Experience with Ayam Ketawa back-crosses?

[UncleChuck]

Just curious if anyone has had any experience with ayam ketawa back-crosses. How did they perform? Any unusual or bizarre crowing behavior? I think it's about 4/5 of pure Ketawas will laugh. My estimate is about 1/8 to 1/4 of f2 back-crosses might have some kind of odd crow pattern but it'll be a good 14 months before I can test it myself.

 

[Debbie292d]

Here's a thread talking about them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ayam-ketawa-rooster.1475453/

@JacinLarkwell I believe has bred them and might be able to give you some info.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Here's a thread talking about them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ayam-ketawa-rooster.1475453/

@JacinLarkwell I believe has bred them and might be able to give you some info.

I didn't get very far at all with my two pairs. All I have left is one hen, winter and a mountain lion got the other 3

 

[UncleChuck]

I didn't get very far at all with my two pairs. All I have left is one hen, winter and a mountain lion got the other 3

From what I can deduce, Ayam Ketawa have a load of genetic problems thanks to a severe bottleneck. They’ve only been imported once, and it shows. I started with four hens, but one ate a giant hole in one of her hatch mates while she was still alive — a particular form of cannibalism with an inheritability factor between 70% and 94%!!! Both birds died.

Last week I hatched four more chicks from a different farm, along with some Wahl Asils. I’ve got a plan to strengthen my stock, but I need at least four pairs to maintain an inbreeding coefficient of zero.

The laughing crow is polygenetic. It also seems to have a genetic threshold — basically a tipping point — where enough of the right genes have to be present before the rooster will laugh instead of crow normally. By selecting F₁ and F₂ backcross roosters that show any kind of broken or unusual crow, I’m selecting for both a lower threshold and stronger expression of the trait at the same time. My goal is to reach an 80% laughing phenotype, indistinguishable from pure Ayam Ketawa, within five generations.

Yes Mr. Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. I'd be chomping at the bits if we didn't have a practical dual purpose project about to start laying