Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[Ikslo]

I would love it if mine moved to tree roosting. We’ve got good trees for that. They all just seem to prefer a roof over their heads at night.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I do not have a fully free range flock, yet. 20 of the birds roost in the rafters of their shelter so I don't have to let them out. 12 (the older birds) are still in coops. I did it that way because they didn't have a chance to impact train their legs while they were chicks, and I don't want to risk broken legs. My birds are big, and heavy. All new birds will be introduced to the rafters.

They do have a ladder to get up, but some don't use it.

I still provide water (probably always will) and am working toward them foraging all their own food. Currently, mid-winter, they are foraging about half.

Hawks and owls fly over, look the sutuation over, and fly away. We have foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and dogs. So far the worst predation of chicks has been snakes, the worst predation of adults has been the neighbor's dogs.

I think a fully free-range flock is well within range if that's your goal. Some birds won't be suited to that life, some will. There will be some predation. Some will thrive.

 

[Wild Iris]

I have a question for everyone on this thread: Who all amongst you has full-on free-range survival chickens? I mean the roost-in-the-trees, not-shut-in-a-secure-coop-at-night kind? I just want to make sure it isn't a pipe dream for me to have a hands-off flock(s) in addition to my regular coop chickens.

Over half of mine roost in a tree every night; the others choose the coop and I shut the door at night. Most of the ones in the tree have never slept in the coop. They go to bed when they choose and start the day when they choose. Everyone has freedom to free range all day long, anywhere they want to go.

BUT... the tree and coop are close to our house and within the territory of our german shepherd. I feed & water the chickens in the morning and evening, so they are only forage for part of their nourishment. They certainly aren't hands-off. Yet.

HOWEVER: I have only had my chickens for 16 months, and they have free-ranged for about 9 months. The flock has learned so much in those 9 months; it's kind of amazing. The flock almost functions as a single organism--somehow they all learn together and figure things out together. Each chicken may not be getting smarter, but the flock as a whole is. I do expect they will be significantly more hands-off in the future, but I don't know whether I will be able to replicate the success of Florida Bullfrog.

 

[LaurenRitz]

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I think they have indeed split into separate flocks.

I didn’t see how the groups intermingled at roosting time, but I was able to find each flock roosting in their own trees a few trees apart on the edge of the farmyard.

Can you see any pattern as to how they split up?

 

[centrarchid]

I have been running mine continuously since early 2010. All losses replaced by breeding on our farm. About six weeks ago we sold about 2/3's of our flock to get down to 40 birds.

 

[Perris]

I have a question for everyone on this thread: Who all amongst you has full-on free-range survival chickens? I mean the roost-in-the-trees, not-shut-in-a-secure-coop-at-night kind? I just want to make sure it isn't a pipe dream for me to have a hands-off flock(s) in addition to my regular coop chickens.

Two pullets, one hen and a cockerel among the flock here choose to roost in trees, while the rest choose one or another coop. Some that now roost in coop roosted in trees when they were younger. The tree roosters are always down first and congregate around the 4 coops waiting for me to let the rest out at dawn.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Can you see any pattern as to how they split up?

There are two younger BBR cockerels that have grouped with the mature RJF hybrid rooster. The black mixed stag has no cockerels running with him. The black mixed stag has retained more hens and has retained the farmyard. Yet I’d say the RJF hybrid is dominant. His spurs are long and as last as last week (before I noticed the flock split), he was running the black stag around and the black stag was staying distance from the one overall flock.

I would say the feeder and foodplot where the RJF hybrid is holding are currently the prime real estate. The feeder throws out corn for 2 seconds morning and evening and the plot has retained more greenery than the rest of the farmyard in our recent freezes. In years past, that plot would have been a danger zone the chickens avoided. But my current guardian dog is doing a great job patrolling the farm and opening up new areas for safe foraging.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

As far as hens go, I’ll have to study them to see if I see any patterns as to which hens chose which rooster.