interested in Red jungle fowl

[Don 27]

Hi I have been all over the internet and found limited information on rjf. I'm looking to buy some more wild birds with natural nesting behaviors . I would prefer more pur birds but willing to consider what ever you have. Thanks

 

[townchicks]

Pure Red jungle Fowl are so flighty that even zoos have trouble keeping them, because they will run into walls and wire to escape people, thus killing themselves. There is a reason people have been breeding birds to be tamer over centuries. There are breeds that are better suited to free ranging, but there will always be losses. Chickens are a prey species. Even wild animals fall to predation.

 

[ThracianHorse]

So if I have a wild population in my woods and more than one roo was born they would fight ?and If so then how is one roo supposed to protect all the hens?

...what do you think will happen? You want "wild" chickens, then you'll see wild. Roosters will fight, maybe badly injure or kill each other over access to hens. Hens might die from being egg-bound, or from injuries from over-zealous cockerels, or even from fights with each other. All chickens are susceptible to bumblefoot, starvation, and exposure to the elements (especially older or younger birds). I strongly suggest cracking open a book about chicken behavior and reading up about the biology of them. The idea of one rooster protecting a feral flock is impossible, as is the idea that they will all reliably utilize a barn for shelter in the winter. Every population has emigrants, and a learning curve. You'll never see those, though. Those will just disappear.

If you want wild birds, I suggest encouraging the wild native birds instead of setting loose and maintaining a feral population of chickens. That's as terrible an idea as setting loose feral cats. All it does is bring problems and disease if they aren't tended or minded on some level. You stated you don't want them for eggs or meat, or even as companions. You certainly won't be able to monitor, or vaccinate for disease in this kind of a setup, nor will you be able to control fowl mites, lice, or treat birds ailing from other common things chickens might suffer from. You also might check your local laws for feral stock ordinances. In short, why are you running this experiment at all? Wild birds can provide you with all of the things you want with none of the issues feral chickens bring - and the native birds actually belong there. The approach you seem to be interested in here tiptoes dangerously close to complete irresponsibility for your livestock.

Real red junglefowl are insanely hard to keep, as others have pointed out. But they are also treated as insanely valuable birds for those who can meet their high needs and demands in captivity. In other words, people don't turn birds that valuable loose to wander the woods. That's asking for a sudden decrease in the value of ones flock, usually down the throat of a coyote.

 

[Ntsees]

First off, if you are lucky to get pure rjf, they will not free range as you are hoping. The moment you let them loose from their box, they are in the air and gone. Just imagine holding a house sparrow, a dove, or a pigeon outside and then letting it loose - that's what's going to happen when you let go of a pure rjf. Second, pure rjf do naturally nest if you provide a comfortable environment. In a brushy and roomy environment, they'll make their own nest and sit. However, a word of caution is that if you should disturb her nesting at any point which would cause her to spook and leave the nest, she will stop her incubation no matter how long she's already been sitting. If you want both free ranging and natural brooding behavior, gamefowl or hybrid rjf are a better suit for you.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Ya I found a pure or it least imported rjf from a breeder that was selling 450$ a pair. Wayyy out of my price range!!! Plus we have an assortment of layers that may be careers of diseases. Rjfs natural habitat probably doesn't have the diseases we have here. The reason why I want more self reliant chickens is because we have a over grown woods that would be nice to have wild free ranging birds occupying.

You can free range gamefowl but they’ll all get eaten eventually if you don’t trap the predators that will most likely prey on them.
It’s a total pipe dream if you think you can keep them all alive on a hope and a prayer.

 

[Don 27]

Pure Red jungle Fowl are so flighty that even zoos have trouble keeping them, because they will run into walls and wire to escape people, thus killing themselves. There is a reason people have been breeding birds to be tamer over centuries. There are breeds that are better suited to free ranging, but there will always be losses. Chickens are a prey species. Even wild animals fall to predation.

I don't mind losing a couple chickens to the wild as I'm not using them for meat or eggs. But would like to have something I can enjoy watching in the wild and observe their natural instincts. Plus the wild breeds really interest me.

 

[Don 27]

I free range birds year round and have hens hatch eggs in the woods. I like to watch the birds natural instincts too. As long as you stay on top of trapping the predators you’re losses will be minimal. I have over 70 loose birds right now that sleep in the trees every night.

That sounds so awesome I would love to see that. What breed strain do you use?

 

[roosterhavoc]

So if I have a wild population in my woods and more than one roo was born they would fight ?and If so then how is one roo supposed to protect all the hens?

As already mentioned I’m not sure what you’re after with a wild population? If that means to you chickens just coming and going at random with you occasionally setting a few traps in an attempt to keep them alive it won’t work.
True gamefowl cocks will kill each other. Chickens are domesticated. While I let many birds free range year round I only ever have 1 loose full grown cock and usually not even that. I do have loose hens year round though. I still feed them, treat for lice and mites and look them over every so often. Just turning them loose for good isn't the best idea.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Seriously? Wading through the contradictory and convoluted information given by the OP all while slogging through the grammatical, spelling, and additional errors in the posts. It is evident that they haven't researched Red Junglefowl and their needs but expect to find "pur" ones that they can turn loose in an area where winter will prevent a feral chicken population from expanding. I could go on, but that would require going back and trying to re-read the four pages and my head is still hurting from straining/forcing myself through it the first time.

 

[Don 27]

My barn is in the woods and has roosting bars up in the rafters. so I nailed slippery plastic all around the onside the open barn. My idea is utilized the chickens roosting behavior by having them roost on predator proof bars. The chickens will have free will to come and go as they please. I have been trapping sense I moved out here I have been use ing the animals I catch to rebat my traps.