interested in Red jungle fowl

[Don 27]

Ok I'm not going to report.

 

[Don 27]

Today one of my game bantam hens decided she wanted to sleep in the trees with my older hen. I was a little concerned because of her young age but the roosting area she chose was vary hidden with good over cover and the branch was vary delicate. If anything tired to climb on the branch it would snap and she would fly off. I'm still looking for a birds with more of a natural nesting behavior. I found game birds for sale on eBay but they were hatching eggs not sure if I want to go through that again. Maybe one of my hens will go broody this spring.

 

[Mossy Dell]

I actually did the feral chicken thing successfully, AND kept a big flock of guineas going for 10 years too. We kept water in the barn and fed grain, and they ranged over the 15 acres, getting lots of bugs and grass. The key was having a VERY tall livestock and hay barn where they roosted. It was so tall that mostly the guineas flew up there, and the chickens roosted in a house in one corner, and we shut their door at night.

Our small farm was really open, with a neighbor's woods nearby. I did not want the fowl roosting in trees because to keep a flock going, they must be safe at night. Coons will climb and owls will pick them off branches. This pole barn used 6x6 poles that went up at least 16 feet to rafter trusses where the guineas roosted.

Now, I would have expected coons to clutch the pole and climb up. But apparently few if any did. Sixteen feet of pole is pretty far. The guineas and chickens were safe at night, and that was the key even though coons and possums and other predators had free run of the bottom area except the small enclosed chicken house corner. The barn itself did not have doors and one side was open. They killed chickens I had one time in a small chain link kennel in the barn, just reached in and grabbed them and ate them through the wire.

Our chickens were a cross I made of American games and barnyard bantams. I expected problems with fights because the games were the real thing. But crossed as they were, raised together, and perhaps because dominant males could stay apart in the day because they were on free range, fights were not a problem. I culled excess males and ones I didn't like.

Losses occurred when a hawk would work on the flock in the day, and we lost some females of both species when they were out setting. The guineas hung in there at between 20 and 30 birds, however. They would have over populated except guinea hens lost so many of their keets dragging them through dew. Since guineas evolved on African plains, I think dew does not compute. As with the chickens, the ones that made it to quail size usually survived and became flock members.

 

[Don 27]

I actually did the feral chicken thing successfully, AND kept a big flock of guineas going for 10 years too. We kept them fed and they ranged over the 15 acres, getting lots of bugs and grass. The key was having a VERY tall livestock and hay barn where they roosted. It was so tall that mostly the guineas flew up there, and the chickens roosted in a house in one corner, and we shut their door at night.

Our small farm was really open, with a neighbor's woods nearby. I did not want the fowl roosting in trees because to keep a flock going, they must be safe at night. Coons will climb and owls will pick them off branches. This pole barn used 6x6 poles that went up at least 16 feet to rafter trusses.

Now, I would have expected coons to clutch the pole and climb up. But apparently few if any did. Sixteen feed of pole is pretty far. The guineas and chickens were safe at night, and that was the key even though coons and possums and other predators had free run of the bottom area except the small enclosed chicken house corner. The barn itself did not have doors and one side was open. They killed chickens I had one time in a small chain link kennel in the barn, just reached in and grabbed them and ate them through the wire.

Our chickens were a cross I made of American games and barnyard bantams. I expected problems with fights because the games were the real thing. But crossed as they were, raised together, and perhaps because dominant males could stay apart in the day because they were on free range, fights were not a problem. I culled exthecess males and ones I didn't like.

Losses occurred when a hawk would work on the flock in the day, and we lost some females of both species when they were out setting. The guineas hung in there at between 20 and 30 birds, however. They would have over populated except guinea hens lost so many of their keets dragging them through dew. Since guineas evolved on African plains, I think dew does not compute. As with the chickens, the ones that made it to quail size usually survived and became flock members.

Well jeez thanks. These are some vary good ideas. How did you find this thread? Ya it's been a little while since I posted on this thread so I have been doing some experimenting . I finally developed a breed that is semi feral . They just require a cup a food a day when the ground is frozen and one hen has successfully hatched and reared 7chicks with 3 casualties. IN a bucket in the woods I placed a bottomless dog cage over top of the bucket so I had something to lock the chicks and mother hen up in every night. I would just let them out before work. I have a couple large fur trees that the mother hen eventually took her chicks up in to roost at night. And I'm fully aware of the danger they were in but I just let them do what they wanted. I continued to trap faithfully.

So eventually there was an attack in the night and the mother disappeared . After that the chicks stayed in the barn and were let out during the day until I couldn't possibly catch them at night to put them away any more. So they started sleeping in the fur trees again. They slept in the fur trees all summer long . This breed has developed night vision. If I approach the fur trees at night the birds will take to the air and land in the woods behind the fur trees sometimes they won't make it to the woods and end up sitting tight in the hay field like a pheasant. Chickens have truly amazed me how smart they are and how fast they learn.


but by now the chicks were adults and one layed a cluch of eggs so I decided I would put rare red jungle fowl hatching eggs under the hen and remove her eggs. Well to summarize it, shipped eggs don't always hatch and so she abandoned the nest because she could tell all the eggs were dead . Well luckily I saved her eggs and incubated them in my incubator and had a 100percent hatch rate !. Thanks to this helpful community they helped me through all the tough challenges of hatching eggs. So because of this breeds natural instincts to have a mother hen the chicks became depressed and anxious to GET OUT OF THEIR LARGER PEN. So I decided to let them out in the grass. Well I walked away for a little while and my cat eats half of my flock of chicks!!!! I was like seriously! So I penned them up for another 2weeks with chick raiser . I did try giving the chicks to their mother but she would not except them. Probably because she wouldn't let me get near her with the chicks. So some time later I decided to let the chicks out by now they were much bigger but didn't know any foraging instincts because they didn't have a mother. And the chicks were noticeably week from sitting in a smaller cage for so long. So I started exercising them in the yard every day. They were so friendly that they would fly up on my shoulders from the ground. Right now I still locked them up in a cage every night. So eventually they were such good flyers that they would fly from the house to the barn which was about 100ft away! Pretty far for 6week old chicks. The adult game fowl just continued to to their thing. Well today I had a hawk attack with the chicks while I was working in the yard Now I only have one little chick left.
The first group of chicks (the parents of these chick) were so much more self sufficient than this last group of chicks. it's amazing how much the mother hens do.

 

[Mossy Dell]

Well jeez thanks. These are some vary good ideas. How did you find this thread?

Some one referred to it on another thread, I think the one about red jungle fowl.

 

[Don 27]

Some one referred to it on another thread, I think the one about red jungle fowl.

hmm ok ?
that's interesting someone would refer to this thread.

 

[Don 27]

I actually did the feral chicken thing successfully, AND kept a big flock of guineas going for 10 years too. We kept water in the barn and fed grain, and they ranged over the 15 acres, getting lots of bugs and grass. The key was having a VERY tall livestock and hay barn where they roosted. It was so tall that mostly the guineas flew up there, and the chickens roosted in a house in one corner, and we shut their door at night.

Our small farm was really open, with a neighbor's woods nearby. I did not want the fowl roosting in trees because to keep a flock going, they must be safe at night. Coons will climb and owls will pick them off branches. This pole barn used 6x6 poles that went up at least 16 feet to rafter trusses where the guineas roosted.

Now, I would have expected coons to clutch the pole and climb up. But apparently few if any did. Sixteen feet of pole is pretty far. The guineas and chickens were safe at night, and that was the key even though coons and possums and other predators had free run of the bottom area except the small enclosed chicken house corner. The barn itself did not have doors and one side was open. They killed chickens I had one time in a small chain link kennel in the barn, just reached in and grabbed them and ate them through the wire.

Our chickens were a cross I made of American games and barnyard bantams. I expected problems with fights because the games were the real thing. But crossed as they were, raised together, and perhaps because dominant males could stay apart in the day because they were on free range, fights were not a problem. I culled excess males and ones I didn't like.

Losses occurred when a hawk would work on the flock in the day, and we lost some females of both species when they were out setting. The guineas hung in there at between 20 and 30 birds, however. They would have over populated except guinea hens lost so many of their keets dragging them through dew. Since guineas evolved on African plains, I think dew does not compute. As with the chickens, the ones that made it to quail size usually survived and became flock members.

You did the exact same thing that the farmer did. The guy who sold me my birds. The birds I have are a mix of American game fowl And silks bantams the silke bantam is to reduce the aggressiveness of American game . He had his birds for 10 years at one time he had over 100 birds in his barn. but this year he almost lost his birds and only had one hen and a couple roosters left. But now the population is slowly coming back. He has cows with his birds and the barn is one of those historical barns. The reason why he still has the chickens is because they help keep the bugs off his horses .

 

[Zach123]

One thing I would like to point out is a hen who does not set and hatch the clutch of eggs is not going to accept chicks that are handed to her from an incubator, even if they are genetically her chicks. To her they are just a bunch of random babies that she has no clue who they are or where they came from. She has no inclination to use her energy or risk her own safety to raise a bunch of strangers and interlopers. If you continue to hatch chicks in an incubator, you are the only thing in this world that can provide food and safety to them. If you want them to become established in your feral flock, good luck. At best you could hope that they establish their own flock with their own territory. But chickens don’t just allow a bunch of new strangers into their midst. Introducing new flock members, whether it’s chicks fresh out of the brooder or adult birds, takes time and relatively intense management (which you cannot provide with a feral flock).

 

[Don 27]

Ok

One thing I would like to point out is a hen who does not set and hatch the clutch of eggs is not going to accept chicks that are handed to her from an incubator, even if they are genetically her chicks. To her they are just a bunch of random babies that she has no clue who they are or where they came from. She has no inclination to use her energy or risk her own safety to raise a bunch of strangers and interlopers. If you continue to hatch chicks in an incubator, you are the only thing in this world that can provide food and safety to them. If you want them to become established in your feral flock, good luck. At best you could hope that they establish their own flock with their own territory. But chickens don’t just allow a bunch of new strangers into their midst. Introducing new flock members, whether it’s chicks fresh out of the brooder or adult birds, takes time and relatively intense management (which you cannot provide with a feral flock).

thank you for your input. This is caused because of my lack of me explaining things Sorry. The mother hen did go broody on the shipped eggs for 4 weeks and the eggs never hatched. I have seen many people introduce chicks to a broody hen and have great success. I was in the yard with the chicks when the hawk came down. I decided to take some pictures of the adult chickenS

this is one of the roosters

here are some pictures of the hens. Both have good weight for a bantam breed
Both birds are easily capable of flying 400ft.

 

[Zach123]

one layed a cluch of eggs so I decided I would put rare red jungle fowl hatching eggs under the hen and remove her eggs. Well to summarize it, shipped eggs don't always hatch and so she abandoned the nest because she could tell all the eggs were dead . Well luckily I saved her eggs and incubated them in my incubator

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you tried to get her to hatch RJF eggs and then she abandoned them. Only after she had given up on that clutch you decided to incubate the eggs you had saved from her. By the time your incubated eggs had hatched, she would have no longer been broody for several weeks. Her drive to raise young had long since passed. In fact, he moment she abandoned the nest her desire and inclination to care for offspring began to rapidly decline.

Your best chance, and hardly a guarantee, would have been to incubate the removed eggs immediately and try and introduce the newly hatched chicks while she was still setting on the eggs you had replaced them with. I don't know as that is an overly successful tactic, but I could be wrong. Someone with more experience pulling the old switcharoo like that could probably speak to success better than I could.