What's the best breed to let run semi-feral?

[JacinLarkwell]

My pheonixes seem to thrive being left to their own devices so long as they get food and water. Every spring I end up having to move along pullets and males that were raised au natural.

But they are small and they don't believe in nestboxes either

 

[NorthEastGameBirds]

Old English Pheasant Fowl​

if you could get hold of these little beauties in America i think you would be on for a winner. Hardiest little birds around.

 

[chickfused]

3 to predation now. Freakin' foxes. I can't get a good shot at it.

 

[troyer]

Roosters are 5-6lbs and hens are 3-4lbs. Not all the birds in the pictures are available but are examples of what I have.
This white hen is available, she is a medium size hen, 3-3 1/2 pounds. She raised all of the chicks pictured in 2021 without losing any to hawks.

This cockerel is available too. I have others available not pictured.

 

[troyer]

We do have foxes and coyotes here, but I have never had any issues with them. I do have a Great Pyrenees now, but for the first two years of living here I did not have the Pyrenees and I had no issues with fox or coyote. I don't know if they just weren't hungry enough or if the neighborhood dogs kept them at bay. Every year when the coyote hunters come through here they always get several coyotes. I tend to have more problems with raccoon, opossum or skunks than anything else other than the normal hawk population. I take all precautions with night time roosting areas. They are either inaccessible to night time varmints (to tall to jump up and catch and not climbable by raccoon) or closeable coops that are large breed dog proof.

 

[chickfused]

Really nice. I don't seem to have much trouble with aerial predators, it's dogs and foxes that seem to be the issue. And silly curious chickens who encounter venomous snakes and peck at them.

 

[JedJackson]

Hi, someone here has suggested a guard animal. Was wondering whether you might encourage large Canada geese to come down and mix with them, possibly by providing a lake or pond of some sort, and planting mangolds such as turnips and swedes for them to root up, as well as other root crops, which they love, though maybe not potatoes. You might give them some grass pellets in the winter - I think that's what they eat if I remember. As I understand it, Canadas are so vicious even a fox won't have a go. They are therefore ideal 'guard dogs' for gentler geese that would otherwise become prey, so perhaps Canadas would work for your hens. A pity Canadas are now considered a pest, and often culled. Maybe people haven't yet realised their useful side!

The only thing geese are good for as far as protection goes is alerting owners to a problem, because they are so noisy when excited. They can't protect anything, including themselves, from attacks by larger predators like dogs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, owls, and many others. It doesn't matter how vicious they are against better equipped predators.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Where are you located @troyer ?

 

[troyer]

Where are you located @troyer ?

South central Michigan.