Someone told me the other day that mixed breed chickens are the same as game chickens. What do you all say about that?
I started to give a flippant response but then remembered all the discussions on here about how some other words are defined by some people. A lot of people don’t use the dictionary definition of a word which can lead to a lot of confusion. There are different “game” breeds. These breeds are recognized and are certainly not crosses. “Game” can also refer to a type of chicken, usually a fairly small and wiry bird. When people ask what breed their chicken is you’ll sometimes see people say “It looks like he has some game in him”. That’s more of the type than a specific game breed. It’s possible that person simply means they are not purebred chickens when he calls them games, but if you cross an Australorp with a Rock, or a Wyandotte with an Orpington, you do not have a purebred game breed and you do not have a chicken with “game” characteristics. Edited to add: That kind of reminds me of when I was working with the Boy Scouts. After you try to teach a skill and the nomenclature a boy would occasionally say "Well, I can call it that, can't I" My response was "Yes, you can, but you would be wrong".
I say game chickens are a specific type, small and lean and quick. I don't see how a, say, orpington mixed with a barred rock could be a game chicken, but it's certainly a mixed breed. Two completely different things. Game birds can be mixed breeds. Mixed breeds can have some game bird in them. Not all mixed breeds are game birds.
Game chickens ( fowl ) are a specific family of chickens. They are crossed to other gamefowl but aren't called a mix they are called a cross unlike say layer or barnyard mix gamefowl crosses are specific and recorded. And they are not small they can be from 4lbs to over 9lbs depending on breed. Gamebirds are pheasants chucker quail etc.
