Anyone breeding for a smaller more self-sustaining chicken?

It seems like a smaller, more instinctual bird might fare better and be a cheaper egg producer in more rugged homestead settings. Apparently, even the high tech breeders are looking at reducing hen sizes, as that is about all that is left for humans to affect in the hen’s physiology. Of course, this is with the aim of reduced feed costs, meaning more profit.
i am interested in any experiences with broody hens that have raised chicks for a week or longer; Leghorn crosses with smaller sized breeds, including bantam breeds, and, any general smaller breed observations.

Here in Hawaii there is a feral chicken that closely fits your idea. These birds can be found just about everywhere. They are hardy, independent, good mothers. They usually produce a clutch of 5 to 10 chicks, though I’ve seen 12 often enough. I never feed the ones on my farm. They are self sufficient and help keep down the populations of centipedes, roaches, geckos, frogs, etc.

Being small and feral, they are lightweight like the chickens of pre-1960s. There’s not a lot of meat on those bones, but if you cook up a 2 to 3 at a time, there is plenty enough. And they make mighty fine soup.

They don’t lay as many eggs as the commercial breeds, but you’ll get one a day in the beginning of the laying season. But it drops off to 4 to 5 eggs a week. Their laying season doesn’t last as long as a commercial chicken. But I get an adequate mount of eggs from them (I have to provide appealing laying boxes so that I can find the eggs.)  The bonus is that I’m not buying commercial feed, so the eggs are "free".

They are not a super chicken. They are simply hardy. They will catch fowl pox if it comes through the area, but almost all of them will survive it on their own.

There are most likely birds like this in many rural areas. You will just have to look in the right places. But Hawaii is full of them. They even live in the Costco parking here!

Have you thought about trying to landrace a small breed?

I have a friend who wanted something similar.

She did some research and found that Seramas and Dutch Bantams are tiny chickens.

Her theory was that small chickens requiring less space than larger breeds.

She says these are perfect chickens for small urban backyards.

Her main complaint is that they lay small eggs and the folks she knows want large eggs.

Hi gopala,
I can't say that I am working on anything like that, but it sounds like you might want to check the Icelandic chicken breed. They are a landrace breed from Iceland that tends to be smaller (3 to 3.5lb), lay eggs fairly well, and are very self sufficient.

Thank you everyone for the info and suggestions. I have sampled many breeds over the last 3 years. Some of the smaller ones were Brown, White and Black Leghorns, Icelandic, Red Jungle Fowl, Black Wyandotte bantam, Prairie Bluebell Egger, CA White, Old English Muffed, and Whiting True Green. I don’t expect the birds to be truly feral in this climate (inland Coast Range, northern CA). I plan to supplement their food supply in the field as well as at home. This should help guarantee egg collecting. Observing the various degrees of maternal instincts has been interesting. One mom wanted to to go out food exploring with less than week old chicks. And even got most of them to come up onto the second rung of a ladder style roost. Most hens after they are separated from the chicks will sleep on the ground at the wall closest to them for two or three nights after. They regularly keep conversing with them as well. My feeling is the longer they spend with mother hen the better adapted they will be for a wilder lifestyle.

We have some Dominique chickens. They are a smaller American breed and are quite hardy and healthy. They do lay smaller eggs. We really like them; I would say they are an ideal all-around chicken with no big faults except for the smaller egg size.

I just found out about this new book by Florida Bullfrog, recommended by David the Good. I haven't got a hold of a copy yet so I can't give you a review. Here's an Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1955289158/ref=sw_img_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1. By the way, don't buy from Amazon if you can help it... I just don't have another link at this time, but you can search for it. I always try to support smaller more local businesses if at all possible.

Thanks Marvin! I am excited to get a hold of the book. Domestic chicken history is very interesting to me. The studies of the ancestral wild jungle fowl in SE Asia really make clear how far our breeding has digressed from the source. I definitely lean towards plants that will naturalize here so why not a chicken (with a bit of training and assistance.)