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

[TexasBlues]

I like the videos. I learned from you about having the black soldier fly larva in the deep litter of the brooder. I deep filled my 4x4 pen that’s off the ground with pecan leaves and now the birds feed underneath when the larva fall out.

 

[Crazy0ne]

I like the videos. I learned from you about having the black soldier fly larva in the deep litter of the brooder. I deep filled my 4x4 pen that’s off the ground with pecan leaves and now the birds feed underneath when the larva fall out.

Thats what im wanting to do but it gets cold were im at and its the middle of winter

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

Nothing to report. The Liege still aren't laying. I had 2 dozen chicks of various backgrounds and a hard freeze tanked them all night before last. Went from 80F to 25F in a short span. When I know a freeze like that is coming I'll put out a IR light and that will get them through. But this one snuck up on me and all they had was their heat plate. It wasn't enough.

A few years back we had a VERY warm winter all the way into December. Then a cold spell hit and it was like throwing a switch from summer to winter and I lost all my pure Grey and Ceylon Jungle Fowl and most of my high percentage crosses. They had all survived much colder temperatures in the previous winters but they apparently needed to gradually adjust to colder temperatures. That’s why it bugs me when people say things like “my birds handle -30°F here in Montana your birds will be fine” when they are talking to people who live in mild climates when a polar vortex takes extreme cold to places that don’t normally get it. That being said, my other chickens did do fine even with that one cold snap. I try and gradually taper my young birds off of supplemental heat especially in the winter. This is the first year that I didn’t hatch through the winter and man am I glad that I didn’t! I’m enjoying the break and the reduction in stress.
This guy insists on sleeping in the trees even during this last cold spell. I’m amazed they he doesn’t even appear to have any frostbite on his comb:

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I have found that the Marek’s infected birds (adults) can’t handle a dramatic downward shift in temperature. It will either happen during the winter when temps will shift 50°F in a 2 day period or during the summer when a thunderstorm drenches the birds.

My three way crosses (Liege x Cracker x aseel) consistently show no signs of the Marek’s. But the pure-bred breeds or the line-bred aseel x Liege are highly susceptible. In this last hard freeze I lost my favorite aseel x American hen, one of the micro-Crackers, and a pure Cracker (Survivorlady) to what I suspect was the Marek’s.

I’m down to 12 hens on free range with no sign of Marek’s. 7 of them are the three way crosses. They’re all about 2 years old. Seems like if a bird makes it past their 18 month molt without signs of Marek’s, they don’t get or at least manifest it.

 

[Az OEGB]

Marek s sounds awful, it really makes me think twice about adding anything new to my projects, I probably can do eggs still. I wish you success with beating this.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Marek s sounds awful, it really makes me think twice about adding anything new to my projects, I probably can do eggs still. I wish you success with beating this.

Its definitely not sunshine and rainbows. But it is very instructive to me about many facets of chicken biology and breeding.

Its like a wild fire, purging the dead underbrush and leaving a few strong trees. One factor that I think is playing out now is my flock expanding through several very mild winters. Mild even by Florida standards. We’ve had very few chill hours last few years.

We would probably do well to have several more hard freezes. It may purge many of the pathogens out of the environment and cull out any remaining birds that are struggling with sickness.

 

[Red Mangrove]

My three way crosses (Liege x Cracker x aseel) consistently show no signs of the Marek’s. But the pure-bred breeds or the line-bred aseel x Liege are highly susceptible.

80% of the chicken population is estimated to carry Marek's, with the majority being asymptomatic carriers

The main breeds that are well known for being suspectable to Marek's are those with high levels of inbreeding (Silkie, Sebright, Orpington, etc.) Humans of course breed for visibly obvious traits and not the immune system

The fact that it's your pure and line-bred chickens only adds more evidence that the problem is genetic in origin

Natural selection and more outbreeding seem to be effective solutions to the problem

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

80% of the chicken population is estimated to carry Marek's, with the majority being asymptomatic carriers

The main breeds that are well known for being suspectable to Marek's are those with high levels of inbreeding (Silkie, Sebright, Orpington, etc.) Humans of course breed for visibly obvious traits and not the immune system

The fact that it's your pure and line-bred chickens only adds more evidence that the problem is genetic in origin

Natural selection and more outbreeding seem to be effective solutions to the problem

And that’s one of the maddening things. The outcrossing for vigor thwarts my attempts to tighten up the traits through line-breeding.

I currently have Indo out on free range to breed to his 3-way-cross daughters. Will the chicks be as vigorous as their mothers? Or will I have to outcross for another generation before I bring them back to Indo to tighten up?

 

[Red Mangrove]

I currently have Indo out on free range to breed to his 3-way-cross daughters. Will the chicks be as vigorous as their mothers? Or will I have to outcross for another generation before I bring them back to Indo to tighten up?

I'm not sure. Animal husbandry is an incredibly complicated topic and every chicken breed has wildly differing amounts of genetic bottlenecking

The general outline that more inbreeding = higher Marek's mortality is easy to identify, but the specifics of each breed and how to line-breed them is where it gets complicated

Theoretically natural selection should solve the Marek's issue in time. Mortality should improve with each and every generation of survivors

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I'm not sure. Animal husbandry is an incredibly complicated topic and every chicken breed has wildly differing amounts of genetic bottlenecking

The general outline that more inbreeding = higher Marek's mortality is easy to identify, but the specifics of each breed and how to line-breed them is where it gets complicated

Theoretically natural selection should solve the Marek's issue in time. Mortality should improve with each and every generation of survivors

I agree with you that natural selection will sort it out. But me controlling which roosters free range is acting like a bulwark to complete natural selection.

I am strongly considering turning out my half and full Cracker roosters and subjecting them to Indo. Some or all may die. Or some may take some hens and move to the periphery of the farm, which is what I hope will happen.

If I do this, the only rooster that will not be turned out is Sherman. He will most certainly fight Indo and die, where Indo now has 2 inch spurs and Sherman is still a stag and has nubs. I may also keep back Lanky.