to those who free-range: do white birds really have higher mortality?

[matte]

I've had hawk problems equally among colors including Black Australorps. I've never understood talk of "camoflauge" of Speckled Sussex and such. Hawk's main diet around here consists of field mice. If they can spot mice from a few hundred feet up, it doesn't seem like color would matter. Maybe the temptation is just greater with white??
I can say that a better defense than color is natural instinct. My dual purpose heritage breeds will head to the barn when a shadow of a plane passes overhead, while the Red Star production birds just keep browsing.

 

[WriterofWords]

From the scientific point of view the color that stands out clearly from the surrounding colors will be lost first. When owls and hawks hunt rodents in a lava flow the white and light brown rodents will be eaten before the black rodents. Therefore, a brown chicken that has brown grass or bushes to hide under will be less likely to be taken than a white chicken that stands out against grass or bushes.

 

[kennedyscochins]

I have only had chickens for a year, but I had a partridge cochin pullet killed by a hawk. Now, having said that, my parents (who have had chickens as long as I can remember) always say their white ones get killed first. Easiest to see for hawks. I was actually at their house one day and a hawk swooped down and killed their white silkie rooster.

 

[sben451]

This is my second year with chickens and I have free ranged them nearly every day. I had not lost one chicken (other than a couple of chicks) until this week. A hawk (possible a Cooper's hawk) killed my favorite White Silkie hen Sunday afternoon.

The hawk was back again this morning after I let the chickens out, but the roosters made a ruckus and he flew off after we went out to check on the chickens. I found few Buff colored feathers, but my Buff hens are all ok and accounted for. I do suspect that the white chickens might be easier to spot. I'll be keeping my chickens in their runs for a while (have to put wire on top of one run, the other is covered).

 

[Imp]

I have heard the same thing. When I was looking at buying a POL white rock X I asked if that was true. She said she hadn't heard that and it wasn't true with her birds. I got the white chicken and have had no problem in the last year and a half. Of course I have had no predation in 5 years. There are predators around, they just haven't come after my birds. I freerange all day with no protection, and my chickens will run around the yard in the dark.

Imp

 

[Ibicella]

White is easier to see, but predators will usually default to whatever is more convenient. A hawk has telecopic vision, it can see white or brown chickens perfectly easily.

White is a disadvantage due to being more flashy and its harder to hide, but if you have a spry and watchful white bird over a more absent minded dirt tone bird, the brown bird would likely be the choice pick for a predator.

So the answer is likely, but not necessarily.

*edited for typo fail.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I have had more colored birds taken than white. In fact, I don't think I have ever lost a white bird to a pred

 

[schmije]

I've heard that white birds will be taken first, but that has not been my experience. We free range and have lost a number of birds to predators, but none of them have been white. It seems that our most friendly birds are the ones that are taken first. I think it's because they're less afraid. The only white birds we've ever lost were in a fire last month.

 

[keesmom]

Quote:
At one time I had 3 silver spangled Hamburgs and 3 Anconas. I only have one Ancona left. The rest were all taken by hawks.

One day a fox came through when our 3 Australorps and 3 buff orps were out. Only the 3 Australorps survived.

In our experience the white/lighter shaded birds are usually the ones that are lost to predators. Of course the predators will take anything they can get and we have lost one or 2 darker birds as well.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I've yet to lose a white bird to a predator. They must know they're white and hide better. I had a sultan cock that free ranged from when he was old enough to be out of the brooder in 2007 to just recently when I sold him. Through a few dog attacks and who knows how many hawks and owls that fly over my place in any given day, nary a feather out of place!