Developing my own breeds of gamefowl and bantam

[Lukers]

View attachment 3693605I am starting to see some results and getting some ideas for next year on the red jungle fowl improvement and the orientals.
The Red jungle fowl improvement birds has gone pretty good the 75% RJF 25% OEGB stag is coming pretty good he is 8.5 months old and weighs 2lbs, I would have thought he would be larger than he is but he has good physique, color, and blue/ slate legs. The 50% American game 25% RJF 25% OEGB stag weighs in around 3.5lbs he will probably make it to 4.5lbs but doesn’t have great physique, not a great color and has white legs. So likely going to keep the 75% RJF 25% OEGB. Then cross him to the lanky to American pullet, the partridge American game hen, and one of the jungle fowl hens.
The Orientals are coming along nicely but slowly. The pure Bruges were all killed one got stepped on. But the rest disappeared quickly after being turned out probably because they strayed far from the main flock. But I was able to keep 2 Bruges x American a stag and a pullet the stag is around 4.5lbs and I expect when he matures he will be around 6.5 - 7lbs. The pullet is almost 2lbs but is quite lean but in frame is about the size of an American game hen. Since they are off of two unrelated hens. I am probably going to breed the stag to the pullet. This year the coopers hawks have been a big issue they killed a 1.5 pound lanky x American pullet, a 2lbs Bruges x American game stag, and plenty small chicks. So quickness is going to be a very important issue.

The cooper's have been horrendous on this side of town too, I lost a d'uccle, an old english game bantam, and several cochin mixed pullets to one particular larger-ish adult female cooper's hawk.

 

[Az OEGB]

The cooper's have been horrendous on this side of town too, I lost a d'uccle, an old english game bantam, and several cochin mixed pullets to one particular larger-ish adult female cooper's hawk.

The coopers are the only hawk that give me trouble. when I just had OEGBs 3 years ago the hawk would try to catch one now and then but never could . this year he has done really well at killing chickens. My only solution is to breed American blood into my jungle fowl. the one we have wouldn’t try to kill a jungle fowl hen Yet so the America game blood should intimidate the hawks pretty well

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I raise gamefowl and have yet to have a bird not run for cover when a hawk flies by. That said more likely than not the broody hens would go after a hawk if they caught it taking chicks. Just so you know.

 

[Az OEGB]

I raise gamefowl and have yet to have a bird not run for cover when a hawk flies by. That said more likely than not the broody hens would go after a hawk if they caught it taking chicks. Just so you know.

mine usually are pretty cautious when the hawks are about but I have only witnessed him killing one and that one was cornered in a pen but thier are plenty of unwitnessed ones he killed. And for hens protecting thier chicks I have never seen the hawk kill the chicks but once so I don’t know if they try fight the hawk off or not.

 

[TDK]

I heard that Liege fighters are hawk killers you could try it?

 

[Lukers]

I heard that Liege fighters are hawk killers you could try it?

To be honest, I want to try Iowa Blues, because coopers hawks are big enough to be tough and small enough to be swift, unlike a big ol' slow red-tail or a little bitty sharp shinned hawk, and it takes a chicken with enough muscle, brains, and speed to deal with cooper's, and more bankavoid type games like American, Old English, and the Iowa Blue (which aren't real game, but have a lot of game influence), Thanks though. That, and I'd rather have one that just runs it off and acts intimidating, rather than kills it, because that would be an awkward call to the game warden. "hello sir, my chicken killed a hawk and how would I deal with it?", "Don't you mean a hawk killed your chicken?" "No" *Phone goes on hold* that and OP had/has Liege, didn't they get killed by a bobcat when you put them out on free range, Az?

 

[NagemTX]

To be honest, I want to try Iowa Blues, because coopers hawks are big enough to be tough and small enough to be swift, unlike a big ol' slow red-tail or a little bitty sharp shinned hawk, and it takes a chicken with enough muscle, brains, and speed to deal with cooper's, and more bankavoid type games like American, Old English, and the Iowa Blue (which aren't real game, but have a lot of game influence), Thanks though. That, and I'd rather have one that just runs it off and acts intimidating, rather than kills it, because that would be an awkward call to the game warden. "hello sir, my chicken killed a hawk and how would I deal with it?", "Don't you mean a hawk killed your chicken?" "No" *Phone goes on hold* that and OP had/has Liege, didn't they get killed by a bobcat when you put them out on free range, Az?

I would suggest that you get them from someone who free-ranges their flocks that they produce from. Barn yard mix has become a dirty word for alot of people but if it's truly from completely free ranging they will be survivors.

I was doing this with mine that I got from Cackle. Lots of hawks here. A few that would purch on the fence and wait. It did get three of the 50+ I have. One Ameraucana, one Spitzhauben and one English Orpington. The one Spitzhauben was not really apart of the flocks. After the Ameraucana was taken they would retreat to the coops or under a raised pen I have at a roosters call. The English Orpington got cornered between some mulch bags and a pen. The it got cornered on had been closed up and not open.

I have opossums and racoons but have not had issues with them. They would rather eat with the cats. To the point of only breaking into a coop to get the left over cat food treat the chickens had.

We bobcats but they have not been this far up in the neighborhood much. They mostly are at the other end where the lake is.

Ended up cooping them for now. I need to add more coverage on my acer for total free range.

Breeds I keep. Ameraucana, English Orpingtons (just a few), Spitzhauben, Phoenix and a mix of bantams. I've only lost one Phoenix and that was to a dog.

Now I have more roosters and cockerels than most. Gave away or sold 20 plus and still had 13 that needed to go. After I got the numbers down is when I had the hawk issue on the free rangers.

 

[Az OEGB]

To be honest, I want to try Iowa Blues, because coopers hawks are big enough to be tough and small enough to be swift, unlike a big ol' slow red-tail or a little bitty sharp shinned hawk, and it takes a chicken with enough muscle, brains, and speed to deal with cooper's, and more bankavoid type games like American, Old English, and the Iowa Blue (which aren't real game, but have a lot of game influence), Thanks though. That, and I'd rather have one that just runs it off and acts intimidating, rather than kills it, because that would be an awkward call to the game warden. "hello sir, my chicken killed a hawk and how would I deal with it?", "Don't you mean a hawk killed your chicken?" "No" *Phone goes on hold* that and OP had/has Liege, didn't they get killed by a bobcat when you put them out on free range, Az?

The Bruges chicks which are closely related to liege were 2 months old they all got killed because they didn’t understand the concept of staying with the flock so they would free range way away from the flock. Some got killed by the hawk and some just disappeared it could have been a bobcat. My cock thrives I did just turn him out on free range. He has been out for about a week we won’t know for a while but he seems to be doing well so-far. I’m probably going to get a hen from Greenfire in the spring.

 

[TDK]

Where I live hawks only target chicks and occasionally hens(which also fight back) not full grown roosters cuz the roosters fight them off.

 

[Az OEGB]

I pined the 3/4 RJF 1/4 OEGB stag with the with the American hen, RJF hen, and the 1/4 RJF 1/4 OEGB 2/4 American pullet Tuesday night. I don’t expect them to start laying until late February early march but I wanted to see how much faster he would mature if he was separated from the broodcocks. It’s seems to be working well he is now crowing, and trying to breed the hens. He is also now almost 2.5lbs so he may end up being bigger than I expected. The top picture is of him Wednesday morning. The bottom one is him today.