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

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Silver (grey) is dominant over red/gold. However, that also means that once it’s gone, it won’t come back; unless it isn’t actually gone. Silver rooster to gold hen will produce silver/gold roosters (appearing mostly silver) and silver hens. Gold rooster to silver hen will produce silver/gold roosters and gold hens.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Silver (grey) is dominant over red/gold. However, that also means that once it’s gone, it won’t come back; unless it isn’t actually gone. Silver rooster to gold hen will produce silver/gold roosters (appearing mostly silver) and silver hens. Gold rooster to silver hen will produce silver/gold roosters and gold hens.

That will be tricky then. The most likely pairing will be a gold (red) rooster to silver hens, which means that if I’m not careful I can get hens that will blend into my normal colored hens.

I might better only cross the greys to Indo or Azog and use them as random yard fodder.

What happens if I take a gold hen that came from the gold rooster to silver hen pairing and cross back to a gold rooster? Should the silver be gone at that point?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

That will be tricky then. The most likely pairing will be a gold (red) rooster to silver hens, which means that if I’m not careful I can get hens that will blend into my normal colored hens.

I might better only cross the greys to Indo or Azog and use them as random yard fodder.

What happens if I take a gold hen that came from the gold rooster to silver hen pairing and cross back to a gold rooster? Should the silver be gone at that point?

Yes, the silver will be gone, it can’t hide behind gold since it’s dominant. You may be able to tell the new mixes from your existing hens by the fayoumi/quill pattern.

 

[raingarden]

That’s what my thought is… my Crackers don’t need any improved predator resistance. I rarely lose Crackers to predators. What I’m looking for now is improved disease/parasite/natural toxin/environmental resistance. I lose far more immature birds in their first 2 weeks of free ranging to the hazards of the habitat than I do to predators. Whatever it may be; salt bush poisoning, botulism, coccidiosis, unknown internal parasites, fire ant/toad/millipede toxicity, my farm has become rough for immature birds in their first few days of free ranging. Yet if they make it past two weeks they seem to make it overall. My answer may lay in simply breeding the survivors to each other. But I am curious to test the hype around Fayoumi immunities.

I found that a fount waterer with some corid placed next to where a free-ranging hen with chicks comes to get a free hand-out will reduce chick mortality. But, it could be counter-productive because over the long term letting survival-of-the-fittest do it's work may be more beneficial. I don't know.

We have very high chick mortality but reducing chick mortality doesn't really increase the flock size. Flock size seems to be determined by the resource base (both natural forage and supplemental feed). Most pullets and cockerels are driven away from the flock to who-knows-where. I don't know where they end up. A few young-of-the-year are accepted by the flock, but only enough to keep a stable population that is in balance with the resource base.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I rotated Indo back to free range last night. Before I did I got a pic of one of his wing claws with my wife’s help.

Since I wormed Indo with the Ivermectin about the same time I wormed Azog, Indo has put out about the same amount of weight; about 1lb 5oz.

 

[Appalachian homestead]

View attachment 3325175

I rotated Indo back to free range last night. Before I did I got a pic of one of his wing claws with my wife’s help.

Since I wormed Indo with the Ivermectin about the same time I wormed Azog, Indo has put out about the same amount of weight; about 1lb 5oz.

Did you pen up Azog?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Did you pen up Azog?

Yes I did. I am working close to home today. If I can swing by the farm at lunchtime I’ll take pics showing how I’ve arranged things. I spent hours after dark last night shuffling chickens around.

 

[AGeese]

View attachment 3325175

I rotated Indo back to free range last night. Before I did I got a pic of one of his wing claws with my wife’s help.

Since I wormed Indo with the Ivermectin about the same time I wormed Azog, Indo has put out about the same amount of weight; about 1lb 5oz.

So you just went straight Ivermectin? I am going order something today, and I read starting first with Wazine then followed up by Ivermectin due to something about the cost of Ivermectin and protein overload if you kill all the worms off?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

So you just went straight Ivermectin? I am going order something today, and I read starting first with Wazine then followed up by Ivermectin due to something about the cost of Ivermectin and protein overload if you kill all the worms off?

Yes, the same blue liquid ivermectin that is poured on the backs of cows. I dripped it onto the chickens’ backs in 1-6 drops depending on size.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

The ivermectin is expensive, but because it is applied in literal drops one bottle would last a long time.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. As I shuffled around chickens last night I noted nearly all my birds had much better breasts than pre-worming.