American Gamefowl

[JShubin]

Mixed breed yellow leg grey stag

 

[CLSranch]

I like all but his comb. But what do I know. the comb doesn't matter anyway.

 

[fat brown hen]

A neighbor gave me an American game hen. She keeps trying to kill everyone even after 3 weeks of visual-but-not-physical contact. You think she'll ever settle down? My hatchery-grade "game" "fowl" are downright docile compared to her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A neighbor gave me an American game hen. She keeps trying to kill everyone even after 3 weeks of visual-but-not-physical contact. You think she'll ever settle down? My hatchery-grade "game" "fowl" are downright docile compared to her.
View attachment 4262910

Well...

Is it just battles with other hens? She may settle once she's established herself or she may not.

 

[fat brown hen]

Well...

Is it just battles with other hens? She may settle once she's established herself or she may not.

Her ego is writing checks her body can't cash, if you know what I mean.

 

[Backroadlogic]

She will stop when they get it figured out

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Her ego is writing checks her body can't cash, if you know what I mean.

Ah yes. She must be my spirit chicken

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

A neighbor gave me an American game hen. She keeps trying to kill everyone even after 3 weeks of visual-but-not-physical contact. You think she'll ever settle down? My hatchery-grade "game" "fowl" are downright docile compared to her.
View attachment 4262910

I like it. Breed her to your rootinest-tootinest rooster and see what you get. Bet she’s a good momma.

 

[fat brown hen]

I like it. Breed her to your rootinest-tootinest rooster and see what you get. Bet she’s a good momma.

I started with similar goals as you (breed gamefowl to be self-sufficient chickens), but I found that pugnacious birds tend to be predator magnets -- they attract attention and are oblivious to danger. How do you do it?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I started with similar goals as you (breed gamefowl to be self-sufficient chickens), but I found that pugnacious birds tend to be predator magnets -- they attract attention and are oblivious to danger. How do you do it?

I found that things work best when I don’t do anything and let the flock sort itself out. I’m way more hands off with the flock now than I was say 2 years ago. It means I can’t control their appearance. But as for behavior, it seems like the fiery ones rise to the top. The best survivors are feisty. Doesn’t mean they’re the most feisty. There might be one more feisty that doesn’t make it. But the ones that do well have a “don’t tread on me” attitude. Just yesterday I enjoyed watching some hens scrap. They won’t take any crud from each other. They’ll fight until the rooster makes them stop. I didn’t select by my culling to make them that way. Those are just the hens that survive the best with my hands off of them.

Unfortunately, my bulldog puppies have become the best selectors. The chickens that survived 2025 were the ones that could outfly the dogs. Those left are bullet proof. They even range deep into the swamp with no losses. I started the year with something like 75 free-range mixed games and “terrorfowl.” I’ve ended with about 22 adults on free range.

So 75 adult chickens went into the farmyard. 22 came out. The bulldogs took the rest, summer through fall, 2025.

Anyway…. we delivered the bomb.