Breeding Aseels

[centrarchid]

Aseel bullstag is starting to show signs of feather replacement in wings. Only feather coming in is filling gap of right wing that I thinks disqualifies him for show. That feather is nearly white. My guess is feather was intentionally pulled.

 

[centrarchid]

Aseel chicks a bit different when engaging in inter-brood battles. Both American Games and Aseels will engage individuals and even groups of immature birds not of their group. Net effect of that is territories. What is different is the Aseels of both sexes will back out of a feeding scrum to attack immature birds that do not belong to group yet attempting to join scrum. Both male and female Aseels do it.

 

[centrarchid]

Aseel bullstag just lost the majority of his tail. Temperature got into low 90's after being considerably cooler for a week. I think that set molt off. All his body feathers are getting the dry look. Looks like he will soon be flightless.


I pulled him out to check on wings, he will be swapping feathers out in sets of three like oriental ornamental / production birds. He has at least one major white feather on each wing.

 

[centrarchid]

Pullet from first earlier brooder reared batch is getting good size and favors her father a lot in the type department. She fluffed up for a good shake just as picture taken. She is also showing color in the face, much earlier than American Games.

Hen with chicks visible in the background. Chicks doing real well. They finally started to go after flying insects. Not as proficient as the Americans, but I can see them learning.

 

[centrarchid]

Broody hen with her six chicks. One of the chicks decided to put a whooping on a slightly younger American Game chick, the American Game hen would have nothing of it and whooped the Aseel. Then Aseel hen went after American Game and American Game turned the Aseel back. The American Game either is getting more aggressive because coming back into weight or Aseel is getting timid because of molt.

Pen used by Aseel brood and hen as last couple chicks working their way in. We were racing the owl getting everyone in and pens closed up.

 

[centrarchid]

Larger is brooder-reared pullet roughly 7 weeks older than hen-reared cockerel. Pullet is 14 weeks and cockerel is 7 weeks post-hatch. Cockerel was victor roughly 20 seconds after video ended. I do not see battles with such size disparity result in same outcome with American Games. Still, there are American Games that can whoop the male Aseel. The Aseels do seem more capable of operating as a team against a common foe, although Americans still do it. Aseels clearly demonstrating greater endurance even though lacking in the speed department. It takes much less time for Aseel to get wind back after a scrap.

 

[centrarchid]

Chick / juvenile Aseels at 7 weeks are starting to molt in second feather set that they will be in through their first breeding season as adults. The similar-aged American Games are a couple weeks ahead into their second feather set and all those feathers will be replaced yet again before the have plumage for first breeding season.

Looks like only 1 male out of 9 remaining juveniles. Will make penning easier in a couple months assuming he can be let loose that long. Male juvenile showing a lot more iridescence than any of the females, even when compared to his sister that is 7 weeks older.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen in process of weaning now. Her clucking is getting weak and chicks starting to drift off on their own more. They still do not range like the Americans. The American Game hen with chicks two days younger is clucking well and taking her brood way out into pasture and woods.

 

[centrarchid]

Everyone is getting fat, I mean everyone. Consumption of persimmons is part of problem. The adult male is getting real close to what I call a cock. He weighs a good 1.5 lbs more than he did when he first became a bullstag. He is now a real chunk. The hen still associates with juvenile offspring and defends their interest, but she no longer clucks. American Game hen doing same. The Aseel brood seldom get more than 50 feet from their pen while those part of groups containing American Games and American Dominiques go 100 to 200 feet from their pen. It is the hen keeping them tight.

 

[centrarchid]

I put out a tray of old fish for chickens. Aseel hen and her juveniles were among first to arrive. For some chickens approaching from downwind smell appears to be important. That will have to tested again as the birds are stacking up downwind of where the fish pan is now.

Hen and her kids drove off other chickens mostly by giving warning vocalizations. When it almost came to blows, the Aseel pullets did most of the work and even took on larger American Game stags. I am pretty sure the stags were considering that the pullets had siblings to back them up. The Aseels stood up almost erect when getting more ready to fight and walked and then ran at their foe. The American Games were far faster even without resorting to using wings and out maneuvered the pullets when wings brought into play. Older Aseel pullet was approaching for a real interesting confrontation, but my daughter released dogs that immediately came in to displace Aseels. Dogs rule roost here. Even broody hens must back down unless I intervene.