what is a good "flighty"chicken breed-thanks guys-got it.

[orientphoenix]

Quote:
your welcome

 

[Resolution]

There are a few really great free ranging breeds that have thousands, not hundreds, of years of natural selection hovering over them -they just know how to avoid hawks and when attacked have a better chance of escape because they've got their wits intact.

Fayoumi
Colloncas
Spitzhauben
Malagasy
Rapanui
Quetero
Andean
Penedesencas
Lakenvelder
Buttercup
Friesen
Crested (Paco) Mapuche
Cubalaya
Sumatran

 

[heronz]

Anconas.
I have read in many books that they are the best for free range.
Something about their coloring makes them harder to get.
I also had pretty good luck with Norwegian Jaerhons.
The anconas I had were pretty friendly with me even though they were flighty when they needed to be and they are always on the lookout.

 

[donnavee]

Quote:
I certainly vote for the Golden Campines - little brats and you can never get your hands on them. Mine got locked out a few nights before we clipped their wings and I worried needlessly. The next morning they would be digging holes in the yard and squawking at me.

 

[abundantwife]

Please add Norwegian Jaerhons to your list! They are small but lay large white eggs-- mottled feathering makes them hard for predators to spot, they love to free-range, and they can fly like crazy!! The best part is that, unlike some of those other "flighty" breeds, they are easily tamed! Jaerhons definitely would not disappoint you!

 

[ssmith1373]

Minorcas are good layers but good flyers as well. They are so lovely in a field as well. You might want to consider them.

 

[Bantam Username]

Bantam wise, Dutch and Sebrights are both flighty birds. They are light with good size wings and tend to be very good fliers. Especially the Dutch.

 

[PtldChick]

Almost any of the lighter bodied, white egg laying breeds would fit the bill. If you're worried about them being seen from above, stay away from the white, or mostly white birds. A lot of these are Mediterranean breeds, so if you live where it gets really cold in the winter, they may not be quite as hardy. But there are quite a few breeds that originated in northern Europe as well.

I think EEs are hit and miss, many are lighter-bodied, and if they lay blue/green eggs they have Araucana in their genes, but it all depends on what other breeds are in their background.

 

[Patricia Jane]

Lt brown leghorn.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Fayoumis, Leghorns. The former lay lots of small white eggs; the latter lots of larger white eggs.

Another option that is not flighty, but very good at free ranging, is the old-fashioned American breed, the Dominique or Dominecker. Turkens also are supposed to do well - but I haven't been around any, let alone had any.

Old English Game are the ultimate free range chickens. In some parts of the country you find them wandering down the roads. My grandparents had a flock of the bantams that completely took care of themselves, other than coming in every morning for some scratch offered in the kitchen. After eating, the rooster used to climb on the back of my grandmother's rocking chair and crow while his ladies surrounded him and watched. Then the entire flock would go out together.

BTW, it seems hawks can see birds that are not white. They can also pretty much out fly any chicken.