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My observations of free-ranging American games are very different. All of my games of a single strain but observations started in 1970's with some hens observed for multiple broods over multiple seasons.
I have had game hens kill very young chicks that were not their own but never observed life threatening aggression against their own offspring.
Following is progression of apparently natural broody cycle in my American games and it is fairly similar to that exhibited by red jungle fowl although with latter hens tend to be more aggressive to their own offspring post-weaning. Hens broody through at week 5 post-hatch and sometimes as long as week 7. Chick heads usually with some amount of down present at this time. At that point hen ceases to cluck (ceasation of broodiness) although she continues to associate with brood. After a few days of this and if forage quality is high and moult not initiated, the hen will on daily basis break of from brood producing "egg song", proceede to nest site, lay egg, come off nest, some distance from nest will produce odd squawk that brings cock in to cover her, then hen resumes foraging with her brood. She still roost with previous brood at this time. Generally from start of lay for second clutch no more than 20 days required for brooding of second clutch to be initiated. At time hen initiates brooding of second clutch interactions with previous brood ceases and it is then she will be aggressive towards offspring of all previous broods although this is not life threatening in a free range setting.
The overt aggression some see in games hens is in my opinion an artifact of confinement (the pens) typical of cockyard.
My birds are penned in 4X8X8' pens. 2 birds( a male and female). They free range in large pens during the day. I don't use ties or leashes. If I take out one of those Asil or Shamo hens and put it in a community pen they will kill everything in that pen. That is my experience here with the birds I have. I have seen pens with 5-6 male Shamo's posted hereon BYC and they obviously didn't fight, but they also came from a hatchery, so although they look like game birds they are not at all game.
It is kind of an apple and orange situation As an example Modern Games are really not game at all. All chickens will fight, so just be sure that the living arrangements are OK before you go away for a weekend and find only one bird alive. This pen fighting is not a problem with most chickens, but real games will kill each other.
The aggression that is seen in game birds is bred into them and has been for centuries...it's what they were bred to do. It has nothing to do with their living arrangements.
Games are every bit as purpose oriented as a commercial egg layer.....just in a different way. When cock fighting was legal, the real games were called dead game for a reason.
Walt
