Advice on breeds of various poultry

[TurnipGreens]

This seemed like the best place for this, but if there is a better one, Mods feel free to move it

I am looking to create a mixed poultry flock (for eggs, meat, and fat) for a (future) homestead, and I wanted to get first-hand experience and/or research tips from y'all on species and breeds within those species.

An ideal bird would be: hardy in both North Alabama hot summers and milder (but still cold) winters, excellent brooders and mothers, excellent foragers and predator-evaders, disease resistant, quiet, high layers (including throughout the year, cold and heat), trustworthy to return to the coop nightly and lay eggs in nesting boxes, not prone to wandering too far, not dumb, amiable to other flock members, amiable to me, a breed whose males defend their females well, a good source of meat and fat (for cooking), easily culled and processed by hand by one person, not prone to destroying gardens or vehicles, not prone to pooping on houses and such, and able to keep pest levels down.

Of course, I know that a bird like this doesn't exist (unless it does, then please inform me of it haha). Thus, I will subdivide this list into three categories: Essentials (characteristics every breed/species must have to be included in the flock), Necessaries (characteristics that at least some of the breeds/species must have to be included on the list, but not essential for every breed in the flock to have; just so long as those with the characteristics can pick up the slack from those without), and Desirables (things that I can work around and do without if need be, but would prefer nonetheless).

Essentials: hardy in both North Alabama hot summers and milder (but still cold) winters, excellent foragers, disease resistant, return to the coop nightly, lay eggs in nesting boxes, not prone to wandering too far, amiable to other flock members, easily culled and processed by hand by one person

Necessaries: excellent brooders and mothers, high layers (including throughout the year, cold and heat), a good source of meat and fat (for cooking), males defend their females well

Desirables: quiet, not prone to destroying gardens or vehicles, not prone to pooping on houses and such, not dumb, amiable to me, able to keep pest levels down, excellent predator-evaders

With that in mind, here are the breeds/species I am looking at. See the "Notes" section below for more details, and feel free to ask questions if needed:
1. Cotton Patch Geese
2. Muscovy Ducks
3. Khaki Campbell Ducks
4. Turken / Naked Neck Chickens
5. Java Chickens
6. Dominique Chickens
7. Guinea Fowl
8. Coturnix Quail
9. Ringneck Pheasant
10. Chukar Partridge
11. Peafowl
12. Egyptian Geese
13. Royal Palm Turkeys

Notes:
1. Several of these birds I have included on this list as redundancies for myself. What I mean is, several of these seem to miserably fail certain essential criteria from all accounts I have read (and have privately been pretty much removed from consideration). Others seem to glowingly pass all criteria from all accounts I have read (and are almost assured a spot in the flock). Nonetheless, I include these solely in case I have managed to find completely wrong information and/or y'all have experience that completely changes how I think of the breed.
2. If for any given species there is a breed that would suit me better than the one listed, please let me know.
3. From what I have read about Turkens, they seem to have a strain that lays moderately well (150-200) and a strain that lays very well (250-300). Please note and comment on this if you discuss the Turken.
4. Because of the sentimental place Cotton Patch Geese have for me (due to their integral place in historical Southern farm life), they will definitely have a place in the flock unless there is an overwhelming reason for me to reject them. Despite this, please give your thoughts on them as if this is not the case.

 

[Perris]

Hello @TurnipGreens welcome to BYC

It looks like you already know more about these breeds (as well as what you want, obviously) than the average BYCer, so you might not get many replies to this. It might be more effective to post questions about the different fowls in their own forums, where there is more chance of your post being seen by the right eyes before it gets pushed off the front page by newer posts. I would advise you to go here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/#other-backyard-poultry.66
and target the questions about each species in the appropriate group. Good luck!

 

[AGeese]

@Florida Bullfrog might be able to help you with the chickens and the Turkeys.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

This seemed like the best place for this, but if there is a better one, Mods feel free to move it

I am looking to create a mixed poultry flock (for eggs, meat, and fat) for a (future) homestead, and I wanted to get first-hand experience and/or research tips from y'all on species and breeds within those species.

An ideal bird would be: hardy in both North Alabama hot summers and milder (but still cold) winters, excellent brooders and mothers, excellent foragers and predator-evaders, disease resistant, quiet, high layers (including throughout the year, cold and heat), trustworthy to return to the coop nightly and lay eggs in nesting boxes, not prone to wandering too far, not dumb, amiable to other flock members, amiable to me, a breed whose males defend their females well, a good source of meat and fat (for cooking), easily culled and processed by hand by one person, not prone to destroying gardens or vehicles, not prone to pooping on houses and such, and able to keep pest levels down.

Of course, I know that a bird like this doesn't exist (unless it does, then please inform me of it haha). Thus, I will subdivide this list into three categories: Essentials (characteristics every breed/species must have to be included in the flock), Necessaries (characteristics that at least some of the breeds/species must have to be included on the list, but not essential for every breed in the flock to have; just so long as those with the characteristics can pick up the slack from those without), and Desirables (things that I can work around and do without if need be, but would prefer nonetheless).

Essentials: hardy in both North Alabama hot summers and milder (but still cold) winters, excellent foragers, disease resistant, return to the coop nightly, lay eggs in nesting boxes, not prone to wandering too far, amiable to other flock members, easily culled and processed by hand by one person

Necessaries: excellent brooders and mothers, high layers (including throughout the year, cold and heat), a good source of meat and fat (for cooking), males defend their females well

Desirables: quiet, not prone to destroying gardens or vehicles, not prone to pooping on houses and such, not dumb, amiable to me, able to keep pest levels down, excellent predator-evaders

With that in mind, here are the breeds/species I am looking at. See the "Notes" section below for more details, and feel free to ask questions if needed:
1. Cotton Patch Geese
2. Muscovy Ducks
3. Khaki Campbell Ducks
4. Turken / Naked Neck Chickens
5. Java Chickens
6. Dominique Chickens
7. Guinea Fowl
8. Coturnix Quail
9. Ringneck Pheasant
10. Chukar Partridge
11. Peafowl
12. Egyptian Geese
13. Royal Palm Turkeys

Notes:
1. Several of these birds I have included on this list as redundancies for myself. What I mean is, several of these seem to miserably fail certain essential criteria from all accounts I have read (and have privately been pretty much removed from consideration). Others seem to glowingly pass all criteria from all accounts I have read (and are almost assured a spot in the flock). Nonetheless, I include these solely in case I have managed to find completely wrong information and/or y'all have experience that completely changes how I think of the breed.
2. If for any given species there is a breed that would suit me better than the one listed, please let me know.
3. From what I have read about Turkens, they seem to have a strain that lays moderately well (150-200) and a strain that lays very well (250-300). Please note and comment on this if you discuss the Turken.
4. Because of the sentimental place Cotton Patch Geese have for me (due to their integral place in historical Southern farm life), they will definitely have a place in the flock unless there is an overwhelming reason for me to reject them. Despite this, please give your thoughts on them as if this is not the case.

Howdy!

First, let me say that you sound like a person after my own heart. I’m a big advocate for a return to rustic breeds of livestock that can be mostly self-sufficient on a patch of normal farmland (with “normal” being defined as a typical patch of green land of a few acres). I have no interest in fowl or any livestock that cannot live on what’s natural in my farm.

You already understand that there won’t be a perfect fowl that meets all criteria. I would argue that the best place to start is American gamefowl. They’ll do most of what you want. What they lack in an individual hen’s yearly egg count can be made up by simply having more of them.

When mixing other free range species, be aware that you may create both social and biological conflicts. For example, ducks have a different reproductive biology that chickens and if a drake tries to breed your chickens, your drake may kill them in the process.

Guineas: when they may it to adulthood they become excellent foragers and are reasonably predator-resistant when free ranging. But they fail in reproducing themselves. The hens develop a smell of wet horse and when they go set they often do so a ways from the homestead. They get picked off by predators usually within the first 1-2 nights of setting. I believe the strong smell lets predators immediately key in on them at night. Guinea flocks often turn into entirely male groups for this reason. There was a time when guineas did better on Southern farmsteads, but hatchery guineas won’t cut it. You’ll want to try to find a self-sustaining flock near you and try to obtain guineas or eggs from that source. Guineas will dominate your gamefowl though and modify the gamefowl’s behavior to be submissive.

Coturnix Quail: not self-sufficient at all. You can’t free range them or reproduce them without major intervention from yourself. I got rid of mine. No point in them for the way I farm.

Peafowl: they can survive well. We have lots of feral peafowl in Florida that run with and cross with wild turkeys. I used to have some feral peafowl on the old family farm. But they can roam a lot. They’ll come and go. You’ll go days without seeing them. I don’t keep any in my chicken flock. I don’t figure they’ll stay and they’ll probably be aggressive to my chickens.

Turkeys: In your mind, separate turkeys into 2 groups: commercial and heritage. Don’t get hung up on “royal palm” or any other color term. They’re sort of different breeds, and sort of not. The various labels are mostly designations of color that only have any connotation to “breed” to the extent that certain localities promoted certain colors and those color groups within certain localities became genetically isolated. But these days heritage turkeys are IDed by color so if someone has a whitish turkey they’re going to call it a “royal palm” regardless as to its actual origin.

I raised mixed heritage turkeys for several years. Currently I’ve culled them all. I may try again later. Some cons:

- Its hard to keep them home. They will consistently come home to roost at night but during the day they’ll roam far. I’ve caught mine 1/4 from home through the woods. In all of that travel, predators will devastate most of them at some point.

- Raising them out requires a lot of food if you aren’t free ranging them, and you pretty much have to keep them cooped until partially grown.

- I suspect that they’re disease sinks that carry things that kill chickens.

- They imprint on humans too easy and it will cause your hens to get run over as they squat to be bred by your vehicle as you drive by and the gobblers will attack you.

It seems that commercial turkeys stick close to home. I’m still unlocking the secrets of how to free range turkeys without human intervention. They used to be so kept in times past, and I know of a local farm that free ranges them well. But I’m not yet satisfied that understand the formula to make it work.

If you want to up your odds of having a rooster that will bust a hawk, look into a large oriental gamefowl rooster of gamey disposition and let him be your free range flock protector. You want to make sure he can fly into the trees at night to roost (some can’t). Let him cross into other breeds of chickens and he’ll impart his physique and attitude to birds that are otherwise better layers. Many duel purpose breeds such as the Rhode Island Red were created this way and that’s why RIRs in their original form were great flock protectors and free rangers before hatcheries warped them.