Most bestest free ranging chicken?

[sniper338]

Whats the best chicken breeds for free ranging every day? The kind of free range?


I know leghorns are quite good, I have a few of those. Looking for the guineas of chickens cuz I need em to coop up easily.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Any of them really. There isn't one that I would say are the best or the worst. I've got a mixed flock who free range every day and they all do great. Plus, as long as they know to roost in the coop then they all head back in at night.

I do recommend an automatic coop door if you plan on free ranging every day. This ensures they stay safe at night even if you forget to lock the coop door. Not having one was what caused me to lose my entire flock in one night.

 

[iwltfum]

2nd vote for pretty much any breed... I would probably avoid production varieties personally, not that it can't be done. Really depends on your goals and management. Pretty much any chicken can be raised on grass...most chickens don't even need a fence to make sure they stick around to coop up at night. But will your birds be lazy or will they forage a significant amount of their feed from the wild? Will your birds be aloof or will they be predator aware enough to stay out of danger? Will they be prone to lay eggs in improvised/hidden nests or will they consistently lay in standard lay boxes? Etc. Those types of considerations can be helpful when looking at breeds for free ranging.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I don’t know if I agree that any chicken is a good free range chicken. It really depends on what you want. If you want something that will forage for most of it’s food and eat less commercial feed you are probably looking for something along the lines of a heritage bird instead of something like a dual-purpose layer/meat bird. It also depends on your climate. Texas gets hot so I wouldn’t get something like a Cochin to free range there. Rhode Island Reds are great layers and good foragers I’ve heard. I don’t keep them so I don’t know that from experience. Depending on your predator population something flighty like a Leghorn may be good. There are lots of options! And lots of opinions too I’m sure. You might also consider feather color because depending on what the area you are ranging them in looks like you might want them more camouflaged from aerial predators

 

[GuineaMania]

I agree with the others! Of course I wouldn't do something like a silkie or a bantam kind of breed. Leghorns are known to be flighty, so I think it is best to have a more chill chicken just in case you need to grab it to put in to bed, if it gets sick, etc. Not super calm, but just calm enough. Also agree with @BlindLemonChicken that temperature hardiness is important. Also maybe a chicken that is good at getting away from predators. Many of my chickens escape their fenced in run to free range, and all my different breeds seem to do well with it.

 

[sniper338]

I know most breeds will free range. I've had chickens for a while and grew up with em too. Leghorns are the best free ranging chickens I've had though. Just didn't know if there's any other breed that does it better.

 

[iwltfum]

I know most breeds will free range. I've had chickens for a while and grew up with em too. Leghorns are the best free ranging chickens I've had though. Just didn't know if there's any other breed that does it better.

There are too many to name. Like blind lemon chicken said, most heritage birds will be great for free ranging. Plus lots of others. It really depends on your goals for the chickens and your specific management situation and location. Are you going for egg production, dual purpose, tick management? Do they need to be kid friendly? Do you have six months of mud where they will be ranging? Do you have a cool shady environment where they will live or is it hot and open? What's the amount of predator pressure where you are? All of these types of things will determine what breeds will be best. If none of it matters than it's really dealer's choice. Whatever floats your fancy...

 

[iwltfum]

Just didn't know if there's any other breed that does it better.

Personally though, just from my own biased opinion and based on my own situation and climate, I really appreciate black australorps and blue andalusians.

 

[Mrs. K]

What exactly do you mean by free ranging? Some people mean their back yard. Me, when I free range- they are open to the ranch.

A LOT depends on your predators. Coons and coyotes have taken a lot of birds. I have tried changing the colors. I have heard that white birds are easily seen, and caught. I tried brown birds for camouflage, but now think that looks more like natural prey. I have recently read black birds, because they resemble crows, and that helps.

Truthfully, I have fed a lot of predators.

As for saving on commercial feed. I live in SD, and really while my birds scratch all year, May and June will produce enough food where it diminishes the need for commercial feed, by July, the bugs are hardening off- reach adult size, and not so much protien.

I randomly free range. I love to let them out. But if I do it every day, they pick me off.

Mrs K