American Game Bantams

My first 4 chickens I got from the "assorted bantam bin" at Big R about 4 years ago now, still have them and 3 of them have grown into the sweetest little hens you will ever meet. 1 of them grew into the most handsome and fiesty little rooster. Until now I had no idea what breed they were until I saw a picture of a old english game bantam in the color silver duckwing and it looks just like em!

I just wrote all about my first two Game bird Mix hens on the American Game breed heading, didn't realize that they weren't talking about bantam breed! I will try to repeat what i wrote there but have had these hens for almest 4 years now, they are still healthy and going strong. They raised their first brood of chicks together. Not their first but the first they had since coming to live with me.
An excellent durable, loveable bird.

I own only 2 at the moment and they are silver Dutch bantams, we keep them in with our partridge pekin bantam cockerel. They have 2 chicks that are 6 weeks old now and they are a cross between dutch bantam and pekin bantams.

They are great little birds, They are a calm rooster and a calm pet, they are a little flighty. If you free range they are very small so something can pick your chicken up faster. But I 100% would buy another bird like this they are great birds!!!

I currently own one bantam american game hen, she is a silver laced girl, she is the bride of my flock, which i have over 16 birds of different breeds and she is by far my favorite, she likes to be held, super friendly, very nice to the rest of the flock, awesome mother, great layer (i get an egg a day even in the winter).

6 months ago, I got 4 american game bantam chicks. 1 died because it was too weak. After a few days of owning them, I tried to tame them by putting some chick feed on my hand. They were a bit nervous, but after a few seconds they began eating. One of the chicks didn't eat for the first 2 days. After that, the chick began eating from my hand. Soon, there were some problems. 2 of them were roosters! The other one was a hen (the one that didn't eat from my hand immediately). I found myself a theory that lasted FOR A WHILE was that roosters were friendlier and hens were more shy.

A month later, 1 rooster died and I got 5 more chicks (still american game bantam). 1 escaped the brooder and was lost, 1 died 5 months later. THEY WERE ALL ROOSTERS! Few weeks ago, the hen layed her first egg. Now, she lays 1 egg every 3 days. The eggs are delicious!


Now, things have changed. The hen is still shy like when she was a chick, the rooster has definitely changed. He was the tamest chick of the 9. Now, he is the most unfriendly. He pecks me and chases the other roosters. The other 3, however, haven't changed. They were all tame, and now they are still tame, but not as much as before.

Overall, not a very good breed for pets, but just depends on the individual birds.

American Game Bantams are the first type of chicken I ever owned and I am proud to say American Game Bantams are one of the best breed of bird.
I noticed that before I started writing this there was a 75% good review rating, and I found that preposterous! These chickens need more positive reviews. Thats why I'm here; to say these chickens are awesome!

These birds are absolutely incredible parents and the hens are efficient when it comes to brooding and raising young.

They don't eat much and can get 99% of it by free ranging. A little overzealous when it comes to territory but I like having these birds around.

my mum's friend has a good amount of these chickens and they seem very lovely.

I had one of these funny things when I was ...Maybe 5? And this thing was my pet HE would let me hug him and hold him,sometimes I even pulled him in my wagon!Funniest thing is:When my grandma came over,(his name was KFC) this thing circled her car waiting for her to come out!And I always had to come out and put him in the back yard.He was a lovable guy,very healthy and was a great rooster to his hen (we just had 2) I would love to have one of the crazy but cute breeds again!Highly recommended for an overall AMAZING CHICKEN!

So if any one is wondering:
The hens name was:Guess what?POPEYE and yes,we mean the other well know fast food chicken restaurant I'll have a review on her soon i believe she was a amber white.

Like my review?P.M. Me your questions or comments it really makes me feel appreciated here at BYC I'll answer the/Your P.M. soon

I had one of these birds he was mean! He poped my Grandmas leg if that tell you anything!

Competitive breed have always had an appeal to me. The spirit and pride they have really shows through. I find this with our retired greyhounds, as I do with my American Game Bantams (AGBs). Both stand tall and at attention, ready for anything. I searched around some time for just the right breed. I tried Japanese because I prefer tall tails to horizontal tails, but they didn’t stick. I tried Buckeye bantams because I liked the idea of having an American breed, especially one developed in the state of my birth, but they didn’t stick either.

By then, I’d discovered the American Game. I was first attracted by all the Pumpkin Hulseys out there on eBay and for sale elsewhere. I loved the color, but also the proud look and the fantastic arching tails. But I wanted something smaller. That’s when I started to look at the AGBs in Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds (there is one on the back cover) and started to ask around. I got my first AGBs in 2011 and, at that point, my search for a breed ended. They are gracefully curved, have a confident stance and the hens lay quite well, especially compared to the other breeds in the bantam game classes. One does have to set up more and smaller coops than you might have to with a more communal breed, but it’s been well worth it, in my opinion. American Game Bantams are a breed that is both powerful and elegant, and well worth having.

I got my "Pharow" at a horse stables as a week old chick. What a surprize package he turned out to be! I knew he was gamey but had no idea how beautiful he would turn out to be! Unsure of his exact breeding but like they say a picture is worth a thousand words. He has blue/gray legs and had a pea comb. I had him dubbed as the comb flopped over in his eye and game birds just look better [in my opinion] with out a comb. p.s. I sparred him once with a guys roo and he can sure KICK ***! The guy was carrying on about how good his bird was, so I just had to one up him. OH and here is the clincher, my boy only has ONE LEG! He lost his right leg below the hock in a freak accident but gets around just fine..... Here is Pharow... I LOVE MY BOY!

Excellent breed. Mine is very friendly, especially for a rooster. He loves to be held, follows me wherever I go. He has the best personality, he even chills and looks around in the car or when I ride my bike. I just hold him under my arm and he seems to be enjoying himself. I'd be a wreck without my American Game Rooster, Skittles. (His picture is my profile pic!)

Though my daughter wouldn't go near this breed (we had 5 beautiful roosters), I really liked them.
One was more docile, but the others were more flighty and aggressive. The most aggressive one was my favorite.
He would attack my shoes or hands, but once I picked him up and he knew I was not a threat, he was calm and relaxed. I could carry him around and he would coo. A totally different bird when I picked him up and gently stroked him. Unfortunately, I lost him to a hawk. The hawk was after a much bigger hen, and my little American Game Bantam Rooster came to her rescue. He saved her, but lost his life.