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

[Bigtom Turkey]

Ok, I was just wondering, I haven't seen him in a while.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Ok, I was just wondering, I haven't seen him in a while.

Did I post this pic? This pic is a month old.

 

[Az OEGB]

View attachment 3755665

Did I post this pic? This pic is a month old.

He sure is a beautiful stag!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

View attachment 3755665

Did I post this pic? This pic is a month old.

Yes, that's the one I was referencing.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

He’s the man of the house now. I culled Indo this morning… I’ll do a writeup this evening.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Is Azog still around? I would have thought he would have gone before Indo.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Is Azog still around? I would have thought he would have gone before Indo.

No, Marek’s took Azog late fall. Recall that about a year ago Azog had a limp for several weeks, then it went away. In hindsight, the Marek’s was clearly manifesting itself then. I made nearly 100 chicks off of Azog and they too all wiped out in the winter.

Indo also was taken by the Marek’s this morning. This time of year Florida runs hot and cold and I’ve found that wild temperature fluctuations is nearly always what triggers Marek’s paralysis. Indo was drunk-walking this morning where we had a cold snap after a warm weekend. I didn’t hesitate I culled him on the spot. Yesterday he looked a bit pale in the face and droopy.

When he was a half-grown chick turned out for the first time he got stumbly and weak but after 2 weeks it passed. Like Azog, it is clear now that was Marek’s manifesting. Indo just kept it at bay for a long time. He was around 3 years old.

No chicken left on my farm has ever been stumbly. However, Lanky is the one chicken left I can think of that ever showed anything I’m suspicious of. When he’s on free range he has a tendency to get a bit thin. More than what I think he ought. It seems like the healthiest chickens I have maintain full body weight even when on free range. Even one of my big Liege hens always was solid to the touch free ranging before she got caught by a predator year before last.

So I *might* cull Lanky as a preventative measure. No reason to keep anything I’m suspicious of. Over and over again I’m seeing that any chicken that shows a weakness and is allowed to remain and reproduce causes genetic problems.

I did turn Erik the Red out today after culling Indo and Erik immediately disappeared into the depths of the woods. We’ll see if he comes back.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

It's refreshing to see intelligent, free-ranging eugenics in action after seeing so much chicken babying on this website. One gentleman went so far as to build his rooster a wheelchair

True kindness often looks cruel, and your actions will prevent untold hundreds or thousands of dying from disease

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I took a break and ran home for a short time this afternoon. Erik has returned but he hasn’t claimed the flock yet. I studied Lanky a while and I’ll have a hard time culling him without more evidence. Lanky got his name because he was always gangly on free range since chickhood. I have hatched very few offspring off of him and those I have had all been off of a hen that came from same line that produced Indo. I may ought to try Lanky bred back to pure Crackers and Liege before writing him off due to thinness on free range.