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

[Florida Bullfrog]

When the birds are done filling in post-molt I’ll take some good pictures. Indo and Lanky ought to be impressive. Indo being 3 and Lanky being 2.

I believe Indo would do well out free range so as to line breed all of his several daughters. But I can’t get over a gut feeling that Indo would be dangerous on free range now. He’s not aggressive to me, but he’s so strong, thick-legged, and long spurred, that I believe he’d do irreparable damage to my daughter or the dogs should the fancy take him to flog them. My gut says don’t trust him with anyone but myself, even though there’s zero evidence that he’s a manfighter. I recall last year he flogged an unknown predator and got himself released from a rump-grip that left blood on his legs from whatever he hit.

Lanky is long spurred and strong, and very gamey, but I just don’t have that feeling from him that he’s a threat to anything except another rooster and maybe a hawk.

 

[Molpet]

When the birds are done filling in post-molt I’ll take some good pictures. Indo and Lanky ought to be impressive. Indo being 3 and Lanky being 2.

I believe Indo would do well out free range so as to line breed all of his several daughters. But I can’t get over a gut feeling that Indo would be dangerous on free range now. He’s not aggressive to me, but he’s so strong, thick-legged, and long spurred, that I believe he’d do irreparable damage to my daughter or the dogs should the fancy take him to flog them. My gut says don’t trust him with anyone but myself, even though there’s zero evidence that he’s a manfighter. I recall last year he flogged an unknown predator and got himself released from a rump-grip that left blood on his legs from whatever he hit.

Lanky is long spurred and strong, and very gamey, but I just don’t have that feeling from him that he’s a threat to anything except another rooster and maybe a hawk.

go with your gut

 

[troyer]

I feel like the free range flock looks 10 times better now that I’ve removed all the hatchery birds off of it and any bird I was suspicious of. The birds are disparate from one another in terms of coloration and comb traits, but it otherwise looks like a flock of very athletic and healthy chickens. Like I’ve trimmed the fat off the flock and what I’m left with are lean and mean.

I get it.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Yeah, always go with your gut.

 

[ElleEmie]

This will of course change my project. I still have Sherman, who shows no symptoms, and I have several pure Liege hens, who show no symptoms. So I will breed those and see what happens. But they haven’t had access to the free range flock where I think the virus was or is living.

But the birds that have passed the test of time to this point (at least 2 years) with no symptoms are:

1. Lanky: half-Cracker, half-American game.
2. A barnyard layer cross of 2 different layer breeds.
3. Several black hens that are half-Indo, half-Cracker. Indo himself being half-aseel, half-Liege.
4. A half-Cracker, half-wyandotte, hen.
5. A half-Indo, half-Austrolorp, hen.

Those are the chickens that have lived free range for a long time with zero symptoms. Lanky had been cooped a while but he grew up free range.

I don’t have Indo on the list because he got weakly for 2 weeks when he was a chick turned out to free range for the first time. He’s a strong, healthy, adult now and he seems to throw strong chicks that have survived with no symptoms when crossed to Crackers. But when crossed back to Liege none of his chicks have survived. He also has an odd pupil to my recollection that doesn’t really look like Marek’s to me, but I’ll post a pic tonight.

I also don’t include the straight-combed, half-aseel hen I have. She shows no symptoms and is old enough to have manifested them. But I also kept her somewhat isolated from the free range flock. I have her on free range now. As much as I prize her, she has to survive and thrive in order to be of use to me. I know she’s tough because she grew up wild off farm. But I don’t know if she’s been exposed to the Marek’s yet.

The Indo x Cracker hens seem to be the most prolific. I have several running around with a healthy looking appearance.

I may return to crossing Crackers and “terrorfowl.” It won’t give me the crazy looking dino bird I want but it may give me a yard full of resistant, athletic, chickens, and then I’ll have to shape the birds from that base.

A friend of mine breeds mereks resistant Asian game fowl with great success

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

What is Sherman's weight? His brother is 8 months and 6 lbs. 15 ounces with a little food in him.
His father is close to two and just now hitting 7 lbs with a meal in him.
Which points to his mothers side as having the size. She is 4 and a half pounds. But throwing 7lb stags.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I have a batch of the son (named Thor) Over the mother that throws large stags. I'll have to get pics sometimes.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Sherman has to at least be 7lb, but I won't be surprised if he isn't significantly more. Azog ended up being around 8lb and was much older, and Sherman dwarfed him.

He's in with the Liege and they're starting to lay, I'm going to give them a few more days then I'm going to start collecting the eggs. I may set a fall batch out of boredom.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Sherman looks great. In the pic it looks like he might be starting to get multiple spurs.

 

[Lukers]

Hey, what would you think about adding some cubalaya or Kraienkoppe to your project Mr. Bullfrog?