Keeping American Games / American Gamefowl as Yard Ornaments

[RKG1]

Understood.

But your opinions, based on experience with these birds, are far more valuable to me than my opinions, which are derived from reading here and elsewhere on the Internet

 

[RKG1]

Another thing I've wondered about lately-

Do you find games easier to work with than other breeds? It stands to reason that those who use the birds for their intended purpose were (or are) interested in ease of handling by humans. Is this something bred into them? And as mentioned above regarding other traits, is it something being lost through breeding for purposes other than the original?

Are they more easily socialized and handled than production breeds?

 

[centrarchid]

Another thing I've wondered about lately-

Do you find games easier to work with than other breeds? It stands to reason that those who use the birds for their intended purpose were (or are) interested in ease of handling by humans. Is this something bred into them? And as mentioned above regarding other traits, is it something being lost through breeding for purposes other than the original?

Are they more easily socialized and handed than production breeds?

They were never truly bred for a single purpose, otherwise they would have been loaded up with all sorts of infirmities. The American Games through most of their history raised their own offspring and on the female and immature side had to round up their own grub. Being calm once tamed (often each male had to be tamed when brought in from being reared free-range) was essential as flighty birds as pens were more difficult to keep confined and were not as reliable for what you call the original purpose. A flighty bird is more likely to bolt. Also the man-fighting so prevalent in production breeds is much less common even though regular keeping of male games routinely violates the "common sense" methodology used for production and backyard keeping. Man-fighting is bad at multiple levels and can often result in immediate culling. Man-fighters as I was schooled where an indicator of poor handling skills first with relatively rare instances of poor breeding.

They are as a rule more variable based on environment than other breeds. Games can be flighty as needed to be predator resistant and they can very quickly be tamed down with proper handling. Production breeds do not as individuals have the same malleable range of behaviors. Games are flat out smarter as well. Mine can learn how to go around or over gates by their own exploratory activities to get at food and water sources. Hens can he really quick to learn routes to nest sites.


In my experience they are the easiest set of breeds to work with. Remember you are talking about many breeds, many strains within each breed, and often many families within a strain. Plus you got all those crosses.

 

[RKG1]

So I guess it's safe to say that, just as with dogs and many other animals, nurture and nature are equally important. Definitely worth keeping in mind

 

[varidgerunner]

If you want super tame and tractable, you might consider an oriental game. They seem to lack the flightiness of the American (Bankiva) games, but still retain a fair amount of predator wariness, compared to barnyard breeds. Some of them are fair meat producers, although slow growing, if you stay away from the giant breeds, they can fly fairly good, but don't tend to go as high.

The drawback to orientals is that the hens are as game as the cocks. All of my free range chick rearers are mixed with a good bit of american game, so that they get along better. I put surrogate barnyard eggs under them for the first hatch, then subsequent hatches they usually get bred by a barnyard rooster, all game cocks being penned. The resulting crosses are nice meat birds that forage well and have enough instincts to have large clutches survive until adulthood, on mainly forage.

 

[Weehopper]

Asils are my favorite breed of game fowl. When I wanted to replace my Kelso cock I contacted a breeder. Sadly, he wanted a $130.00 for a cull. I had explained to him what I wanted and why. Just a cock to let free range with my laying hens. Lol, did not make a difference to him. It was probably a good deal, but for what I wanted, it was too much. I love the oriental breeds. Such neat personalities.

 

[centrarchid]

If you want super tame and tractable, you might consider an oriental game. They seem to lack the flightiness of the American (Bankiva) games, but still retain a fair amount of predator wariness, compared to barnyard breeds. Some of them are fair meat producers, although slow growing, if you stay away from the giant breeds, they can fly fairly good, but don't tend to go as high.

The drawback to orientals is that the hens are as game as the cocks. All of my free range chick rearers are mixed with a good bit of american game, so that they get along better. I put surrogate barnyard eggs under them for the first hatch, then subsequent hatches they usually get bred by a barnyard rooster, all game cocks being penned. The resulting crosses are nice meat birds that forage well and have enough instincts to have large clutches survive until adulthood, on mainly forage.

This is an observation. Parties near me keeping American Games and Oriental (Aseel) Game seem to have a mindset that favors the latter demonstrating smarts. The Orientals are babied while the Americans are placed into pens with minimal handling. American Games I handle are easily as tame as any Orientals I have seen even when the latter are handled routinely. The extreme aggressive of Oriental hens can also be played out with American Games when confinement is too tight, especially where broodies are involved. That makes rearing chicks free-range for me relatively expensive.

 

[RKG1]

This is a great thread everyone. Wish I could contribute more than questions, but my gamefowl are still in the egg.

I considered asils briefly. I didn't get them, mostly because they would have to ship further (I think the greater the distance, the more hatchability is compromised). Also I'm not sure how cold hardy orientals are. Pa winters can be a little rough

 

[RKG1]

Anyone who gets snow-will your games get out in it? My chickens ( a few bantams, and some brown egg layers) will hardly set foot outside with snow on the ground

 

[centrarchid]

Anyone who gets snow-will your games get out in it? My chickens ( a few bantams, and some brown egg layers) will hardly set foot outside with snow on the ground

Mine do not walk in snow deeper than a couple inches if they have a choice. It is with snow cover I see my free-range lawn ornaments crank out impressive flights very routinely. My yard has several acres of potential flying where. They need snow free destinations, ideally that have some resource the birds want. After setting up some yard based experiments I found hay / stray bails placed near some heavy scrub are the way to go. The destinations can be as little as 25 yards to as much as 100 yards apart. Ideally the distances will be on the lower part of that range although when snow is deep they will fly the longer distances. Resources I use can include shell corn, BOSS, wheat, soaked oaks and even a complete feed. I made so each destination had a different resource and less than they can eat. If too much provided they may not fly to other destinations. I had to replace resources daily, usually evening before. The cover part should not be overlooked.

Today we pinched a hen into air with mowers where she flew about 100 yards to get back to cockyard. She was not highly motivated maid evident in part by here flight not being trimmed out.

I can get lots of flying in two other contexts when snow covered is not involved. First involves very hungry birds that will fly across field for eats. It can be impressive to have 40 odd games flying across field to meet you although it becomes a nuisance and potential source of discord when territory boundaries break down. Second is where you have tightly mowed paths going out in a a 10 - 20 acre field that is other wise too deep for chickens to easily walk through. What they will then do is walk along paths foraging edges then fly back over high weeds. They will fly sometimes 200 yards in a single flight.

A third is when pushed by predators which means you have a problem.