A Few Known Strains of Captive Red Junglefowl
It is not our intention to confirm or invalidate the purity of wild-form genetics of any strain.
San Diego Zoo Strain - The Red Junglefowl in the San Diego Zoo were descended from 15 birds of the Indian race (Gallus gallus murghi) and 12 birds of the Burmese race (Gallus gallus spadiceus). These birds were released on the zoo grounds in 1942 (Lint 1971). The zoo birds generally met the criteria of (Delacour 1977) for wild (versus domestic) Red Junglefowl, because the great majority had dark legs and the cocks molted their neck hackles in the summer. (Collias, Collias and Jennrich)
A field study of the behavior of Red Junglefowl in India and a parallel study of an unconfined population at the San Diego Zoo showed that the behavior of the birds and the social structure of the population, aside from greater dispersion in nature, were basically and qualitatively similar in the two places with the exception that the birds studied in India were very shy, nervous and weary, which was in contrast with those of the San Diego Zoo, which were quite tame. Also the average clutch size of hens in the San Diego Zoo was about 8 eggs, whereas those studied in their wild habitat averaged about 5 to 6 eggs per clutch (Colias, Colias and Jennrich).
In the mid-1980's, a population of 150 Red Junglefowl was acquired from the San Diego Zoo by researchers at the University of Mew Mexico.
Quotes from scientists:
"One of the reasons these birds did so well at the zoo around all those people is that they are not super-wild like wild-bred Junglefowl (reds or the other 3 species). It is also one of the reasons we had such good luck working with them in captivity." (Parker)
"The leg color of the Red Junglefowl at the San Diego Zoo varied somewhat. They came with both blue and green legs, but never white or yellow." (Ligon)
"When I was a kid you could go to the San Diego Zoo in October and see the "Red Junglefowl" with chicks running after them. Eclipse molt is still segregating in this stock, because I saw males in ‘eclipse molt’ at one farm, but the females have combs and lay like champs." (Okimoto)
Note: The San Diego Zoo got rid of all their Red Junglefowl by the early 1990's. There are still some breeders in the U.S. that raise this strain.
Rodney Michael Strain - This strain was originated from Gallus gallus murghi birds from a few different sources; primarily Cornell University, Rogers' Game in Sherber, NY and from Al Hinkel of CA (which were said to have been specially selected birds from the San Diego Zoo Strain) (Michael 2005). There are still some breeders in the U.S. that raise this strain.
Isaac Richardson Strain - This strain originated from 12 chicks hatched from gallus murghi eggs (collected from different nests) in the Dehradun region of north central India in the early 1960’s and imported to the Southeastern U.S. Precautions were taken to ensure there were no feral domestic chickens near the area where the eggs were collected (Brisbin). This strain was reduced to only 5 birds in the mid-1970's which were given to Isaac Richardson of Alabama who bred them for over 30 years. Virtually all Richardson RJF alive today are descended from those 5 birds. There are still some breeders in the U.S. that raise this strain.
*In addition, an experimental flock of deliberate hybrids of the pure Red Junglefowl with domestic bantams has been established. These birds are every bit as pretty and interesting but easier to keep. They are also very important to the research that is being conducted by Dr. A. Townsend Peterson of the University of Kansas and Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia.
Clarence Killian Strain Javan Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus bankiva) - Clarence Killian bred these on his farm in Texas for several years. There are still some breeders in the U.S. that raise this strain.
Clarence Killian Strain Burmese Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus spadiceus)- Clarence Killian bred these on his farm in Texas for several years. There are still some breeders in the U.S. that raise this strain.
Indian RJF Strain from Holland - This strain came to Holland from India in the 1950's as research animals. Eggs were then brought from Holland to Toronto in the 1960's and a new flock established. The lab in Toronto thought the eclipse plumage was a defect and bred it out of their strain. At some point some San Diego Zoo RJF eggs were hatched and incorporated into the flock. This line is still being bred by Janet Cox in southern Ontario, Canada.
H.S. Wong's Flock - Wong's flock originated from chicks hatched from eggs that were found in the forest near Wong's farm in Malaysia (Wong).
Wong’s Red Junglefowl Site - http://www.geocities.com/hs_wong33/RedJungleFowl.html
Note: If you have additional information to share about your experiences with these strains or other strains not listed here send email to - doug_gtr@hotmail.com
