Game hen / regular hen

[gridgeway66]

This may be a stupid question but I'm new to raising chickens so I have to ask. What's the difference in a game hen and I geuss what I consider a regular hen or laying hen ? I've seen some very pretty breeds of hens and some say game hen. Can someone please explain to me ? Thanks

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Okay...a game hen is a hen of a game type breed.

Traditionally, games were used for, well, gaming...cock fighting. So the roosters can be quite a handful, mostly to each other.

They are overall smaller, more refined birds, longer wings, lighter body. They tend to be flighty to very flighty, depending on the line, and because of their nature and body type can be excellent flyers (use netting and high fences).

Typically they are below average to poor layers of medium to small eggs.

They are usually kept for ornamental purposes or for brooding. Game hens often make excellent brooding hens (sitting on eggs to hatch chicks) and mothers.

Since they are very active and naturally cautious, there are those that keep them for open ranging as they do well in natural settings against predators.

A laying hen is more domesticated. They have been carefully selected for generations for laying, so the brooding instincts are often poor (depending on the breed and line). Since they are less wild, they are usually calmer (depending upon the line/breed).

They do not fly well. They have more of a "bumblebee" body style than the sleek "wasp" style of the game.

Layers are heavier than games, though not as heavy as the meat bird types.

Their talent is in egg laying, and the commercial lines do a stunning job of that.

Great question. You never know until you ask.

LofMc

 

[gridgeway66]

Okay...a game hen is a hen of a game type breed.

Traditionally, games were used for, well, gaming...cock fighting. So the roosters can be quite a handful, mostly to each other.

They are overall smaller, more refined birds, longer wings, lighter body. They tend to be flighty to very flighty, depending on the line, and because of their nature and body type can be excellent flyers (use netting and high fences).

Typically they are below average to poor layers of medium to small eggs.

They are usually kept for ornamental purposes or for brooding. Game hens often make excellent brooding hens (sitting on eggs to hatch chicks) and mothers.

Since they are very active and naturally cautious, there are those that keep them for open ranging as they do well in natural settings against predators.

A laying hen is more domesticated. They have been carefully selected for generations for laying, so the brooding instincts are often poor (depending on the breed and line). Since they are less wild, they are usually calmer (depending upon the line/breed).

They do not fly well. They have more of a "bumblebee" body style than the sleek "wasp" style of the game.

Layers are heavier than games, though not as heavy as the meat bird types.

Their talent is in egg laying, and the commercial lines do a stunning job of that.

Great question. You never know until you ask.

LofMc

Thanks. I just didn't have a clue really what the differences were. I kinda figured that it meant the were used to fight. I didn't want to buy some to add to our flock of hens and have problems.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Most hatchery games are not excessively feisty, that is more the specialized breeder lines and some specific breed types...but any of the game roos can be aggressive toward another roo...depends on the bird.

I have not had aggressiveness, but they are less calm and more flighty. Of the few I've had, I definitely wanted netting as they are good flyers and often want to roost in trees.

Though dapper birds and often companionable, they are not solid layers, so I get layers as I want large and plentiful eggs.

I have considered getting a couple for brooding, but I think I prefer my less flighty Cochins and Silkies for that too.

Many people love having them if you are prepared to contain them.

LofMc

 

[Folly's place]

Henderson's breed chart, and feathersite, are good on-line sources of information, as are the specific breed threads here. Mary

 

[varidgerunner]

"Game hen" is usually a marketing term for meat. At one point, consumers were accustomed to breeds of meat bird that were fairly large. When the Cornish Game was developed, they started marketing smaller carcasses from younger birds. The Cornish was derived from game birds, the old English and the Asil. The Asil gave them a thicker breast at a young age. These plump little birds were marketed as cornish game hens, if they were roosters or not.

As far as actual gamefowl, there are a lot of varieties. Some are quite large, some less likely to fly. Some quite affectionate towards people. Gamefowl roosters are some of the most laid back birds, towards people, that you can find. Aggression toward people was and is heavily selected against. In terms of bird/bird conflict, an adult male game is no more likely to fight than any other adult male breed. The difference is that he is less likely to stop fighting.

No better mothers exist. They have survived with all of their instincts intact, and strong paternal traits selected for in the males has translated to strong maternal traits in the females. By fostering other eggs under them, you can get them to raise all of your replacement layers.

As far as being afraid of them, keep in mind that many of our modern breeds have gamefowl in their makeup. It is what chickens were originally domesticated for, (a 4 pound jungle bird that laid 20 eggs a year was not domesticated for eggs and meat) so many breeds from around the world existed as gamefowl, and these went into the breeds we have now.

I remember hearing my grandmother talk about her game chickens she used to have. She never struck me as the type to use them for nefarious reasons, so I always wondered about that. After seeing how easy these things raise all your chicks for you, I think I have figured it out. And some of the most beautiful birds there are, too.

 

[brooke kent]

I think I might have a game hen? She’s flighty, alert and doesn’t want me to go anywhere near her. What’s your thoughts?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Looks like a beautiful game pullet/hen.

 

[centrarchid]

By appearance she is a game hen / pullet.

The flighty assessments are very much a function of who keeps them. You can take a flighty game a rapidly tame it down to being as tame as any ornamental or production breed. The games simply show the broadest range of behavioral plasticity you are likely to see in chickens.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

By appearance she is a game hen / pullet.

The flighty assessments are very much a function of who keeps them. You can take a flighty game a rapidly tame it down to being as tame as any ornamental or production breed. The games simply show the broadest range of behavioral plasticity you are likely to see in chickens.

How would someone go about taming a flighty bird?