Developing My Own Breed Of Large Gamefowl For Free Range Survival (Junglefowl x Liege)

[Florida Bullfrog]

Apologies because I know nothing about mareks, but given Indo and Azog both have carnivorous traits, do you intend to breed that forward? It sounds interesting, and they seem capable of protection, but Indo potentially killing and eating younger males sounds worrying. do you intend to keep and breed forward birds with that trait?

Yes, its a trait I want to instill on that line. By the time all is said and done I want them killing and eating things larger than they can fit in down their throats whole. I want them picking carcasses like a bird of prey.

But heck, I got to get them hardy enough to otherwise do it. If I lose Azog to sickness of whatever type, I’ve lost nearly a year’s worth of work and will only have Indo and his sister as F1 crosses to show for the Liege genetics. I’ve lost dozens and dozens or Liege cross chicks and sub-adults to make 2 that passed the test of time.

Azog will be the closest to being what I had in mind when I envisioned making a dino chicken. If he’s naturally selected out of the project due to disease (likely from his inbred genetics from both sides of his gene pool), I’ll have to start over with just Indo and his sister. I might as well start planning for that contingency.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I read if they were vaxed at the hatchery then they won't develop tumors. I'm wondering myself. According to this page: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ps044

They still get the disease, they just become lifetime carriers and spread it around instead of getting weeded out of the gene pool.

I am breeding a survival chicken. That means one that can survive Marek’s, other diseases, and predators. So if he can’t cut it, then so be it. I do believe crossing in a third bloodline will likely end any suppressed immune system issues cause by inbreeding from both the aseel and Liege side. But I may have to do that by crossing Indo to an outside line instead of Azog.

 

[Appalachian homestead]

Is Azog still too young to be breeding hens?

 

[ElleEmie]

They are very good looking birds. Especially the crosses.

I received some fayoumi hatching eggs from a friend. Some were fayoumi American crosses and others were pure fayoumi. I ended up with 4 fayoumi American crosses and 1 pure fayoumi. 3 pullets and 2 stags. I turned out the two stags and both had disappeared within a week during a time of heavy red-tailed hawk activity. I kept back the 3 remaining pullets. It is the pure fayoumi pullet that has developed the suspicious limp.

Thus far they don’t seem like anything special. I’m going to let this possible Marek’s play out before I decide to actively breed the fayoumi in or just turn them out to free range and let natural selection take its course.

Yes, its a trait I want to instill on that line. By the time all is said and done I want them killing and eating things larger than they can fit in down their throats whole. I want them picking carcasses like a bird of prey.

But heck, I got to get them hardy enough to otherwise do it. If I lose Azog to sickness of whatever type, I’ve lost nearly a year’s worth of work and will only have Indo and his sister as F1 crosses to show for the Liege genetics. I’ve lost dozens and dozens or Liege cross chicks and sub-adults to make 2 that passed the test of time.

Azog will be the closest to being what I had in mind when I envisioned making a dino chicken. If he’s naturally selected out of the project due to disease (likely from his inbred genetics from both sides of his gene pool), I’ll have to start over with just Indo and his sister. I might as well start planning for that contingency.

My mixed Asian breeds chase and catch small song birds that try to steal food also chase and fight rats. A rat got into a coop I went out right at sun up thinking something was getting into my coop it was a hen attacking a invading rat. The oriental mixed breeds definitely are fierce carnivores.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Is Azog still too young to be breeding hens?

So far he’s not showing an interest in it.

 

[Appalachian homestead]

I was thinking maybe you could try artificial breeding but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be successful if still shows no interest, especially if he's in poor health. Just trying to figure out a way to save his genes....

 

[raingarden]

If it's Marek's, then where did it come from? If it was already in the environment then your Crackers must have been immune.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

If it's Marek's, then where did it come from? If it was already in the environment then your Crackers must have been immune.

I haven’t added any new chickens since summer, and then it was only one hen. But going back up to 2 years ago I added several chickens from various places.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

This morning there’s still been no change in the limping symptom for good or bad. Again Azog didn’t seem excited to eat from the trough but when I offered him food by hand he took it greedily. I think he’s avoiding the hens at the trough. If I get off of work before dark I’ll sit with him and let him eat from my hand.

The Fayoumi pullet is also still limping the same. But I notice her coat is vibrant. Neither birds are holding themselves as if sick. They just don’t want to rest weight on their lame leg.

My plan is this point is to locate an appropriate rooster and hen of the same background and cross them to Indo and his sister. If Azog ends up being ok, I will try to obtain a second hen of the same for him. That will start me on 2-3 lines that I can line breed each to and have lots of cousins from a few years down the line.

The new hen and rooster need to have a lot of big, mean, oriental blood.

 

[ElleEmie]

One of the fathers here on the farm started eating his chicks alive. His chicks lived with him from hatch day to about 1 month old I came to feed them he had eaten out the crop and eaten the neck of one of his children….. I was so mad at him. He was cooped him and that’s when I had the experience of 2 birds fighting thru fence To make feet wear to bone. I would recommend Shamo &thai lines if you don’t have some gamey thai in your lines yet they have a lot of good traits. When mixed with a ganoi or Shamo which roosters can weigh over 10 pounds differing lines they get BIG keep the traits. I have kept one hen from a batch with 10 pound rooster father for my breeding project.