best chciken breeds that do well on their own with predators?

[animals1981]

I understand most people with daytime predator issues have chicken breeds like silkies or RIR I never hear of adult game chickens being taken by predators during the day. Like the large standard games. I have seen a pheonix rooster chase off a fox during the day. Anyone know of good chicken breeds that are good at going after predators? I know people cant bring these breeds into their flock because the roosters and hens will just kill their current flock. Some of the hens have spurs or even double spurs? Some breeds i was told even guineafowl wont dare mess with. The only issue is some are not attractive like i dont find asils attractive neither are shamoo.

 

[centrarchid]

I have had games all my life. They are more resistant although not immune to predation by same predators that go after other breeds. Even if they were healed with the illegal fighting equipment, I would not place money even on my meanest hen or rooster when pitted against a fox or coyote. The chicken might make predator of that sort turn tail once in a while but most of time such a predator will trot off with a dead but warm chicken in its mouth.

 

[CMV]

Best chicken breeds that do well on their own with predators? None. Chickens are prey animals. Period.

 

[animals1981]

okay well here is a question some of my barn cats will kill weasels young possems and even minks there is no breed of chicken that can match a barn cats ability?



I hear game chicken breeders bragging about predators their game chickens have killed but i dont know what is real or what is fiction

 

[LIBERTYNY]

I can only speak from my limited experience of 1 year with 4 RIR hens 3 PBR hens 1 PBR roster

After 1 year i have no PBR but all 4 RIR hens. I doubt that's coincidence. Then again what do I know


I myself am looking into birds that are better in predator situations

 

[chickmashnoon]

I think the most you can do is get breeds that are able to fly some distance. You can get chickens that are more likely to evade predators but it's gonna take some sci-fi action to find a bird that will take out a fox or coyote. Maybe a little gene splicing- part chicken/part condor

just dreaming.

usually the flightier breeds that are less people friendly are much better at evading predators.

 

[centrarchid]

okay well here is a question some of my barn cats will kill weasels young possems and even minks there is no breed of chicken that can match a barn cats ability?



I hear game chicken breeders bragging about predators their game chickens have killed but i dont know what is real or what is fiction

I have seen and heard otherwise relate to witnessing a gamehen drive off a fox but most of time fox prevails. The hen winning does get more press but is often taken out of context with respect to how many hens actually fail.

Birds with better resistance to predators not only fly well but know where and when to fly. Sometimes this requires seeing some of your buddies lost to predator and being in good physical condition when forced to respond. A game that has spent life or even last 6 months in a cockyard is often little more able to escape a ground predator than a production bird. Being in good shape can double or even triple flight capabilites which can be important if predator finds you in open feild.

My games can not kill anything bigger than a vole unless it is another type of bird. They can kill a hawk that lingers too long on ground but such a scenario is most likely to involve multiple chickens attacking one hawk. I have not scene such but based on knowledge of hawks and being on receiving end of floggings, game can do very real damage to hawk very quickly and it is not the spurs that do it, rather impact of wings, and if they can, the pecking when directed at head.

 

[dainerra]

I was thinking along the line of Zombie Apocalypse - you don't have to be the fastest chicken, just not the slowest.

Yes, sometimes chickens can face off a predator - it generally means that the predator wasn't that hungry. They didn't want to waste the energy or knew an easier place to grab a quick bite.

 

[berserker]

I let my games run free during the day till up to one year of age. Its been my experience that if you do not separate them early, they grow up together to respect one of them who will emerge as the leader of the flock. He will always keep a watchfull eye for predator and weird sounds and movement with in the forest and alert in case of danger. He will also put and end to any figth started by two rival males, and as far as they are always together and not separated for a period of time, the other cocks will respect this one leader. It is preaty interesting the mechanisms of the flock in this semiwild enviroment. Any sign of danger and the alarm calls start and everybody runs for the bushes and stay there until is safe when an aerial attacker is present, or flight to a tree branch when a terrestrial attacker is the problem. I've never lost adult games to predators during the day exept the ones that had the courage to face predators like foxes or dogs that werent suposed to be at my place. I have also seen my games run off hawks by kicking them on the air. So... To me, I would have to say that games ar the kings when it comes to surviving predatory attacks.

 

[animals1981]

chicken pecks and wing hits dont hurt they dont have the power a goose does but their spurs can really hurt and are very scary



spurs are exagerated tho i admit a spur has NO effect on a dog like a large dog ive seen my past dogs get attacked by mean rosoters and the dogs treat the rooster as a toy the spurs never made it through the dogs fur to hurt the dogs never phased the dogs no matter how hard the dogs were hit but those spurs really hurt us tho and imagine would hurt a smaller predator or a smaller hawk no one on earth thinks a rooster could take on a coyote. Remember coyotes are apex predators in a lot of areas they kill and eat foxes. A coyote and a fox and a coon or a possum are worlds apart. A coyote EATS foxes as easy as it woudl eat a chicken or a rabbit or a cat. Coyotes will eat a jack russel as easy as it would eat ur chicken as well. They are another ball game.


Was just looking into breeds not as helpless sure people say chickens are prey animals but when you look at the big picture even foxes are prey animals great horned owls coyotes eagles fisher cats all prey on foxes as well. Every animal just about unless its a apex predator is a prey animal. I was and im sure a few others were just interested in breeds not as helpless.

Some domestic dogs are prey for hawks owls and coyotes even while some domestic dogs can even keep cows safe from wolves and bears so just assumed there was lot of varation and not all breeds are created eqal