Birds and Breeding Projects

[MysteryChicken]

Oh she's so pretty! I didn't even know American Game were a thing! I looked at photos of them and compared them to OEG, but I'm not sure which breed mine resemble more. This handsome lad is my Pyle hen's full brother. I thought I'd show him, since breed and type are often easier to judge in males. Their parents are both heterozygous dominant white Red Pyle, like the hen is. About half of their siblings, including another roo, came out Pyle and the rest BB Red like my boy. Both my Games' and Phoenixes' parents came from the same breeder, and I've wondered if there is a chance that one of them got into the others' pen at some point generations ago, resulting in these Games having the same white earlobes as my Phoenix. I don't know how much sense that makes, but I really don't know much about these two breeds aside from the research I've done. It took me over a year (during which I had the SOP in my hands the whole time ) to realize OEG aren't supposed to have white earlobes, which broke my heart because I thought this guy was so beautiful.

Note the hackle feathers touch the shoulders? That is usually a good identifiable feature of American Gamefowl. Old English are actually supposed to have hackles above the shoulders, or just barely touching the tops of the shoulders.

 

[CharliesGarden]

Note the hackle feathers touch the shoulders? That is usually a good identifiable feature of American Gamefowl. Old English are actually supposed to have hackles above the shoulders, or just barely touching the tops of the shoulders. View attachment 4204560

I had no idea!! Thank you so much for this information I'm not sure if any in their line came from Cackle, but their parents came from a man that breeds them. He may have gotten his stock from the hatchery, but I got them from a third party so I didn't get to ask. I'm definitely going to look at my guys differently now, in a good way. I really, really appreciate you explaining this to me! I feel silly now, as I was told they were "Games", but not which breed of Game, and I made assumptions based on the most common breed I could find. Now I'll change their files and paperwork to be more accurate, and breed them to their proper standards ❤

 

[Finchbreeder]

On account of it being 12C at 9.37PM here on the west coast of Aust.
Nothing much is into nesting - just my mad canary who is sitting on 3 eggs. She is a crested, her mate is a plain head.
But Mum's budgies are doing a little bit - she has 22 pairs in breeding boxes at the moment. Yes she is a show breeder. These birds have pedigrees that go back anything up to 25yrs. The Whitecaps got off to the best start - followed by the Clearwings. Google you will find Budgie genetics is very interesting.
Good luck everyone with your breeding projects - soon the weather will turn and my finches will be ready to do their thing too.

 

[CharliesGarden]

The teens got their mid-size bands today. Half of them had already lost their chick bands, and the rest were ready to come off. I was pleasantly surprised, as they were all super calm. Of course, not while I was catching them, but once I held each one, they relaxed in my arm and let me pet them. Not a single complaint or squirm among the six of them. They even let me fully set them back down and let go before tearing off across the pen.

Looking at them now, with Splash-based Pyle in mind, I can definitely see that in all of them. The boys have black/blue specks and stripes in their wings and tails, and the girls (aside from the Silver Duckwing, which has a much redder chest than the Silver Duckwing Phoenix chicks) all have the blue/grey tails and a sooty look to their wings. The cockerels are also now developing those yellow hackles I had expected from the beginning, while the pullets' hackles remain Silver.

I think(?) the correct terms for these guys will be Splash Patterned Silver Duckwing for the light pullets, Silver Duckwing for the darker girl, and Splash Patterned Yellow Duckwing for the cockerels. I am excited to see if the light chicks in the second batch, which share only a mother with these guys, also turn out to be Splash. I thought about the breeds of their parents, and did a bit of digging into American Gamefowl strains. If I've understood correctly, I think there's a chance that my Game birds are Whitehackle x Colby(Tracy) Pyle. My pyle hen's BB Red brother looks like the photos of Whitehackles I found, and I know that their parents are pyle in color. I read somewhere on here that someone crossed a Colby(Tracy) Pyle, and got blue based babies, which made me think about my pyle hen carrying at least one blue gene. My Phoenix rooster still looks Black Patterned Silver to me, but if his kids are Splash then obviously he's not.

I am so incredibly grateful for all the information I've gotten here. I feel like I'm on the right path now, and I can't wait to see where that leads me. I'm even more excited about my Gamefowl, and I can't wait to share images of "my line" as time goes by. Just a few days ago, I looked at my birds with disappointment, because I was under-knowledged and thought I had something else. They're bad Old English Gamefowl (which makes sense now, because they're not OEGs), but I think they're pretty good American Gamefowl, and I'm once again proud to have them

 

[MysteryChicken]

The teens got their mid-size bands today. Half of them had already lost their chick bands, and the rest were ready to come off. I was pleasantly surprised, as they were all super calm. Of course, not while I was catching them, but once I held each one, they relaxed in my arm and let me pet them. Not a single complaint or squirm among the six of them. They even let me fully set them back down and let go before tearing off across the pen.

Looking at them now, with Splash-based Pyle in mind, I can definitely see that in all of them. The boys have black/blue specks and stripes in their wings and tails, and the girls (aside from the Silver Duckwing, which has a much redder chest than the Silver Duckwing Phoenix chicks) all have the blue/grey tails and a sooty look to their wings. The cockerels are also now developing those yellow hackles I had expected from the beginning, while the pullets' hackles remain Silver.

I think(?) the correct terms for these guys will be Splash Patterned Silver Duckwing for the light pullets, Silver Duckwing for the darker girl, and Splash Patterned Yellow Duckwing for the cockerels. I am excited to see if the light chicks in the second batch, which share only a mother with these guys, also turn out to be Splash. I thought about the breeds of their parents, and did a bit of digging into American Gamefowl strains. If I've understood correctly, I think there's a chance that my Game birds are Whitehackle x Colby(Tracy) Pyle. My pyle hen's BB Red brother looks like the photos of Whitehackles I found, and I know that their parents are pyle in color. I read somewhere on here that someone crossed a Colby(Tracy) Pyle, and got blue based babies, which made me think about my pyle hen carrying at least one blue gene. My Phoenix rooster still looks Black Patterned Silver to me, but if his kids are Splash then obviously he's not.

I am so incredibly grateful for all the information I've gotten here. I feel like I'm on the right path now, and I can't wait to see where that leads me. I'm even more excited about my Gamefowl, and I can't wait to share images of "my line" as time goes by. Just a few days ago, I looked at my birds with disappointment, because I was under-knowledged and thought I had something else. They're bad Old English Gamefowl (which makes sense now, because they're not OEGs), but I think they're pretty good American Gamefowl, and I'm once again proud to have them

Splash requires 2 Blue genes.

 

[CharliesGarden]

Splash requires 2 Blue genes.
View attachment 4205318

This is why I said he can't be Black patterned Silver, he has to be Blue patterned Silver, which is fascinating because he looks black. Now that I've seen "black" Blue birds, that definitely makes more sense. It's amazing to me how one color can be so light or so dark that it appears to be another color. At first I wondered if the color on the chicks just meant they were leaky (blue) somehow, if my Pyle hen has Blue or Splash underneath her dom white, but they definitely look Splash. What really confuses me about their situation in particular is that my in-laws have the parents and siblings of all my Phoenix roosters (I have 4), and I have hatched out 4 cockerels from another of my roos, and every single one (that I can see) in their family tree looks Black patterned Silver. I assume if my bird is so dark Blue that he looks Black, then the rest of them could/should be as well, and genetics don't lie. These cross chicks being Splash means that my boy has to be Blue, because that's the only possible explanation. I will never stop being entirely amazed by the genetics of these birds. I think test hatching from different birds is so cool, because you can find out so much about your stock by looking at their offspring.

On a random note, in my search for knowledge on American Game, I saw your mini Gamefowl project thread here, and I have a girl that I think looks similar to your "mystery game hen". She's a rescue, so I have no idea of her background or lineage, and I had absolutely no clue what type or variety she was. After more digging into the bloodlines, colors, and strains, I think she might be a Green Leg Sweater? Or some cross from one? When I got her, she was missing her tail and had bald patches, as she'd spent about a month (according to the lady who called me to catch her) running loose in the woods between a neighborhood and a highway. I've had her for almost a month now, and she's filled in quite a bit and is absolutely beautiful, and I am head over heels in love with her. She's not doing the most Game-y pose here, but does stand quite vertical at times. She has started laying for me, which makes my heart so happy. I hope to one day find birds like her, to have a small flock, but I have no idea where to look for them.

 

[MysteryChicken]

This is why I said he can't be Black patterned Silver, he has to be Blue patterned Silver, which is fascinating because he looks black. Now that I've seen "black" Blue birds, that definitely makes more sense. It's amazing to me how one color can be so light or so dark that it appears to be another color. At first I wondered if the color on the chicks just meant they were leaky (blue) somehow, if my Pyle hen has Blue or Splash underneath her dom white, but they definitely look Splash. What really confuses me about their situation in particular is that my in-laws have the parents and siblings of all my Phoenix roosters (I have 4), and I have hatched out 4 cockerels from another of my roos, and every single one (that I can see) in their family tree looks Black patterned Silver. I assume if my bird is so dark Blue that he looks Black, then the rest of them could/should be as well, and genetics don't lie. These cross chicks being Splash means that my boy has to be Blue, because that's the only possible explanation. I will never stop being entirely amazed by the genetics of these birds. I think test hatching from different birds is so cool, because you can find out so much about your stock by looking at their offspring.

On a random note, in my search for knowledge on American Game, I saw your mini Gamefowl project thread here, and I have a girl that I think looks similar to your "mystery game hen". She's a rescue, so I have no idea of her background or lineage, and I had absolutely no clue what type or variety she was. After more digging into the bloodlines, colors, and strains, I think she might be a Green Leg Sweater? Or some cross from one? When I got her, she was missing her tail and had bald patches, as she'd spent about a month (according to the lady who called me to catch her) running loose in the woods between a neighborhood and a highway. I've had her for almost a month now, and she's filled in quite a bit and is absolutely beautiful, and I am head over heels in love with her. She's not doing the most Game-y pose here, but does stand quite vertical at times. She has started laying for me, which makes my heart so happy. I hope to one day find birds like her, to have a small flock, but I have no idea where to look for them.

My Mystery Game hen is Bantam sized.

The game hen of your's looks like Pumpkin cross. Possibly with green legged sweater, or Possibly Blue Face. Hard to be 100% certain though.

 

[MysteryChicken]

This is why I said he can't be Black patterned Silver, he has to be Blue patterned Silver, which is fascinating because he looks black. Now that I've seen "black" Blue birds, that definitely makes more sense. It's amazing to me how one color can be so light or so dark that it appears to be another color. At first I wondered if the color on the chicks just meant they were leaky (blue) somehow, if my Pyle hen has Blue or Splash underneath her dom white, but they definitely look Splash. What really confuses me about their situation in particular is that my in-laws have the parents and siblings of all my Phoenix roosters (I have 4), and I have hatched out 4 cockerels from another of my roos, and every single one (that I can see) in their family tree looks Black patterned Silver. I assume if my bird is so dark Blue that he looks Black, then the rest of them could/should be as well, and genetics don't lie. These cross chicks being Splash means that my boy has to be Blue, because that's the only possible explanation. I will never stop being entirely amazed by the genetics of these birds. I think test hatching from different birds is so cool, because you can find out so much about your stock by looking at their offspring.

On a random note, in my search for knowledge on American Game, I saw your mini Gamefowl project thread here, and I have a girl that I think looks similar to your "mystery game hen". She's a rescue, so I have no idea of her background or lineage, and I had absolutely no clue what type or variety she was. After more digging into the bloodlines, colors, and strains, I think she might be a Green Leg Sweater? Or some cross from one? When I got her, she was missing her tail and had bald patches, as she'd spent about a month (according to the lady who called me to catch her) running loose in the woods between a neighborhood and a highway. I've had her for almost a month now, and she's filled in quite a bit and is absolutely beautiful, and I am head over heels in love with her. She's not doing the most Game-y pose here, but does stand quite vertical at times. She has started laying for me, which makes my heart so happy. I hope to one day find birds like her, to have a small flock, but I have no idea where to look for them.

Your juvenile birds look right for Splash Pyle X Silver Duckwing. They appear to be Red Pyle with Blue, or Black flecks. The silver Duckwing chicks have just blue though. So your rooster is not blue.

 

[CharliesGarden]

Your juvenile birds look right for Splash Pyle X Silver Duckwing. They appear to be Red Pyle with Blue, or Black flecks. The silver Duckwing chicks have just blue though. So your rooster is not blue.

OH that makes so much sense, thank you! I don't know how I got to that conclusion I got all worked up about the Games and then my brain fizzled out on the Phoenix. Thank you so much for explaining again, I can't wait to share more updates as the kiddos grow into themselves. And thank you for the possibilities for my rescue hen! I'm trying to dive into the world of American Game now, but I have an issue with getting excited and overloading myself with new things.

 

[MysteryChicken]

OH that makes so much sense, thank you! I don't know how I got to that conclusion I got all worked up about the Games and then my brain fizzled out on the Phoenix. Thank you so much for explaining again, I can't wait to share more updates as the kiddos grow into themselves. And thank you for the possibilities for my rescue hen! I'm trying to dive into the world of American Game now, but I have an issue with getting excited and overloading myself with new things.

You're welcome. Here's a Splash Pyle Easter Egger chick.