Historic Presence of Jungle Fowl in the American Deep South

[Florida Bullfrog]

I wasn’t planning on selling. Culling to me means we’ll kill and eat him, and I’m breeding for my own use and enjoyment. I am curious to see if the game x leghorn crosses will produce a decent laying bird that still retains many of the positive survival traits of the games. Unless the crossbred roosters come out something special, I’ll probably give away or cull them so they don’t contaminate my pure games. As to the layers, I don’t care how weirdly crossed they get. If they become poor layers in further generations, I can cull and start over with purebred layers.

 

[Don 27]

I have read things that indicate that this is a secret of gamefowl keepers of old, a trick for regulating size in a line. If a line got too heavy weight wise, they would select fall hatched pullets to breed to. For the reasons you mention, they don't get as big. The smaller the pullet, the smaller the egg, the smaller the egg, the smaller the chick, and the smaller the chick, the less head start he has. Don't know if this has actual genetic ramifications, don't see how it could, but sets up a feedback loop of sorts that could regulate size.

I regularly have orientals hatched in September. With some shelter and feed provided they seem to do better. Instead of a hen that turns on them and makes them fend for themselves at a young age they have a hen that broods them basically all winter, they don't game up until early spring, so I don't have to individually house a young bird that is still growing in the coldest months, which means they are able to conserve heat with brooding/huddling behavior in the coldest part of each 24 hour period. It does take more feed as there aren't bugs available.

I'm not going to break my hen of her broodyness because she doesn't go broody very often and I don't want to disrupt her wild behavior unless it's necessary. So I'm going to let her hatch out her own eggs. I will get hatching eggs next year I guess. Our winters are not very pleasant because the ground gets a ft. of snow and freezes solid. It doesn't get that bad until late November.

 

[Don 27]

I wasn’t planning on selling. Culling to me means we’ll kill and eat him, and I’m breeding for my own use and enjoyment. I am curious to see if the game x leghorn crosses will produce a decent laying bird that still retains many of the positive survival traits of the games. Unless the crossbred roosters come out something special, I’ll probably give away or cull them so they don’t contaminate my pure games. As to the layers, I don’t care how weirdly crossed they get. If they become poor layers in further generations, I can cull and start over with purebred layers.

Ok thanks

 

[Don 27]

Hey guys I couldn't help myself so I decided to care for chicks during the winter. Her is a link to the seller I was considering.https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-2-Red-Ju...4b6b3d76ee:g:RZ0AAOSwpzRcLA8i&redirect=mobile

 

[Don 27]

Hhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Pure-Rare-San-Diego-Zoo-Indian-red-jungle-fowl-hatching-eggs/323921737454?hash=item4b6b3d76ee:g:RZ0AAOSwpzRcLA8i&redirect=mobile I question this one because he used a picture from purely poultry

 

[Don 27]

What do you think I don't know if they're any good or not.

 

[Don 27]

https://www.purelypoultry.com/indian-red-jungle-fowl-p-869.html

 

[JShubin]

You got to start somewhere. Id say go for it. Let them free range and see if they survive. Any or all of those links would be a good idea. Consider genetic diversity if you plan on breeding.

 

[Don 27]

Thanks I've decided on the first one. Genetic diversity is what I'm after as is right now.

 

[flgardengirl]

I live in NE FL. I raise Key West chickens. I got my originals from a rescue group in 2011 that relocated the KW chickens straight from KW. The first several generations were very feral/wild and exhibited all those instincts for survival etc. At one time, I had hens escaping into woods, small groups getting way up into the Live Oaks to sleep etc. due to a neighbor dog trashing my chicken run one day.
We have way more predators around here than they do on Key West. We have hawks, eagles, owls, coyotes, foxes, racoon, possum, bobcat, cougar, lots
of feral cats, stray dogs, or people who let their dogs roam, etc.
None of those KW that escaped lived very long if they weren't caught. I had 9 chickens taken from trees in one night by owls. The hens nesting in woods might hatch out chicks but the chicks would get picked off by predators and then eventually the mothers. Luckily, I still have a good flock that didnt escape.
So I don't think any FL jungle fowl could live very long these days in the "wilds of Florida" with the exception of the keys or some other cut off area/ island etc. lol.
It seems like there would be more predators back in the old days than now so I dont know if any could be wild back then either. Chickens can fly well especially the small breeds like Key West but they seem to fly short distances. Anything heavier would have an even harder time.
Your heritage jungle chickens very well may have been from Spanish, Cuban, or even Puerto Rican game lines. Many of the Key West/Gypsy Chickens were originally brought over on trade ships or pirate ships from those countries. So the same ships were probably frequenting all of coastal Florida
They were brought over for meat, eggs, cock fighting/entertainment.
Here is an thread I wrote about Key West Chickens' background.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/key-west-aka-gypsy-chickens-thread.441267/#post-5505356