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- #21
I'm actually not so sure now that American games are the primary suspect for the Cracker birds for two reasons. First, I distinctly remember that roosters didn't fight hard. There would be a dominant rooster that would whip the other roosters, but the other roosters were allowed to hang around on the periphery of the flock. They did not fight on sight, they fought just enough to establish their pecking order.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, is that I remember the Cracker birds being smaller than regular breeds of chickens. I don't remember them being significantly smaller but I do remember that mine were not quite as tall and much leaner than common breeds. Not skinny in feathers like an Asil or many American game cocks I've seen. The Cracker game feathers were very full and poofy like a jungle fowl cock's feathers. But their bodies had no extra meat.
I called my grandfather a couple of days ago and asked him what he remembers about the size of the Cracker game chickens, and he remembers very well that they're less than half the size of a normal barnyard chicken. I trust his recollection more than my own as I'm remembering mostly from childhood.
The American game bantam would fit the description well. Its just that they didn't exist before the early-mid 1900s. I don't have any relatives living older than growing up in the Depression who could tell me what our game chickens were like prior to the Depression and whether they changed over time.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, is that I remember the Cracker birds being smaller than regular breeds of chickens. I don't remember them being significantly smaller but I do remember that mine were not quite as tall and much leaner than common breeds. Not skinny in feathers like an Asil or many American game cocks I've seen. The Cracker game feathers were very full and poofy like a jungle fowl cock's feathers. But their bodies had no extra meat.
I called my grandfather a couple of days ago and asked him what he remembers about the size of the Cracker game chickens, and he remembers very well that they're less than half the size of a normal barnyard chicken. I trust his recollection more than my own as I'm remembering mostly from childhood.
The American game bantam would fit the description well. Its just that they didn't exist before the early-mid 1900s. I don't have any relatives living older than growing up in the Depression who could tell me what our game chickens were like prior to the Depression and whether they changed over time.