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

[Florida Bullfrog]

Azog still has a slight limp but seems to otherwise be ok. He is now crowing and trying to breed hens. He is looking a lot like a typical Greenfire liege.

This Cracker hen came off the nest with 4 bitties during the Christmas freeze. Lanky is their father. I need to toe mark them and band her tonight and move them to a brooder coop for a couple of weeks before I turn them out to free range.

If I was to judge not by the standards of the dino or Cracker improvement projects, and just judge by which two birds are the best looking gamefowl on my farm, Lanky and the half-aseel hen are it.

I have some black wrap on the way to put around Lanky’s coop so I can switch out Indo and Lanky. That will let Indo breed this excellent half-aseel hen and also a couple of crackers I’ll throw in, and let Lanky have all of the rest of the free range Crackers. However, I hate separating these two. She will likely make excellent offspring with crossed to Lanky as she will Indo. Of course, if all goes well, I’ll cross her to both and Azog too. But for the time being I’m going to act as if all I got is one brood off of her, the life of a chicken being so harsh and brief. Looking at it that way, I am not sure which breeding I should get off of her first.

This is where I intend to start a second free range flock. At first, I’ll keep them behind the electric fence. I have about 1/2 an acre enclosed in, half is woods and half is a food plot.

 

[Az OEGB]

I have a question when you bred Jon Jon to your crackers were the offspring the same as when you bred number 1 to your American game hens

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I have a question when you bred Jon Jon to your crackers were the offspring the same as when you bred number 1 to your American game hens

Jon Jon was killed by the eagle before he produced any offspring.

 

[Az OEGB]

Sorry to here that the reason
I asked was because I wanted to make some more 1/2 OEGB 1/2 Red jungle fowl and my rooster died and the Breeder I got him from doesn’t have any more so I thought maybe I could breed my OEGB rooster to my jungle fowl hens instead

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Have you ever been able to free-range more than one Broodcock?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Have you ever been able to free-range more than one Broodcock?

No. Early on I let Number 1 and Ragnar, both sons of Hei Hei, free range when they were stags. They set up their own territories and didn’t cross an invisible line in the front yard. Then out of the blue they fought and Number 1 killed Ragnar. Took both his eyes out. They were somewhere around a year old I think; I’d have to check my records as to when I lost Ragnar. From that time on Number 1 killed all stags when they got about a year old. Now I never let more than 1 rooster free range that is more than a year old.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

That's what I thought, but then you were talking about setting up that extra territory and I wondered. Thanks.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

That's what I thought, but then you were talking about setting up that extra territory and I wondered. Thanks.

I very much want 2-3 independent free-range flocks on far flung parts of the farm. When my family had 100 acres they ranged multiple brood cocks in woods around water sources. The cocks kept to their own territories with about 20 or so hens each. But I only have 40 acres. I have some natural water barriers that may keep at least one flock contained. But I’d like to first try it behind an electric fence with a deer feeder to get them habituated to that spot. The Crackers can fly over it or walk thru it easily but when I had the pure Liege I was able to keep them behind the fence easily. They can theoretically fly over but choose not to. I figure that Azog’s offspring, if the product of him to another large oriental, will likely stay behind it. Alternatively, flighty birds may still stay behind it if raised behind it from chickhood. Or at least stay there long enough to be habituated there. I am betting a deer feeder going off twice a day will keep them roosting there.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I did a lot of moving birds around last night, and also toe marked some more chicks. The black wrap I got to separate Indo and Lanky was to flimsy, so I cut and zip tied a lot of cardboard in the dark. I then switched out Indo and Lanky.

This morning I found them wire fighting over shorter pieces of cardboard and between gaps, so I filled in those spaces best I could before leaving for work. When I left they were trying to fly up and hit one another well above the cardboard.

Hopefully they’ll tire of it soon. With the barrier up they probably won’t score serious hits on each other, but I am concerned Lanky will become eagle chow while distracted. This past week has been terrible for predators making runs on the flock. All unsuccessful so far but that can change any time. I have trail camera pics of my dogs running a fox, followed by catching a bald eagle then a great horned owl in the act at daylight each morning. I heard the eagles chattering throughout the night last night in my hammock a couple hundred yards away.

 

[Appalachian homestead]

Lanky sure is dedicated! Hopefully he will still cover the other hens on free range