Do you own American Gamefowl and if not, Why?

[N F C]

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

Welcome to BYC!
I dont, I prefer larger heritage breeds (such as orpingtons), and I've never really thought about getting them, anyway.

 

[TexasBlues]

The cost of games is prohibitive. Roosters are 150+, hens are 50+ and I’ve never seen chicks or eggs for sale.

 

[theoldchick]

Yes. My FIL had them and I was involved with their care when he grew too old to tend to them. Game fowl are not for the average chicken owner. While they are hardy and breed like rabbits, they can require a bit more maintenance than the average chicken owner would prefer. These birds are bred for a purpose that will not be discussed here, and some individuals are simply too aggressive to be kept in a family flock situation. Having said that, I do admire the these birds for their beauty and ability to thrive in difficult environment.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Some individuals are simply too aggressive to be kept in a family flock situation.

Personally I've always found my AGF to be the sweetest of all my chickens. They're the only breed that will fly to my shoulder and perch like a parrot. None of them have ever so much as scratched a human either

If chicken aggression is an issue I suspect that confinement is probably the root cause, because they're respectful to other chickens and breeds as well in my experience

Truly they're the best behaved of all breeds I'm familiar with

 

[Bernie Bones]

Welcome!

I don't because I prefer docile breeds and colored eggs. American gamefowl just don't fit any of my wants or needs

I've breed Gamefowl to have blueish green eggs and not all Gamefowl are hyper all the time. Try the Belgian Liege breed, very friendly towards humans

 

[Bernie Bones]

Welcome to BYC!
I dont, I prefer larger heritage breeds (such as orpingtons), and I've never really thought about getting them, anyway.

Plenty of larger Gamefowl out there

 

[FrostRanger]

I've breed Gamefowl to have blueish green eggs and not all Gamefowl are hyper all the time. Try the Belgian Liege breed, very friendly towards humans

Read up on them and they don't sound like anything that would suit me. For one, while I suppose cream isn't exactly white, it's close enough to white where I wouldn't be interested (it may be a bit silly, but egg color is important to me, I like colors that you normally don't see in stores), for another, while they may be human friendly, they can be aggressive to other birds (same reason i avoid rhode island reds at all costs, human friendly but tend towards being dominant towards other birds). I suppose I should clarify when I say docile, I mean docile with other chickens although human friendliness is important too. My flock is made up of docile breeds (easter eggers, lakeside eggers and a buff orpington) so I don't think liege fighters would be a good fit at all

I don't free range much anyways so while I do think game breeds are great birds in the right situation, they aren't a good fit for me and my goals. I will stick with easter eggers and the like

 

[TexasBlues]

The cost of games is prohibitive. Roosters are 150+, hens are 50+ and I’ve never seen chicks or eggs for sale.

I take that back. I did find some gamefowl chicks for sale an hour away. Reasonably priced too. That won't work though, I don't bring in new birds to the flock for biosecurity reasons.
If I could only find some Roundhead hatching eggs locally I would snatch them up.

 

[Apis mellifera]

I'm sure they are a great breed for some, and they may be survivors in Florida but up here they aren't. I'm not into dubbing roosters and have no interest in frost bitten game fowl. Chanteclers are a great below zero dual purpose breed.