Self Sufficient Breeding vs. Dual Purpose Breeding

[MeanCheek]

It's not a foolish question. It is sensible and logical and true, which is why it feels out of place in this thread.

Yes, humans created all chickens, and yes, there are lines of game birds bred to be good meat producers. Not as good as actual meat birds, but at least worth throwing the match-loser into a pot. And some folks have always put their money behind the bigger, heavier opponent, rather than a smaller, faster one. So certainly, the lines are there

Thats what I thought. I was really confused (That's quite easy to do, though).

 

[abenardini]

I live on 30 acres in N Florida…but my forest is 100% pine. I think what’s being discussed would be an absolute impossibility for me.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I live on 30 acres in N Florida…but my forest is 100% pine. I think what’s being discussed would be an absolute impossibility for me.

Hey stranger! We're neighbors (of sorts - I have much less Pine and likely more elevation).

With my improved pasture, I save about 35% on my feed bill from late spring to early fall - the chickens bug hunt (and the ducks do well with acorns) in our surrounding woods, but to go completely self sustaining, we'd have to reduce head count considerably, and I still have doubts about the winter months. For a state with no actual "winter" season, there's just not that much to eat late Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb.

I suspect you are probably right.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'd end up with frozen nuggets if I wanted completely free range birds here. Even in the summer, when they're eating as many locusts as they can fit in their beaks, they don't have full crops in the evening when I check on them

 

[abenardini]

Hey stranger! We're neighbors (of sorts - I have much less Pine and likely more elevation).

With my improved pasture, I save about 35% on my feed bill from late spring to early fall - the chickens bug hunt (and the ducks do well with acorns) in our surrounding woods, but to go completely self sustaining, we'd have to reduce head count considerably, and I still have doubts about the winter months. For a state with no actual "winter" season, there's just not that much to eat late Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb.

I suspect you are probably right.

Nice! I wish I could let my chickens free range. I tried for a couple years but nothing worked for me. Lost every bird to predators. Mine are secure now but I’m also looking at ways to save on feed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Nice! I wish I could let my chickens free range. I tried for a couple years but nothing worked for me. Lost every bird to predators. Mine are secure now but I’m also looking at ways to save on feed.

Honestly, I lose a few from time to time. Part of the risks. Yes, I have dogs, and goats, and electric fences and places for them to hide, and I live on the property, and all the other things - but there are no guarantees. The House, eventually, always gets its due.

 

[abenardini]

Honestly, I lose a few from time to time. Part of the risks. Yes, I have dogs, and goats, and electric fences and places for them to hide, and I live on the property, and all the other things - but there are no guarantees. The House, eventually, always gets its due.

I wish it was just one here or there. We are one of the only wooded areas that are left (surrounded by subdivisions now,) so all of the previously spread out wildlife lives on our land it feels like. Even when I’d give them 5 acres of “safe” fenced in area, they would always beat the fence. Lost 3 of our daughters bunnies to a bobcat family that hopped over a 6 foot fence like it was nothing, so they’re now covered as well.

 

[MountainMarans2012]

The extra size I'm talking about is maybe 8 ounces. That's just something I'm experimenting with. My main flock is pure game.
As for what my birds eat in the winter, not be smart alicky, but I really don't know. I just see them constantly foraging. Game chickens have built in survival skills, that have been breed out of domestic chickens. They eat things that domestic chickens won't eat. When there's snow on the ground, both domestic and game will be scratching through the snow. But the domestic chickens won't have much in their craws, while the game chickens craws are fairly full. So, I have to supplement the domestic chickens. Heck, I have to supplement the domestic chickens right now. I call them my worthless chickens. God created chickens to be self sufficient. Man has decided that he can improve on what The Lord did. So, he's breed the self sustainability out of chickens, and turned them into domestic, worthless, dependant chickens.

Which LF Game breeds are you using Jungle Fowl or LF Old English?
Have you looked into Landrace Breeds like the Egyptian Fayoumi or Icelandic?
Here's a link to some Landrace Breeds that you can get in the US.
https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/landrace-chicken-breeds

 

[MeanCheek]

Which LF Game breeds are you using Jungle Fowl or LF Old English?
Have you looked into Landrace Breeds like the Egyptian Fayoumi or Icelandic?
Here's a link to some Landrace Breeds that you can get in the US.
https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/landrace-chicken-breeds

X2
I was going to suggest Icelandics.

 

[Molpet]

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chicken-dna-jungle-fowl-genetics

Looks like the wild jungle fowl DNA is turning into domesticated chickens