Jungle Fowl Egg Production

[ChickenRaiser95]

I have some Jungle Fowl eggs in the incubator, along with some Ameraucana and Welsummer eggs, and they will be hatching in a week. I want to know if the Jungle Fowl hens will lay everyday like the rest? Or will lay like they do in the wild? I haven't found out anything about their egg production besides them laying 6 eggs in the wild for their clutch. I bought the eggs from a friend of mine who has a bunch of different hens (and a Jersey Giant Roo) who lay very similar eggs. I can tell which ones are the Ameraucana and Welsummer, but not the other kinds. There has to be 2 more, including the Jungle Fowl. In all, I have 39 eggs. Some help would really be appreciated from those who raise Jungle Fowl. Thank you!

 

[sumi]

I don't have any personal experience with Jungle Fowl, but I hear hatchery bred hens will lay around 250-300 eggs per year.

 

[Ntsees]

Well, I've read that 6 or fewer eggs is the most that the majority will lay. In few cases, there will be 7. If you want more eggs laid, you'd have to remove the eggs so they can re-nest, with fewer eggs laid in the second nest. Nesting only once per year coupled with the low number of eggs, well, that's just how the progenitors are if you have them.

 

[ChickenRaiser95]

If they are in a mixed flock with, will that change anything? Or if they are mixed with an other breed?

 

[centrarchid]

I have had a hatchery strain (Cackle Hatchery) of "red jungle fowl". Mine would give a good 80 or so eggs that were relative to size of bird rather large approaching that of much larger American Games and American Dominiques. Eggs had to be pulled from nest to prevent broodiness and stop of lay. They went broody when clutch size approached 8 to 10 eggs which is lower than the 10 to 18 eggs typical of my games. The higher number could be a result of hatchery selection or addition of a domestic breed such as American Game to calm them down.

 

[Ntsees]

If they are in a mixed flock with, will that change anything? Or if they are mixed with an other breed?

If you're referring to being mixed with another breed in terms of co-habiting, it won't affect the number of eggs laid. It's encoded into their genes that hens would stop laying eggs at about ~5 or 6 (sometimes 7) eggs and start brooding.

If you're referring to being mixed with another breed in terms of a hybridized bird, then yes they'll definitely lay more eggs. But when it's hybridized, it'll no longer be "the" jungle fowl but just a jungle fowl-like chicken.

But, unless you are certain that your eggs came from an owner that has a pure stock, there's nothing for you to worry about with your birds laying a low number of eggs.

 

[Darrell Cunningham]

Well my Indian red jungle fowl came from the San Diego zoo line wild birds and my only hen is in the pen with my bantam red Dutch roo ! And I discovered she had layed 11 eggs only 6 months old I hatched her out myself . Her mate died . I'm guessing she mated with the bantam roo his tail feathers all muddy indicating mating I guess lol . Don't know if they lay just to lay I took all the eggs I'll check back daily to see if she has any more .