Developing My Own Breed Of Large Gamefowl For Free Range Survival (Junglefowl x Liege)

[Florida Bullfrog]

Above excerpt is from the book “Cockfighter,” which is fiction but the facts contained in it appear to be factual as to raising and conditioning gamefowl.

Facebook chats about guineas. Most gamefowl raisers find that they ruin stags, and “ruin” usually means teaching the bird to run. Any gamefowl can be taught to run if raised improperly.

I’m pretty sure I’ve also read about it in the old literature. I’ll do some more searching later.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

From the 1906 book The Game Fowl. I included #7 because what is said about the lack of chastity of game hens was amusing to me.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

From the same book, some interesting thoughts on gameness.

I’ve discussed it here and in other threads. I don’t believe even the best gamefowl are machines that can never run. Their genetics are only part of the equation. How they’re raised and what they’re exposed to during their development has a lot to do with how much abuse they’ll endure. I believe based on what I’ve seen that two cloned game roosters could be raised differently and one will run, the other will not. The more a rooster has been exposed to a normal barnyard social order, the more likely it will run until fully mature, and its gameness can’t be tested until its in its prime. For many roosters, that will be until 2 years old at least. Thus the reason I’m considering shielding Azog from the guineas until he is so large and mature that he can likely whip them easily. I hypothesize he’ll learn to never fear them, notwithstanding he grew up with them as a chick. I’m betting that was so long ago that it won’t stick with him like it would if I turned him out now and let the guineas beat up on him.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Hmm, the idea that a game will eventually run has always been something nobody dared say. Because, you never say that about your birds, and you sure as heck don't say that about somebody else's. I will have to follow up on this new information. Thank you for exposing me to it.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Hmm, the idea that a game will eventually run has always been something nobody dared say. Because, you never say that about your birds, and you sure as heck don't say that about somebody else's. I will have to follow up on this new information. Thank you for exposing me to it.

A good way I’ve found to research it and discuss it with gamefowl people is to talk about it in terms of “ruining” a bird. The concept doesn’t impugn the bird’s bloodline but instead focuses on methods of raising that cause an otherwise true game cock to become timid or skittish. Many breeders have different opinions on what will ruin a game cock and would rather talk about runners on those terms than questioning the bird’s genetics if its a bloodline the person otherwise believes in and considers proven.

I believe there are individual game roosters that will never run from another rooster but will run from other kinds of birds. I speculate that guineas are genetically distant enough from chickens to register more like a predator when they charge but close enough to being a chicken that it leaves an negative impression on the game cock that otherwise wouldn’t happen with something that wasn’t chicken-like at all.

I can’t say I understand how it is a guinea attacks with such ferocity that other birds can’t stand against it. They do have very sharp, thick claws and strong bills. When they attack they throw their heads forward and put their wings out like a ratite.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Have you seen that kind of behavior in Orientals? I have seen my stags whoop 30 lb turkeys.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

On

Have you seen that kind of behavior in Orientals? I have seen my stags whoop 30 lb turkeys.

Yes, all my orientals, including my pure aseel, would run from the guineas. But no truly mature oriental have been in front of them either and everything I’ve had has been smaller than or only the same size as the guineas. The black aseel was smaller than they and was never out of free range after he was several months old.

Indo is, in the grand scheme of things, still just a stag. I’ll call him a brood cock because I use him for breeding but he really won’t be in his prime for another year or so.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Yeah, I think, generally speaking, orientals are kind of a deeper game. As in they seem to run less, and they have this deep drive that keeps them going. Although, my experience with American gamefowls is limited.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I think different kinds of gamefowl stand or run from different things. Orientals are famous for fighting for days with their natural spurs and beaks, but may run when they get hit with a steel gaff. And yet, and American that won’t run from a steel gaff may run when a big guinea thrashes them in a free range setting.

I agree most of us that free range gamefowl in a barnyard setting are going to see more attitude from an oriental. Dovetailing with their game drive against other roosters is an anti-predator drive that may or may not be related to the game drive. Bankivoid gamefowl generally fall on the flight side of fight or flight when it comes to predators, while orientals often fall on the fight side.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Discussion of the behavioral and physical differences between oriental and bankivoid gamefowl goes back to the speculation whether orientals descend from a different wild ancestor than the bankivoids.

My recollection is the recent genetic studies strongly suggest that the orientals are just highly modified red junglefowl and do not represent a separate domestication of chickens from the RJG domestication. Anyone have any links handy on the issue?