering eggs. Broody's always escape their view and almost at any time of year you can find mama hens with baby chicks on those streets.

The roos seem to crow constantly so even when my roos shut up every now and then, you can hear the roos to the south.

 

[Amigatec]

Well I used to drink a lot of Wild Turkey, but I sobered up and haven't touched a drop in years.


OOPS!! Wrong kind of Wild Turkey!!