Help needed! Any info on American Game SOP

[Poultry Friend]

I think my last post was too lengthy and confusing as to what I was asking, so I will try to condense it into a few questions:

1. What conformation things should I look for in a Hen?
1a. Same as above but for Roo
1b. Same as above but for pullet

2. In general, what are the things to look for when selecting bird?

3. What things (like wide tail feathers?) should I look for?

4. What makes a good show bird?

Thank you so very much!

(Pictures are a huge plus- both for good birds and bad)

I will be buying the SOP as soon as possible, but I need this info this Sat when I select the birds.

 

[GotGame]

Try the American game thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/106767/show-off-your-games

 

[Poultry Friend]

Oh, Thank you soooo much! I thought the issue might be me posting in the wrong area!

 

[Vcomb]

Ask this question and you are likely to get many different answers. The best advice is to talk to the breeder, see how they bred them and go from there. Some things will vary also depending on the bloodline. Peacombed birds are built slightly different than straightcombs or rosecombs. Weight, leg length, tail set, color, etc can all vary. The colors are also probably not going to line up with colors you are familiar with in the Show standards. Not to mention there is about 3 different show standards - the show standard for the "American Game Bantam" which was created specifically for show and not a true mini of the largefowl, the United Gamefowl Breeders Association standard and the American GameFowl Society standard.

This breed was bred for performance, thus this should dictate the shape of the bird. Typical features of birds who win shows include the following: tails no higher than 90 degrees, though most prefer them to be lower. Wide tail feathers that are well fanned. Small heads with big eyes. Long thighs with shorter shanks. Straight toes, spurs set low on the shank. Wide backs between the wings, long strong wings that usually almost touch behind the bird. Depending on the variation of the sport that your birds were bred for historically, some of these traits will be emphasized more than others. Birds around 5lbs (males) are a good showing weight, but the breed comes from between a little under 4lbs to a little over 6lbs. Color only makes up about 10 out of 100 points in the show standards I've read from the two gamebreeders associations, so pay attention to the way the bird is built more than how it is colored. Finally and to me most important check their temper! Some bloodlines are very docile, others very wild. some are born manfighters as soon as they hatch, others are easily irritated and can become manfighters if you don't watch what you do.

I think my last post was too lengthy and confusing as to what I was asking, so I will try to condense it into a few questions:

1. What conformation things should I look for in a Hen?
1a. Same as above but for Roo
1b. Same as above but for pullet

2. In general, what are the things to look for when selecting bird?

3. What things (like wide tail feathers?) should I look for?

4. What makes a good show bird?

Thank you so very much!

(Pictures are a huge plus- both for good birds and bad)

I will be buying the SOP as soon as possible, but I need this info this Sat when I select the birds.

 

[Vcomb]

You may also want to look at the Alabama Gamefowl Breeders page on facebook. they have pics up of the shows and show winners

 

[Poultry Friend]

Thank you so very much! This gives me something to look for when I pick them out tomorrow. I was really suprised on the general lack of info for this breed on the web (when it comes to SOP) . I was able to find info on the Doms very easily with images of good birds, however most of this flock will be games and I was getting worried no one would be able to help me.

This birds are single comb with mainly pearl legs, although some of the young cocks have bright yellow legs. About half the cocks have some white on thier bodies, most are reddish. The hens are all a uniform brown.

What qualifies as bantam? This birds, I think, are standard, but they are in no way large.

 

[Vcomb]

The show standards for the largefowl haven't been around for very long. If you are a visual person, don't buy a copy of the AGFS standard simply because all the pics in it are Oxford Old English, a distant ancestor of American Games. Also, you may want to know that if you keep referring to your Dominiques as Doms you'll get some confused people as "Dom" is a color (and sometimes part of abloodline name) in American Games.

You're getting largefowl. If they were bantam they'd have blue legs and be something like 2lbs or smaller. If you are able, get a notebook and ask the guy you buy them from what bloodlines they are, where he got them, how long he had them. If they are banded or marked in some way write down who is related to who and how. This will be very useful in your breeding program. American Games can have any leg color in largefowl and some will even have multiple colors in their legs.

 

[Poultry Friend]

Ah! That would explain why I saw some 'dom' games on a website. Thanks for clearing that up!

From looking at pictures I can find, am I right that the American Game should have a longer back then the show Dominique?

I read that the Dominique should have a more U shape, slanting down and back up the tail without any real flat areas. The pictures I am seeing seem to show the game as slanting down straighter, then up, which results in a fairly straight slant rather then the U in the Dominique.

Also, what would a good fan tail on the game look like vs a poor one? I would like to select the best cock I can (If I can avoid being blinded by color) .

Is there anything to really look for in the hens and pullets?

 

[catdaddyfro]

Heres a thread on just american games might help you a bit too:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/613455/show-off-your-american-gamefowl

I have 2 I love them they are most deffinitely different breed for sure.

Jeff

 

[Vcomb]

This is a drawing I did a few years ago showing what I think to be a well built American Gamecock. Shown are Brown Red, B.B. Red and Wheaton. I think this rooster below is a good example, though his pose isn't that great in the pic. He is HUGE 6 1/2 lbs.









This is a young hen of mine. The pose isn't very good and she normally carries her tail wider. If you look at them from behind you want the tail to fit tight against each other but from the side spread wide like a fan. The one below also didn't hold her tail wide in the pic.




The birds I've posted are straight combed. Peacomb birds will have more of an Oriental look to them but it depends on how much Oriental is in them.