red jungle fowl....

[centrarchid]

jabowery,

My red jungle fowl are free range in a habitat that looks more suitable for ringneck pheasant. They have not be successful coming of nest with chicks despite each hen giving at least two goes in 2011. First likely success from hen that shifted nesting efforts to front porch like dometics did. Hatch do this week.

Mine also roost in an elevated roost placed in pasture with minimal protection other than roving dog. I use feeding stations well away from roosts that birds had to fly over a distance of >125 feet to reach, even dometics. Hens gave 100% survival despite 2 feet of snow for nearly a month and at least 6 inches for 3 months on ground. Lost all roosters. Roosters spent to much time going to breeding pens 400 feet away and responded totally wrong when hawks came in.

The natural breed is not likely to be better suited for free range in our areas. That readiness is a function of source wild population. My best guess is that most red jungle fowl in poultry trade are from warmer and milder climates. The subspecies from nothern India at base of Himilya Mountain chain I think would be better suited but I doubt it is available or reognized.

Still, if giving it a shot, keep in touch. I am managing for my games so I can have multiple cocks running about without them getting together. The greenery is key.

 

[jabowery]

If you lost all your red junglefowl roosters then you can't continue the breed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're keeping domestics in the same range as red junglefowl. Is that correct? If so, how do you segregate the red junglefowl hens from the domestic roosters? How are the eggs, currently being brooded by the red junglefowl hens, being fertilized?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
All answers below although sequence off.

Clutches being incubated are red jungle fowl by American game. They will be used as my long-term training flock and will be kept separate from balance of flocks. I tag my birds and, with exception of free range flock centered on front yard, breeding is confined to breeding pens where parentage is known. Even with front yard birds, parentage is known owing to intense observations.


When kept in same acreage, American games excluded male red jungle fowl. I am not interested in breeding red jungle fowl as remaining hens will be culled soon. Want to make room for grey jungle fowl where hybridization risk is lower and hybrids can be identified with ease. Also wooded area beyond areas managed for chickens more suited for grey jungle fowl. My woodlot is about 6 acres with lots of early successional growth which appears ideally for grey jungle fowl during summer.

Also, purity of my red jungle fowl is suspect. Even so purity not relevant since pure wild birds may be less suited for midwestern U.S. than birds with a little domestic in their background.

 

[jabowery]

Purity is important for my purposes for 2 reasons: 1) I want to maximize natural nesting behavior and 2) I want to minimize the likelihood of any successfully going feral -- as they are unlikely to do in our climate. Feral red junglefowl have become an ecological problem in Hawaii -- as have many other imported species to that fragile ecosystem. If they have to come inside to make it through the winter, all the better.

Grey junglefowl might be better as we're planting fruit trees.

For ground cover we're thinking of using switchgrass for its fuel value.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
If you get natural nesting behavior I would like to see it. My hens, except when nesting on front porch, hid nest too well to find. I doubt they will establish feral populations. Mine would not have survived winter without my intervention, especially in regards to food. Games decidely tuffer in that regard but even they were pushing their limits.

I have been to Hawaii and seen feral populations their appear dominated by game crosses instead of red jungle fowl. They are too large to be red jungle fowl.

Grey jungle fowl may not be good either. I going to give them a try but expect to be feeding owls more than desired.

Switch grass can make excellent cover if it is in patches rather than a massive monoculture. Have you considered bamboo? If you can get a stand going that is several feet in diameter, you mave have excellent cover.

 

[jabowery]

My main concern with the junglefowl is your assertion that the roosters don't respond correctly to birds of prey. I keep an excess of a variety of heritage breed roosters for precisely that purpose and have been successful. Although the excess of roosters (1 rooster for 2 hens) results in loss of back feathers on the hens due to over fertilization, the protective benefits of the roosters has been decisive. They not only protect against birds of prey but also against one of my dogs who thinks chickens make nice toys and can harm them. No losses due predators of any kind or "playful" dogs by keeping both coyote-resistant dogs and bird-of-prey resistant roosters.

Can any amount of cover make up for the failure of junglefowl roosters to deal with birds of prey?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
I do not know. Habitat I have very different from what they are adapted to.

Most observsations of winter losses associated with very heavy snow cover. Once lanscape greens up losses of adult to hawks effectively zero.

Despite very strong flying ability they do not seek closest cover. Rather they try to fly to heavier cover that is farther away and hawks catch them on wing. Games fly to closest cover available and can fight back from within it. Free range doms try to run and are too slow and despite being larger than games do not fight back when hawk grounded. I think dom has potential for being more effective hawk detourant if they would hold their ground in cover. Hawks do not seem to know what to do with potential prey that is larger than they are and faces them.

I have been using roosters as well in dealing with hawks which they seem pretty good at when chicks on ground. Games by far the best but can have only one. That is reason behind incorporation of games into my "Missouri" dominiques. Better anti-predator qualities hopefully with multiple roosters. Hope with free range rearing is to have "Missouri" dominique roosters go broody with 4 week old chicks providing hawk protection and leadership in getting to protected roosts early than free ranging without adult supervision. Getting roosters broody working OK with pure game shaving 4 to 8 weeks of time requires to get chicks into elevated roosts. The quicker they get up the less likely oppossums, racoons and owls will cause losses. I am trying to push culture methods outside box a little so I likely seem "out there" a bit. Locally, I am "out there" for using a bird dog to guard chickens.

 

[All About Chicken]

Looks like some mix thought on this subject in the tread. It may be worth getting 30 birds to try. I’m in southwest PA foot hills of the Laurels. I’m thinking of getting some Junglefowl build a raised open but covered roost and nesting boxes and put them in the wooded area of my property to run wild. Across the street is 100’s of acres with game fowl hunting area. Still maybe a problem with my egg layers even though they would be ¼ mile away and a mile from the reserve. My real concern is the winters how sensitive are Jungle Foul to temperatures? Lots of pheasants, duck, Canadian geese turkey and the like around here no wild chickens!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

the reds and greys are fine in weather. it's the greens and ceylons that die off bad, under 40 and their toast. If you are subzero I'd just give the reds and greys a light in the coop and you're fine
also being a wild bird (or type bird any more) Most I have had and seen are VERY hawk sensitive. If a shadow goes over the yard they freak out, so not too sure about that observation of them not being good at it?? After all, they grew up in the woods naturally...they have to be good at it to survive there. They arent like the ol lazy barnyard birds

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
They can detect raptor just fine, problem is response to predators with existing resources combined with snow cover. Their response maybe suitable for their natural environment and natural predators.


Temperature wise, my red jungle fowl can tolerate temperatures as low as -13 F with more protection from direct north wind.