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

[I Like Turkeys]

Lanky has beautiful tail feathers. They’re fairly long, and that shot of him on top of the hen with his tail feathers to the side is impressive. Impressive in the sense of how pretty and long his tail is, I mean. Good for you that he’s breeding the hens too.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I am surprised that is all they got from it. I wonder how long they were fighting.

Probably on and off all day. I think they really couldn’t get at each other to do any serious head damage. The worst I would expect is a lost eye, but their heads can’t fit through the wire even without the cardboard so I’m not sure even that was likely. I was more worried about an eagle catching Lanky. My family member saw one do a buzz of the yard today.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Lanky has beautiful tail feathers. They’re fairly long, and that shot of him on top of the hen with his tail feathers to the side is impressive. Impressive in the sense of how pretty and long his tail is, I mean. Good for you that he’s breeding the hens too.

I think he’ll look stunning after his 18 month molt. He’s 1 year old this month, so by next fall he should be sporting his adult plumage. I am hoping the tail drops some to be more like Number 1’s tail.

 

[AGeese]

I think he’ll look stunning after his 18 month molt. He’s 1 year old this month, so by next fall he should be sporting his adult plumage. I am hoping the tail drops some to be more like Number 1’s tail.

I was beginning to wonder about just this. All my Buckeyes are going through a thing, I've dosed all, but one (with Ivers) who up until now was picture perfect. One is recovering, one has stabilized, another may be on the recovery, and now my perfect girl...

However! My Jersey's remain totally unafflicted.

They are around 14 mos, and so I've been thinking molt was late, but now I wonder if Heritage breeds molt later being they take longer to mature.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I was beginning to wonder about just this. All my Buckeyes are going through a thing, I've dosed all, but one (with Ivers) who up until now was picture perfect. One is recovering, one has stabilized, another may be on the recovery, and now my perfect girl...

However! My Jersey's remain totally unafflicted.

They are around 14 mos, and so I've been thinking molt was late, but now I wonder if Heritage breeds molt later being they take longer to mature.

Generally all chickens have a major molt at 18 months, and that is considered their molt into adulthood. There can also be other molts along the way. My free range stags will have a molt when they’re penned away from the brood cock and with hens for the first time.

I notice among the roosters that their 18 month molt will produce their best plumage up to that point. I think I have some 18 month molt before and afters of some of my roosters.

Often the 18 month molt coincides with a bird’s second summer or fall. I do not know if the literal 18 months or the change in daylight length has more of an effect in triggering that first adult molt. The “18 months” could very well be 16-20 months if its actually being triggered by age plus season.

 

[troyer]

Generally all chickens have a major molt at 18 months, and that is considered their molt into adulthood. There can also be other molts along the way. My free range stags will have a molt when they’re penned away from the brood cock and with hens for the first time.

I notice among the roosters that their 18 month molt will produce their best plumage up to that point. I think I have some 18 month molt before and afters of some of my roosters.

Often the 18 month molt coincides with a bird’s second summer or fall. I do not know if the literal 18 months or the change in daylight length has more of an effect in triggering that first adult molt. The “18 months” could very well be 16-20 months if its actually being triggered by age plus season.

I agree with what you've shared here concerning the 18 month molt. There is also, at least in my fowl a 9-11 month molt that is a good expression of the fuller feathered 18 month molt. Consider when most broody hen hatched chicks happen and then count forward from then to get your 18 month molt. Spring and summer is the most common time for chicks to be hatched here at my place, that means then, that most of the molting happens in the fall/early winter months which coincides with the 18 month time frame.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

They’re breaking zip ties to create gaps to fight through, and are also tracking each other by sound and flying above the cardboard. I don’t think vision is as much as an issue as the ability to close within striking distance of each other.

I’ve now wrapped 3/4 of the coop in chicken wire. I think all fighting will stop where the wire is. What I am now unsure of is whether they’ll gravitate to the back of the coop where the tarp goes down almost to the cardboard and try to fight there. If so, I think I can scavenge enough chicken wire to close that area too.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Of course I didn’t wire the door…

So now the door is wired and it will be extra inconvenient to open and close it.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Well Lankey sure gets points for determination.

 

[raingarden]

Cocks will be cocks.