The Perfect Free-Range Chicken?

[cmom]

Do you want a cross, even if there's one breed that fulfills all requirements? I have found that Leghorns are range-wary, intelligent, capable of enough flight to get away from dogs, incredible layers, and cold hardy. Even the whites, which are single combed. Yes, they get frostbite, but that's only one measure of hardiness, and there are rose combed varieties that still lay like gangbusters, according to what I've heard.

My hatchery line Leghorns were out and about on weeks when the highest temperature didn't even scrape 0*F and the lows were much colder. They have ample and stiff feathering that still possesses plenty of down. I have found that cold hardiness seems to be rather connected to temperament—the 'calm' breeds sit on the roost and shiver themselves to death, and the feisty breeds get off the roost and eat and drink and stay alive.

If you want to do a cross, I'd put American Gamefowl into the Leghorn and see what it does. If you want DP, I'd add Chantecler. They're almost as hardy as the Leghorns. A bit sillier about snow, but very good winter layers. Most of my birds shut down in winter, even the first year pullets, and only the Chanteclers and Leghorns lay through.

I wouldn't do EE's for rate of lay or flight. I found them average at best in both respects.

A cross maybe good. I raise Single Comb White and Rose Comb Dark Brown Leghorns. In the past few months I have lost 3 of the White Leghorns to predators. The 3 Houdini's. They could find a way out of any coop and pen I put them in and would get out any chance they could. All three eventually disappeared. I found some feathers behind the coops but the other 2 just vanished. The rest stay in their pens until I let them out.

 

[cmom]

I always account for the birds when I collect the eggs in the evenings. The birds were all in their pens in the evening from my last check but had disappeared by the next morning. One disappeared one day and about a week or so later the other 2 disappeared. That is when I found some feathers behind the coops.

 

[FayoumisFreak]

I updated the brooder setup for more space. The chicks love it. They are very active!

All 34 chicks survived the shipment from McMurray to Montana. They all seem healthy!

 

[FayoumisFreak]

The chicks are 6 days old today! Wings and tails are developing well.

^Easter Egger "Rosie"

^Lakenvelder "Kraker"

^Group shot. An Easter Egger had kicked up a ton of bedding into the waterers prior to the photo.

^Barred Plymouth Rock w/out name

^Easter Egger "Iris"

^Egyptian Fayoumis "Crook" (Has deformed crooked right middle toe)

I only named a select few. However, I have some names picked out for roosters once they get older. Some are Crow, Salem, and Poe.

I will update more as they grow and develop.

 

[Mykl]

I am trying a similar small scale backyard project in CT. We have serious winters. I want total forest free-range w no fences. Now I lock them in at night but I’m trying to figure out how to rig their coop so they can do this themselves rather than risk an automatic door malfunction.

I want predator evasion, cold hardiness, egg production, foraging ability, and low feed requirements.

I have 5 egg producers (3 buckeye and 2 Dominique-both groups doing exceptionally well once they made it to adulthood- surviving several months now w no predator losses). We started w 4 and 4 but lost 1 Dominique chick to a rat due to a small hole in the coop, 1 to a hawk last fall (when still small), and lost one buckeye to illness (vent prolapse related issues) just recently. The surviving 5 are 1 year old and have been making almost 1 egg per day... seeming very happy.

I just bought 15 more with a variety of breeds to see which fare best.

This is my mix:
Adult-
3 Buckeye
2 Dominique
Chicks-
4 Easter eggers
4 speckled Hamburg
2 welsummer
1 Wyandotte
1 barred rock
1 partridge rock
1 Sumatra
1 buff Brahma (for brooding)

We will see who survives!!

 

[varidgerunner]

I am trying a similar small scale backyard project in CT. We have serious winters. I want total forest free-range w no fences. Now I lock them in at night but I’m trying to figure out how to rig their coop so they can do this themselves rather than risk an automatic door malfunction.

I want predator evasion, cold hardiness, egg production, foraging ability, and low feed requirements.

I have 5 egg producers (3 buckeye and 2 Dominique-both groups doing exceptionally well once they made it to adulthood- surviving several months now w no predator losses). We started w 4 and 4 but lost 1 Dominique chick to a rat due to a small hole in the coop, 1 to a hawk last fall (when still small), and lost one buckeye to illness (vent prolapse related issues) just recently. The surviving 5 are 1 year old and have been making almost 1 egg per day... seeming very happy.

I just bought 15 more with a variety of breeds to see which fare best.

This is my mix:
Adult-
3 Buckeye
2 Dominique
Chicks-
4 Easter eggers
4 speckled Hamburg
2 welsummer
1 Wyandotte
1 barred rock
1 partridge rock
1 Sumatra
1 buff Brahma (for brooding)

We will see who survives!!

Large fowl buff Brahma may never go broody. Bantam are good hawk snacks if free ranged. The Sumatra will do as well as any of those. Game leghorn, sumatra leghorn, cubalaya leghorn crosses would all do about anything that anyone on this thread is asking a chicken to do. Want more eggs, cross back to leghorn again, retain peacombed pullets and after the first year some of them will still go broody.

 

[FayoumisFreak]

The chicks are 4 weeks old today! No fatalities yet. They are developing very well!

Easter Egger "Iris"

Lakenvelder "Ptarmigan"

Unnamed Egyptian Fayoumis

Also, here are some pictures from a week ago: