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

[sdm111]

Yes, if its Marek’s I suspect its been present for a while and just not visibly effecting my birds. Last year some of the Americans I introduced died of Marek’s-like symptoms. Stumbling, lameness, ect.

I try to keep backups on different farms. There is a brother to Azog that looks like a bigger version of Indo who’s genetics I can tap back into again, but my hope is for each brother to start a line and then cross the lines after each is set.

Keeping backups on my farm is difficult for two reasons. First, a large number get weeded out on free range so what I start with is whichever survives. Its been difficult with the Liege crosses because so many wash out early on. I only get 1-2 adults for every 12-24 bitties I produce. My biggest setback was losing my 3 Liege hens. If I still had them I could keep cranking out more 3/4 Liege with Indo. So ultimately the hard-core free range life isn’t conducive for cranking out tons of the Liege crosses.

Second, those stags who survive have to be either cooped or sent off farm lest they then fall to which ever brood cock is on free range when the stags get spurs. I have 8 coops but all are in use at the moment. I probably have too many projects going on.

Sounds like 4x5 domes or round growout pens would do good. Any kind of breeding management is going to take ability to protect and contain. What breeds of Americans do you think would best fit your infusion that you would like to do? Just the blueface or different hatch or different breed altogether?

 

[Molpet]

Sounds like 4x5 domes or round growout pens would do good. Any kind of breeding management is going to take ability to protect and contain

True
But.....
Kinda defeats the purpose stated in the thread title LOL

 

[sdm111]

True
But.....
Kinda defeats the purpose stated in the thread title LOL

It appears like he's doing specific breeding with crosses kinda hard to do that in a free range setting

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

What I do is make them grow up free range to prove out which ones are the survivors and then in adulthood I put selected individuals into coops for breeding. Free range counts as 9th breeding coop because I control the free range flock’s breeding by only allowing one brood cock out and collecting eggs from hens that lay unique eggs. For instance, Indo’s sister lays unique enough eggs I can always recognize them in the free range nest boxes.

The hens are constantly transferred between coops and free range. The brood cocks can only be let out one at a time for several weeks at a time.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Sounds like 4x5 domes or round growout pens would do good. Any kind of breeding management is going to take ability to protect and contain. What breeds of Americans do you think would best fit your infusion that you would like to do? Just the blueface or different hatch or different breed altogether?

I am using any Americans that look like my Crackers and come from a long line of country-walk raised birds. My primary supplier of American Blueface and Hatch raises his stags and pullets on wood lots where they fend for themselves for about a year before he gathers up the ones he wants. He’s been raising them that way for a long time.

So superficially, they need to have the junglefowl look in color. Although I’m open to wheaten hens, as my childhood flock had wheaten hens and wheaten has always been a common gamefowl color on Florida homesteads.

In terms of raising, I want them to be bred from a long line that spends at least part of its life free range. My preference is for the flock to consist of one brood cock and several hens that free range 24/7.

Up to this point I’ve resisted using true ferals from totally wild flocks due to their often heavy infusion of laying genetics.

 

[raingarden]

Up to this point I’ve resisted using true ferals from totally wild flocks due to their often heavy infusion of laying genetics.

For whatever reason, modern genetics don't seem to survive in our neighborhood and they die out. On the island of Kauai and in some other areas the layer genetics quickly become dominant. Our established feral flocks may have become adapted to deal with a pathogen or the mongoose or something.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

For whatever reason, modern genetics don't seem to survive in our neighborhood and they die out. On the island of Kauai and in some other areas the layer genetics quickly become dominant. Our established feral flocks may have become adapted to deal with a pathogen or the mongoose or something.

I’ve noticed that in Florida, urban feral flocks retain strong layer builds while flocks in the woods retain mostly game or junglefowl builds. I presume the difference is in part the result of needing an extra dimension or athleticism in the woods. The urban flocks also have predators but I bet its easier to avoid a feral cat in an open lot than it is a bobcat in the thick bush. I also think layers are more disease resistant and there is probably more pathogens in urban flocks.

Or it can simply be the fact that urban flocks have more layer genetics constantly fed in where backyard coop chickens join the feral flock periodically over the course of several years.

 

[troyer]

I’ve noticed that in Florida, urban feral flocks retain strong layer builds while flocks in the woods retain mostly game or junglefowl builds. I presume the difference is in part the result of needing an extra dimension or athleticism in the woods. The urban flocks also have predators but I bet its easier to avoid a feral cat in an open lot than it is a bobcat in the thick bush. I also think layers are more disease resistant and there is probably more pathogens in urban flocks.

Or it can simply be the fact that urban flocks have more layer genetics constantly fed in where backyard coop chickens join the feral flock periodically over the course of several years.

It would be very interesting to me to inject some Sumatra genetics into your flock and see if that would improve the savviness. Not the show lines, but rather a combination of show and hatchery stock. It seems to me that a Sumatra crossed with a Florida cracker would produce some incredibly savvy free rangers.
I had a hen that ranged out a quarter of a mile on occasion so she was at least partly familiar with the lay of the land in this scenario. Half that distance was more normal but the field they had access to, was a quarter mile field. She was a hatchery Sumatra and an incredibly good mother. She had the built-in instinct to fake a broken wing to lure a predator away from her babies. In this instance it was a neighbors' dog. She had done something similar to our 16 week old puppy earlier in the year.
She had twelve chicks just over two weeks old when a dog from the neighboring farm showed up, she gave a sound of danger and the chicks scattered in various directions and scooted underneath any bit of cover directly available, a couple of them just froze in place. This dog came to the normal area where most of the coops were at, she got his attention by flapping around and faking a broken wing, the dog took off after her, but she stayed just out of his reach. She took him to the end of the field which is exactly .3 of a mile from where she started. At the end of the field was a brushy fence line, she went through the brushy fence line with the dog still chasing her and took to the air flying all the way back close to where she had left the chicks. She waited for approximately 10 minutes watching to see if the dog would come back, he didn't which when she seemed confident that all was well she again made a clucking sound of "come here my babies", they all cautiously popped up from where they had been hiding and ran to mama.
I stood there and witnessed this first hand.
This was in an area with coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, opposums, skunks, feral cats and neighboring dogs.
It was also a hawk migrating route bringing what seemed like half a dozen hawks twice a year on top of the local hawks that very seldom were able to get any chickens because of their savvy dispositions.
I don't have any of those Sumatra genetics anymore because I decided to raise Cubalaya instead, but I have done something similar to what you are doing with your free rangers and it shows.

 

[raingarden]

Yeah, being a good flyer and the instinct to roost way up in a tree on the thin branches must help a lot.

 

[ElleEmie]

It would be very interesting to me to inject some Sumatra genetics into your flock and see if that would improve the savviness. Not the show lines, but rather a combination of show and hatchery stock. It seems to me that a Sumatra crossed with a Florida cracker would produce some incredibly savvy free rangers.
I had a hen that ranged out a quarter of a mile on occasion so she was at least partly familiar with the lay of the land in this scenario. Half that distance was more normal but the field they had access to, was a quarter mile field. She was a hatchery Sumatra and an incredibly good mother. She had the built-in instinct to fake a broken wing to lure a predator away from her babies. In this instance it was a neighbors' dog. She had done something similar to our 16 week old puppy earlier in the year.
She had twelve chicks just over two weeks old when a dog from the neighboring farm showed up, she gave a sound of danger and the chicks scattered in various directions and scooted underneath any bit of cover directly available, a couple of them just froze in place. This dog came to the normal area where most of the coops were at, she got his attention by flapping around and faking a broken wing, the dog took off after her, but she stayed just out of his reach. She took him to the end of the field which is exactly .3 of a mile from where she started. At the end of the field was a brushy fence line, she went through the brushy fence line with the dog still chasing her and took to the air flying all the way back close to where she had left the chicks. She waited for approximately 10 minutes watching to see if the dog would come back, he didn't which when she seemed confident that all was well she again made a clucking sound of "come here my babies", they all cautiously popped up from where they had been hiding and ran to mama.
I stood there and witnessed this first hand.
This was in an area with coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, opposums, skunks, feral cats and neighboring dogs.
It was also a hawk migrating route bringing what seemed like half a dozen hawks twice a year on top of the local hawks that very seldom were able to get any chickens because of their savvy dispositions.
I don't have any of those Sumatra genetics anymore because I decided to raise Cubalaya instead, but I have done something similar to what you are doing with your free rangers and it shows.

Where are you from? Love your birds. What about phoenix. Experiences with them?