Which breeds are more predator conscious?

[eggorthechicken]

Just curious to know what breed you all have experience with that are more predator aware than others?

 

[heronz]

I find the anconas,jaerhons,and campines to be.

 

[centrarchid]

With respect to the ability to detect predators, most breeds appear similar with exception of breeds like polish. The real differences are in respect to avoidance behavior and physical ability to carry it out. Some breeds like Old English Bantams seem sort of at a loss as what to do and others like my American Dominiques seem to know what to do but lack the physical ability to fly as needed.

Flight is beneficial even when dealing with hawks. With ground predators, simply flying up into a tree or onto a building is adequate but most poultry lack either the sprinting ability or the long distance capacity. Even many of the flighty breeds are short changed on endurance somtimes needed to get from middle of feild to a tree. With hawks, the flappping run is faster method than simply running.

Experience is also important. Nieve birds gets picked off even though they have abilities. Each year my birds need to see a flock member or two get at least chased before they even get scared and then they need to learn where they are safe from a given type of predator. Adults can help greatly with this regard.

Not all responses are instinctive and physical conditon can effect abilities of birds to respond. My conditioned games are much more capable fliers than those that are penned up.

AMERICAN GAMES ARE HANDILY THE BEST WITH RESPECT TO AVOIDING PREDATORS I DEAL WITH BUT THEY DO NOT LAY OR PRODUCE MEAT AS WELL.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I vote for American Game Fowl. A friend of mine had a bobcat problem back in the 70s and after he took my advice and cleaned up the cover the bobcats were stalking his chickens from he caught up a half dozen or so pullets and smeared their feathers and backs with honey and sprinkled strychnine liberty on them.

There was about 10,000 acres of US Steel land abutting his farm so he took these pullets about two miles from his home and released them into prime bobcat territory. Everything went fine until March or April of the next year when shortly after daylight he saw a strange hen walking up his driveway. This hen was perfectly feathered, and her head was red and swollen like a strawberry. She commenced to establish herself and before the day was out she was the master of all the hens.

He watched and caught her off the roost that night. To make a long story short the hen had one of his wing bands and a check of his records showed that she was one of the sacrificial pullets he had released as bobcat bait. 6-7 months before. The crowing of his roosters had attracted her because prime chicken breeding season had arrived and she was looking for a rooster to fertilize her eggs.

 

[eggorthechicken]

Thanks for the responses. I have lost 3 this week and not sure due to what. I lost my fav bantam cochin, a rhode island and a salmon faverolle. The cochin and rhode island just disappeared but the faverolle left a trail :0( anyway I cant seem to keep my cochins and they are my fav.