My Red Jungle Fowl Roo!!!

[scratch'n'peck]

This link has a picture of what is considered to be pure red jungle fowl. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/red-jungle-fowl/

I have heard that even in the jungles of South Asia it is hard to find pure red jungle fowl because they have interbred some with domestics. So that progeny from the San Diego Zoo might be as good as we can get in the United States as far a red jungle fowl. I don't know.

Here is another interesting site about different lines of jungle fowl, etc http://animalsinthecity.webs.com/chickensfowls.htm

 

[toejam]

Intresting info! My males look a lot like vietnamese, but then hens don't.

 

[orientphoenix]

Quote:
i don't think it is mixed, if it has a small tiny comb it might be a red indian jungle fowl or any other for that matter, just post up pics

try this http://tommyspetparadise.webs.com/sandiegozoorjf.htm

 

[PortugalBreeder]

Quote:
Sell them as a regular chicken.

 

[Junglefowl]

Everyone on the board have said some good thinks. Eclipse plumage or molt or a good way to tell the purity of a bird. The comb, tail carriage, leg color and size is a big factor. A pure junglefowl is about the size of a bantam. Combs on the male should be thin and have only 6 point on the it. The hens depending on the species should have no comb. There is four species of red junglefowl in one of the species the hens are known to have a small comb. They are very hard to find pure. I when you do plan on spending at least $200.00 a pair.
The zoo birds san Diego are bird that at one time were pure. They released them in the park and bred with the chicken kept there. So are now non pure.
I hope this has helped a little. I can talk all on the junglefowl subject.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Hey Junglefowl, you have a great website. I especially like the photos of the eclipse molt of the Red Junglefowl.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I don't know why I am so interested in the Red Jungle Fowl discussion considering I am not a serious breeder, but here is another link that supports the theory that even Red Jungle fowl in the wild have some domesticated chicken genetics (especially Eastern Asia)

For more information than you ever wanted to know, you can check it out:

http://journals.cambridge.org/downl...48a.pdf&code=80af612a1f5abe0a79829c68c457666d

 

[philter4]

scratch'n'peck :

I don't know why I am so interested in the Red Jungle Fowl discussion considering I am not a serious breeder, but here is another link that supports the theory that even Red Jungle fowl in the wild have some domesticated chicken genetics (especially Eastern Asia)

It depends on where the birds are, if they are close to humans then yes there is probably some domestic blood in the birds. They are considered vulnerable on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) red list for this reason. If the populations are isolated from human contact the integrity of the genes is not compromised. Grey jungle fowl are considered the same for the same reasons although I am not sure because I have researched this and it all depends on who did the study.

There is some evidence both ways that domestic chickens have grey jungle fowl in them, my opinion is in the wild do not and here is why (in captivity we force them to do what we want so this doesn't hold true). While red and grey jungle fowl do produce hybrids, the next generation has problems with fertility of the eggs and viability of the chicks when bred back to a grey jungle fowl and not a red jungle fowl. In the wild this first generation hybrid is actually more successful at breeding then either species of parent bird, breeding back with reds, greys, and other hybrids. These hybrids will also cross with a chicken, but the next generation birds are not nearly as genetically strong. The fertility of the eggs and the integrity of the chicks is compromised in later generations when bred back to grey jungle fowl but average when bred back to red jungle fowl. Now if you take that second generation chick and start adding in chicken or red jungle fowl blood back into the birds the constitution improves and the hatch rate and chick survival increases to the point where they are just as prolific as any other pure bird. If these birds had grey jungle fowl in them already I would think they would not have any problem with the second back cross. This is my opinion based on the research I have read, not any sort of genetic study I have done so I could very well be wrong, but looking at the evidence I think grey jungle fowl don't contribute to a chickens genetics but if other research or studies are done I could easily change this opinion.

The cross between a red jungle fowl and a domestic chicken is not technically a hybrid so even if they have some domestic blood in them (which should still be disclosed when selling eggs or birds if you know this fact) it is still a "purebred" bird by definition of a species. Think of a dog, if you cross a poodle with a lab, it is still a dog, not a hybrid but no longer a pedigree. Same with a dog and a wolf, a dog is Canis lupus familiaris and a wolf is Canis lupus lupus, so a cross is still the same species but not a purebred wolf. If you keep breeding these wolf/dog crosses back to a wolf and don't let dog back in it will take several generations but down the line the "familiaris" subspecies will eventually be so diminished it will effectively be gone.​