Recreating the American Game Bantam

[Florida Bullfrog]

It looks like I’m finally getting the white ear problem of General Lee solved. I have several chicks now with red ear lobes per the breed standard.

 

[Amer]

View attachment 3382163View attachment 3382164View attachment 3382165

It looks like I’m finally getting the white ear problem of General Lee solved. I have several chicks now with red ear lobes per the breed standard.

What a tail!

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Brief update on these birds at the end of the video.

Terrorfowl Super Free Range Survival Chickens Spring 2023 Update!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Great watch!

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I’m going to put this project on long-term hold. General Lee is still doing fine, and he has a flock of mature hens. However, I gave away my first generation of red-eared offspring. The ones I kept that I thought were red eared, ended up having the iridescent white streak most of Lee’s offspring have. I don’t feel like breeding for more at the moment, and if I do, I have a different red-eared rooster I can use.

I have a family member that would like Lee and his hens, and I’m finding that I have too many bloodlines on my plate to do any of them right. So I’m going to send Lee and his flock to a new home with a family member that will pamper them. I will be keeping this line going on my farm through my Teacup Cracker project here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-new-serama-sized-game-bantam.1494488/page-9#post-27014365

If I randomly produce some red eared offspring in the teacup line, I may restart this project. But for now, I want to cut my lines in half and only focus on doing two lines to the best of my ability. I’m enjoying this project the least, so its first on the chopping block.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

General Lee and 1 of his line bred granddaughters are living the life of Riley on a distant family farm. They made a good crop of biddies this spring. It appears several stags have red ears. I will make a trip to evaluate them and likely bring a few back with me, either to restart this project to breed into my teacup Crackers.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

This project is alive and well. Lee and his niece/granddaughter/daughter are doing well off my farm. They’ve made a full brood that I’m currently evaluating.

I finally have a bunch of red eared birds to choose from. I am planning on returning with up to 7 birds from this brood.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

So check it:

General Lee when he was a very young cockerel:

General Lee's line bred sons/grandsons/great grandsons:
#1. Almost exactly like him, except for greenish legs and a different comb.

#2 Again, slightly different comb, but otherwise spot on.

#3. This is my hopeful breeder. He has the required red ear.

Now that the genetics are concentrated, more offspring are coming out looking like the progenitor of the line. The main difference I'm noticing all of the most of the new offspring have wrap-around combs more like Number 1 (my archetype Cracker) instead of having Lee's comb that stands off from the head more. But otherwise they're starting to look more like spitting images.

The next step is to grow them out. For the time being, #3 is in the coop with 5 pullets and 1 mature hen from my teacup Cracker line. Remember the teacup Crackers are of the same stock as these that I split off some time ago. These are the closest relatives I have that survived the Marek's outbreak without symptoms that are distant enough away to not likely have immune issues upon breeding.

As junglefowl hybrid pullets, these look great. Contrast with the sisters of these AGB line-bred stags off of Lee:

Similar, but the AGB sisters look more like OEGBs than RJF hybrids. Those sisters are going to the teacup project so that each project takes a break from close inbreeding for a generation. Both the teacup brood and the AGB brood are the same ages within a week (mid-late March hatch to my recollection). And yet the AGBs are already laying.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

This comparison is my favorite. By mirroring the image of the new stag to face him the same way as Lee when Lee was a little but older, its clear they carry themselves pretty much the same.

 

[Amer]

This comparison is my favorite. By mirroring the image of the new stag to face him the same way as Lee when Lee was a little but older, its clear they carry themselves pretty much the same. View attachment 3905199View attachment 3905198

Wow, that pose is so similar between them.