Will a broody hen's breed affect how predator smart her chicks will be? (What are some broody predator smart breeds?)

[Anonymous__]

Hello! I am looking into getting a broody hen since they will be able to teach the chicks how to be chickens, forage, and how to evade predators. I've read silkies are the best broody hens but are also one of the least predator savvy breeds and they prefer to sleep on the bottom of the coop instead of roosting. Will a silkie be good at raising chicks or would a more predator smart breed be better? Also, which predator smart breeds do you think are the most broody and would make good moms/teachers? I've heard bantams tend to go broody often but I am looking for a bigger hen so she can hatch more eggs without complications of not having enough heat for every egg.

 

[troyer]

We have Cubalaya and Easter Eggers that very seldom lose chicks to hawks. Now keep in mind these have been free range raised for ten years. Free range as in free to move about freely during the day, but securely cooped at night. So anything that wasn't hawk savvy got taken and only the ones that survived got to reproduce. I don't know about the breeds that have a crest, but I suppose any other breed if free ranged as I described could be raised to eventually be predator savvy as a whole.
Another practical observation that I've had is that if a breed has been "protected" in a pen for long enough and not allowed to escape predation throughout their growing months you will eventually lose some of the smarts that they gained genetically by being free ranged.

 

[hannahsocal]

What an interesting discussion! I’m following!

 

[emgrider]

My game hens are fierce mothers yet very predator savvy. I’d recommend them to any one.

 

[Perris]

I have a variety of different breeds and have found broodiness to be an individual thing, with some hens constantly going broody and some hens never going broody. Predator awareness goes with being an active, so-called 'flighty' breed, usually lighter built less chunky types, traditionally kept in farmyards looking out for themselves. I have never kept silkies or bantams so can't speak on them.