American Reza (Pakistani) Asil

[RFoxfire]

Anyone else breeding and raising Pakistani Asil?

My hens last year, started to lay while my American game hens took a break. I wasn’t checking nest boxes because I wasn’t thinking of them laying. Anyhow they went broody and I left them be, and hatched chicks between Christmas into the first week of January.

This clutch survived Maine’s polar vortex with -20 temperatures for about 2-3 days with a -40 wind chill. They were with the two hens, separate clutches, and inside my pens within my cock house. Feed bags over the rabbit wire pen doors.

Matured into beautiful pullets and a nice 11 month old stag. Anyhow my hens are in a winter pen for safe keeping (they free range after hatching and into winter) and they are laying again. I also have a ‘Hanson Red’ x Rampuri type hen with the ‘Christmas stag’ and she is laying now as well.

Does anyone else notice asils wanting to lay and (obviously if eggs aren’t collected) go broody in December and January?

I can collect eggs but, with so few eggs laid during a year, I may allow them to go broody again. Just curious if anyone else notices this cycle among their Asil. I’m not use to my game hens laying eggs this time of year.

 

[Amer]

@fluffycrow

 

[fluffycrow]

I believe @Bigtom Turkey has had similar experiences with his aseel females. Ours over here seem to be early spring and late summer layers, keeping the last batch through winter. I have no personal experience with pure aseel females as of yet, so all I can say is what fellow keepers are observing, but I believe that if taken away from the chicks, they'd go into laying even in winter, just like yours. I don't believe there's anyone on the forum raising Reza anymore

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Most of my oriental hens will try to set a clutch mid January. They can hatch fine but unless each is provided with a heat lamp they are unable to keep the chicks warm enough. Consequently any chicks they hatch end up getting brooder raised.

 

[RFoxfire]

Most of my oriental hens will try to set a clutch mid January. They can hatch fine but unless each is provided with a heat lamp they are unable to keep the chicks warm enough. Consequently any chicks they hatch end up getting brooder raised.

I didn’t use any brooder last winter. They were in the house in a back room we don’t heat for a week or two if I recall and then outside in a pen. Hens kept them warm and alive. I live in Maine, so then laying now is not ideal, but I’m also wondering if it’s needed for them because of the moult, and basically having two big laying bursts a year but with basically a clutch each hen, each laying burst cycle if you will.

 

[RFoxfire]

I believe @Bigtom Turkey has had similar experiences with his aseel females. Ours over here seem to be early spring and late summer layers, keeping the last batch through winter. I have no personal experience with pure aseel females as of yet, so all I can say is what fellow keepers are observing, but I believe that if taken away from the chicks, they'd go into laying even in winter, just like yours. I don't believe there's anyone on the forum raising Reza anymore

Reza is simply the size. Plenty of folks have this size of Asil. In fact I would conclude from what I can see anyhow, this is the most common Asil type. The larger Kulang types are rare it seems

 

[fluffycrow]

Reza is simply the size. Plenty of folks have this size of Asil. In fact I would conclude from what I can see anyhow, this is the most common Asil type. The larger Kulang types are rare it seems

I'm not arguing with that. Simply stating that no one active on the forum works with them. I do think there is one active member that kept them, but I believe he doesn't have them anymore

 

[kblow]

My Asil are Reza. They're hatchery quality though. This stag wasn't too bad. Sorry I'm a bit late to the party here.

 

[RFoxfire]

Here are two of my Asil pullets, and two stags (brothers). They’re all related through the one line of larger Pakistani Red asils I breed.

 

[kblow]

Alright, so I don't feel quite as bad not having good pearl eyes. I've got so much work ahead of me. I just picked up a Malay/Sumatra mixed pair that I'm going to grade in to get black, gypsy face and size. The results of these two crossed over that Asil stag and one decent hen I have will determine which line I go with. Of course, it'll take a couple seasons to tease out the genetics hiding in that cross.