Cross Breeding Old English Game LF and Bantams

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I believe @Florida Bullfrog has bred game bantams with junglefowl, which are basically the same build and size as standard games.

 

[centrarchid]

My suggestion is you get a group of "Red Jungle Fowl" females and breed them to a single American Game male of your choosing. Size will be intermediate and they will not be as inclined to fight.

 

[centrarchid]

Another option is to get something like Icelandics and cross them with American Games for a similar result although with better size.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I believe @Florida Bullfrog has bred game bantams with junglefowl, which are basically the same build and size as standard games.

Correct, OEGB to junglefowl hybrids. The results are basically the American game bantam by the specs the crossing produced and I consider them such.

It is not a given that you will be able to produce a rooster that will live peaceably with others by watering down the gamefowl genes. My American game bantam roosters cannot be kept together after their spurs come in. One of my up and coming AGB bull stags promptly awarded himself the Darwin award when he threw himself at one of Cracker broodcocks and was killed the first morning after he was turned out to free range.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

The point of my question is this:

I purchased these birds as I want to eventually have a flock that is exclusively free range.

I know the Games are good options for free ranging. Issues I am seeing are that the OEG Bantams are quite small...which makes them quick and nimble, but I feel makes them pray to larger group of "would be" predators.

Large OEG are also athletic and good for free range, but as I build my free range flock, I fear the Roosters will begin fighting as they reach maturity and need to be separated and penned, which is not what I want to do.

My idea here was to cross the Standards and Bantams...in an attempt to decrease the gameness of the Standards...and slightly increase the size of the Bantam, while keeping the athleticism and predator weariness of Games.

Hoping this would eventually give me a good free range flock down the road that was somewhere in-between the bantams and standards in size, but would not start fighting each other constantly as they hit maturity.

Trying to come up with the best way to do that!

Why do you want multiple roosters? If your concern is to have backup roosters available, you’ll probably find that a mature LF cock is tolerant of young cockerels in a free range setting, especially if the cockerals are of the mature cock. If something was to happen to the mature cock, you can let the cockerels grow up and keep the best one. If your cockerels get too mature for the cock to tolerate you can then decide whether to cull the brood cock and let a better cockerel take his place or cull the cockerel and start over with new chicks. Or let the cockerels stay until the cock blinds or kills them.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

If you are wanting to get a cross between two different size groups.. and are worried about the technicalities of size and temperament difference.... I saw a BYC discussion a few months ago where someone did artificial insemination.

I did a little Google and YuTube research (as you do) and it seems like a relatively easy process that someone could do at home without risk. Might require a certain level of personal fortitude to get that "personal" with the chickens .. but if it helps you to put together a tricky pairing then why not give it a try?

I was thinking of giving it a go this coming season with some of my project pairings.

 

[LandoB123]

Correct, OEGB to junglefowl hybrids. The results are basically the American game bantam by the specs the crossing produced and I consider them such.

View attachment 2578448

It is not a given that you will be able to produce a rooster that will live peaceably with others by watering down the gamefowl genes. My American game bantam roosters cannot be kept together after their spurs come in. One of my up and coming AGB bull stags promptly awarded himself the Darwin award when he threw himself at one of Cracker broodcocks and was killed the first morning after he was turned out to free range.

Are you putting the OEG Bantam males over JF Hens, or JF Males over the OEG bantam hens?

I was planning to use the Bantam males over the large fowl hens.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Are you putting the OEG Bantam males over JF Hens, or JF Males over the OEG bantam hens?

I was planning to use the Bantam males over the large fowl hens.

A JF hybrid rooster over OEGB hens is how I started, then brother sister matings. I’m on F3 now.

 

[Silexian]

As a person that raises. Full sized gamefowl, American Game Bantams and Old English bantams. Given that they are lighter and usually more flighty than utility bred chickens. They can escape some predator attacks. They are still chickens and once predators find an easy accessible buffet. They will go after them relentlessly. If not protected. You are going to still suffer heavy losses.

 

[LandoB123]

As a person that raises. Full sized gamefowl, American Game Bantams and Old English bantams. Given that they are lighter and usually more flighty than utility bred chickens. They can escape some predator attacks. They are still chickens and once predators find an easy accessible buffet. They will go after them relentlessly. If not protected. You are going to still suffer heavy losses.

I'm aware of the fact that I am going to have losses to predators. I know that is inevitable.

My hope is just to get a population going that can somewhat self sustain. I plan on keeping a penned "breeding group" to keep replacements available.