[nuzuki]

I just wondered, im sure people have been known to dump cockerals if they are unable to do the deed and they end up in the wild but what about hens and cockerals that have bred in the wild and hatched their offspring and then continued to live in the wild. Is there a scenario like this in the UK? I know chickens were originally found living in the jungle so im sure this exsists still somewhere but specifically I wondered about the UK.

Thanks

[nuzuki]

Also what breeds do you think would be more suitable to living in the wild? Im guessing they would need to be flighty so they could roost in trees etc

[joyfull]

sadly people do dump their unwanted birds but these tend to get eaten by foxes etc, They are so used to having feed supplied and human company that they really cant fend for themselves.

[nuzuki]

Thats what ive heard. But I wondered whether it is possible they have adapted. I was round someones house near heathrow a couple of years ago and saw parrots up on the telephone wires which were apparently escapees from nearby houses so I wondered whether the same could happen with the more flighty variety of chickens.

[GrannieAnnie]

There is a roundabout I think it is in Suffolk, near Lowestoft where Muntjac used to live.  People dump chickens there and they breed.  I'll see if I can find the thread.  It's was a few years back though!

And if my memory deceives me, He'll be back on here to slap my wrist! 

[ANHBUC]

I think that they are that domesticated now they would seek an easy meal rather than try and make it on their own.  As joyfull says most would be taken by predators and they don't have the benefit of flying away like the parrots.  It is still possible but even wild bird numbers are falling so I think it would be very rare.

I have seen muscovy ducks in the wild but they are better at flying.

[GrannieAnnie]

Awww, it looks like the famous chicken roundabout is no more!  Well the roundabout might be, but not the chickens!   

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-21533963

[helens-hens]

I think the parrots may actually be green ringed necked parakeets which I have read started with a handful of escaped birds in the 60s and now number en estimated 30,000 or so, they are mainly seen in the south east but some have also been spotted as far north as Scotland.

There is a case in New Jersey in USA where they have 'wild' domestic chickens as a result of an owner deciding to release hers years ago so I guess it is a possibility

If it happened in the UK I am sure quite a few would be lost to predators but I think they would probably generally thrive. Mine are quite good at finding their own food in the garden (practically anything green, insects etc). They are also pretty streetwise and spot potential predators way before I do!

[pepsi100]

Yes, Jungle fowl are alive and VERY well in the jungles of India, they are small, fast, live in trees, very aggresive when they have chicks, they have even been known to face up to tigers, leopards

The cockerel doesnt crow as much as a domesticated ones and when he does its from a tree, the cockerel has 2-3 hens in their hareem, they and monkeys warn when predators are on the prowl

They aree quite remarkable, I dont know if there are 'throw backs' in the UK though

These are the photos I took, in Ranthambore National Park

This is a cockerel




A cockerel and his 2 hens



A Hen in hiding (she was sitting on eggs)



On the run (in front of our 4x4)

[agapanthus]

There is a roundabout I think it is in Suffolk, near Lowestoft where Muntjac used to live.  People dump chickens there and they breed.  I'll see if I can find the thread.  It's was a few years back though!

And if my memory deceives me, He'll be back on here to slap my wrist! 

Unfortunately Munty was  guy that  went in to cull them. They were so interbred after being there for so many years and most of them had dreadful illnesses and there was a big rat problem, They also caused a lot of accidents....for actually being on the road and for people rubber-necking.

[GrannieAnnie]

Awwwww, still, needed to be done though!

[darkbrowneggs]

I just wondered, im sure people have been known to dump cockerals if they are unable to do the deed and they end up in the wild but what about hens and cockerals that have bred in the wild and hatched their offspring and then continued to live in the wild. Is there a scenario like this in the UK? I know chickens were originally found living in the jungle so im sure this exsists still somewhere but specifically I wondered about the UK.

Thanks

I find it difficult to keep mine safe from daytime foxes and buzzards even when I am out in the garden, so I can't imagine them really breeding.  Even years ago before the foxes were so bold, and such epic numbers, if a bantam or a duck tried to steal a nest it rarely survived the first nights sitting.  Its been years and years since I have seen a partridge with chicks, an annual sight running across my lane like a row of toy birds on a string

[Aunt Sally]

There is a roundabout I think it is in Suffolk, near Lowestoft where Muntjac used to live.  People dump chickens there and they breed.  I'll see if I can find the thread.  It's was a few years back though!

And if my memory deceives me, He'll be back on here to slap my wrist! 

Unfortunately Munty was  guy that  went in to cull them. They were so interbred after being there for so many years and most of them had dreadful illnesses and there was a big rat problem, They also caused a lot of accidents....for actually being on the road and for people rubber-necking.

They seem to be back:

http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/poultry_return_to_ditchingham_chicken_roundabout_1_1936726

[agapanthus]

I find it difficult to keep mine safe from daytime foxes and buzzards even when I am out in the garden, so I can't imagine them really breeding.  Even years ago before the foxes were so bold, and such epic numbers, if a bantam or a duck tried to steal a nest it rarely survived the first nights sitting.  Its been years and years since I have seen a partridge with chicks, an annual sight running across my lane like a row of toy birds on a string

We have numerous pairs on our allotment and last year we had about 18 or so youngsters....they were lovely to see 

[nuzuki]

Thanks for the replies. Very interesting about the roundabout, thats exactly the example I was looking for. It appears you just dump them there. Judging by the comments in that article I dont think they'll be there for long.

Great piccys derrick, you can see that the indian chickens are more cut out for the job not like our obese UK chickens haha