best foraging chicken breed

[dekel18042]

I'm really leaning towards Leghorns. Although this year I started White Rocks so go figure! But one of my oldest "survivors" is a wary Brown Leghorn that lays infrequently now but had been a very consistent year round layer and has survived several predator attacks.

I have tried Welsummers twice but the birds seem dumb. and always get eaten by predators. I just lost my last one a few days ago.

Another good breed for me has been Americana/Easter Eggers and their offspring. Rugged, good layers and have not lost one yet. The roosters are always super alert and the hens take to the trees immediately if anything is around.

If you have leghorns and let them free range in winter in Maine, they're more hardy then I would have thought. Every one I know considers them a better warm weather bird and as a result no one I know here in our area of PA has them, unless their birds live in a building in winter.
As a child growing up, my parents had a few that they did not perpetuate because of the flighty temperament.
That said, if someone has his heart set on white eggs I have some California greys and love them. They're production layers, large eggs, never skip a day, are small birds that can forage and avoid predators and have an excellent feed to egg ratio. I do believe leghorns are among the CG's ancestors, but the CG's have a smaller comb that withstands colder weather better. They're not the easiest breed to find but if you can, I highly recommend them.
I also love my EE's and Ameraucanas and buckeye's but the California Grey's can outlay all these and are smaller birds, definitely not dual purpose.

 

[jasonclem20]

Buckeyes are really good cold weather layers and as far as foraging there known for mousing.... If they can stalk down a mouse a bug should be easy picking


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[SanCarlos6127]

If you have leghorns and let them free range in winter in Maine, they're more hardy then I would have thought. Every one I know considers them a better warm weather bird and as a result no one I know here in our area of PA has them, unless their birds live in a building in winter.
As a child growing up, my parents had a few that they did not perpetuate because of the flighty temperament.
That said, if someone has his heart set on white eggs I have some California greys and love them. They're production layers, large eggs, never skip a day, are small birds that can forage and avoid predators and have an excellent feed to egg ratio. I do believe leghorns are among the CG's ancestors, but the CG's have a smaller comb that withstands colder weather better. They're not the easiest breed to find but if you can, I highly recommend them.
I also love my EE's and Ameraucanas and buckeye's but the California Grey's can outlay all these and are smaller birds, definitely not dual purpose.

I have a coop but it is not heated. The door is open during the day and closed at night. The only issue I could see with leghorns and cold are the combs, but mine has never had frostbite issues while some of my brown egg layers have, go figure.

There is a rose comb leghorn which is probably what I'll look into next. The California Greys would probably be hard for me to get up this way but they look like a great bird

 

[MMWV58]

I know this is an older thread, but I have to say, I have had great luck with Americanas. I have had the most trouble with broodiness with the Wyandottes. None of my Americanas have ever gone broody, and they have been consistent layers, good foragers, peaceful (don't beat each other up so much), easy to handle, and when they stop laying, make great stewing hens. I have three year old Americana hens who are still producing eggs consistently enough to earn their feed. I have to interject here that I've had good luck with the Buff Orpington hens. So sweet and gentle, and just abundant layers, but yeah, they are kind of retarded when it comes to foraging -- they do like food to fall from the sky! LOL! And, they kind of like to go broody. And that whole broody thing? It's not all bad if you need a clutch of new chicks and you have a little place for the mamma to do her thing.

I totally agree with your evaluation of the Welsummers, though. Great little hens, SO pretty and they lay those lovely dark, dark brown eggs.

I've never had Leghorns, but I understand they are dynamite layers. From what little exposure I have had to them, they seem a little too nervous for my taste. I hate dealing with nervous, mean chickens, I don't care how many eggs they lay.

 

[MMWV58]

Will they go back into their coop at night? Or do they like to start roosting in trees? I hate that tendency. Raccoons are terrible around my place and I have to lock up my hens every single night to keep them safe.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Will they go back into their coop at night? Or do they like to start roosting in trees? I hate that tendency. Raccoons are terrible around my place and I have to lock up my hens every single night to keep them safe.

I think you are referring to leghorns?

Leghorns, both brown & white, will return to the roost at night. The only time I've ever chickens not return to the roost at night are pullets when I'm training them to return to the coop, and sometimes when I'm integrating flocks and some chickens start picking on the new birds being added to an established flock.

 

[MMWV58]

I think you are referring to leghorns?

Leghorns, both brown & white, will return to the roost at night. The only time I've ever chickens not return to the roost at night are pullets when I'm training them to return to the coop, and sometimes when I'm integrating flocks and some chickens start picking on the new birds being added to an established flock.

Yes, I'm sorry for the confusion... I was talking about Leghorns. Thank you for your information. I have often had a hen or two who randomly decides to skip returning to the coop. I track thir activity at twilight, and once it's dark enough that they won't spook, I just go get them and put them to "bed" in the coop. One had a penchant for roosting on my bicycle handles at dusk. Go figure. I have no explanation for it.

 

[rSpriggs]

I took the advice of those proponents of Welsumers, and, so far, have been overwhelmingly disappointed!
I bought 4 pullets & 1 cockerel in Apr / May 2016, and have only been getting ONE egg every 3 days. This being nearly Jan, that's pretty poor. The brown eggs are speckled, not very dark. The birds look at earthworms as if they are aliens. I bought another 8 that were hatched in June from a different source, nothing out of them yet either. Somebody, please tell me it gets much better??!! Yes, I have lights on in the coop, 16 hrs.

 

[rSpriggs]

sorry, duplicate.

 

[dekel18042]

I took the advice of those proponents of Welsumers, and, so far, have been overwhelmingly disappointed!
I bought 4 pullets & 1 cockerel in Apr / May 2016, and have only been getting ONE egg every 3 days. This being nearly Jan, that's pretty poor. The brown eggs are speckled, not very dark. The birds look at earthworms as if they are aliens. I bought another 8 that were hatched in June from a different source, nothing out of them yet either. Somebody, please tell me it gets much better??!! Yes, I have lights on in the coop, 16 hrs.

I do love welsummers. Their terra cotta colored eggs are speckled and you can use them to make olive eggers. I've fond the olive eggers made from from welsummers are also sexable just like the welsummer mothers and lay earlier and more than the pure welsummers. The problem I have with the breed is that of all the breeds I have ever had, the started laying at 8+ months which is the oldest any breed has ever laid first egg. Most start between 5 and 6.5 months old. They also aren't the most prolific layers, but the color of their eggs and what they can be used to create makes up for it
Considering the time of year it is, your welsummers may be a bit young to get into laying full swing.