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

 

[Don 27]

I plan on keeping them in my barn for the winter and free ranging them for the summer. Also how do you tell the more pur birds from the less pur.

 

[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.

 

[Don 27]

Thanks for the info do you know where i can get the breeds you are talking about. I would really like for the birds to be more self reliant Which is why I wanted natural nesting behavior. But if you're saying wild birds would just run away I would not want to release those. But if you do know someone who is selling pur wild birds I would consider buying. I could cross the wild one's with my game birds and release those that way they will still have natural nesting behaviors but not run away. Do you think this would work? Also if I can get a hold of red jungle fowl as chicks my games birds would be good candidates to raise them up and may be less likely to run away.

 

[Ntsees]

You can try the hybrid rjf at cackle hatchery. Pure rjf are on a whole different level. They are susceptible to chicken diseases and may kick the bucket before you can breed them. If they do lay, it's very tough to raise the chicks to adults. Chicks would likely catch diseases from the foster mother chicken and pass away before they reach adults. I don't know of any rjf breeders who has available birds.

 

[Don 27]

You can try the hybrid rjf at cackle hatchery. Pure rjf are on a whole different level. They are susceptible to chicken diseases and may kick the bucket before you can breed them. If they do lay, it's very tough to raise the chicks to adults. Chicks would likely catch diseases from the foster mother chicken and pass away before they reach adults. I don't know of any rjf breeders who has available birds.

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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.