Red Junglefowl

     The Red Junglefowl is a tropical member of the Pheasant family, which is believed to be a direct ancestor for all of domestic Chicken species, with some hybridization with the Grey Junglefowl. It was first domesticated at least five thousand years ago in Asia, since then it became known to the world. The Red Junglefowl’s domestic form (the domestic chicken) is kept globally as a very productive food source of both meat and eggs.

     Red Junglefowls are native throughout most of southeast Asia, from Pakistan and India eastward through Sumatra and Indonesia. There are also some populations for the bird brought to several Hawaiian islands. Five subspecies are currently recognized for the Red Junglefowl. They vary in the color of the facial lappets, their single comb’s size and length, and the color of roosters’ hackles during the breeding season.

     The Red Junglefowl is a very skinny, sleek, shiny feathered bird, with dark or slate legs. The plumage of the rooster is very captivating with colors of gold, red, brown, dark maroon, orange, and metallic green and grey. There are also some white and olive feathers, that appear occasionally in the rooster’s plumage, depending on the subspecies. While, the red hens are of a lovely mixture of browns and yellows, that blend together, providing a perfect camouflage while incubating. 

     The Red Junglefowl lives in small mixed flocks during the non-breeding season (summer, autumn and winter). In the spring, at the onset of the breeding season, each of the stronger cocks maintains a territory with three to five hens. The hens produce four to seven, typically four to six, eggs per clutch, which are incubated for 18 to 20 days by the female only.  At twelve weeks of age, young Red Junglefowls are chased out of the social group by their mother, and go off to join another group or form their own.

     Red Junglefowls forage on the ground for seeds, fruit and insects, using their feet to scratch away the leaf-litter in search of food. They are very healthy, immune to most diseases, and are the best of any chicken species at avoiding predators.