Show Off Your Games!

[gameberds]

They are more cream just dark in there

 

[Sjeane]

My new Kelso, Elvis!. sadly i don't have any game hens, only rhode island reds, would there be any cons to this cross? i had heard a few people recommending crossing games with laying breeds, but i have no first hand experience.

 

[gameberds]

What do you call these birds
They are not mixed
Each is different i think

 

[prariechiken]

My new Kelso, Elvis!. sadly i don't have any game hens, only rhode island reds, would there be any cons to this cross? i had heard a few people recommending crossing games with laying breeds, but i have no first hand experience.

Raising chicks from that cross will make for some great free rangers that still produce decent numbers of eggs.

 

[prariechiken]

What do you call these birds
They are not mixed
Each is different i think

Unless you get the info from the original breeder of these girls, all guesses you get could be correct or very inaccurate, because many families of American gamefowl look very similar. A couple look to have some grey in them, (like the hen on the perch in the front), but even they could have black breasted red in them of some sort since the grey color gene is dominant to the bbreds. I usually prefer not to guess from pics as to what family of gamefowl birds are, as some use the online "guess" to sell birds as such. The best answer would be to call them "insert your name here" gamefowl .

 

[sdm111]

My new Kelso, Elvis!. sadly i don't have any game hens, only rhode island reds, would there be any cons to this cross? i had heard a few people recommending crossing games with laying breeds, but i have no first hand experience.

I wouldn't. If you think u can mix games and layers and the offspring is going to co-exist in one big happy wonderful beautiful flock chances are that's not gonna happen once they get to adolescence they will fight with the Kelso blood in them. And if he's real game if won't be for pecking order it'll be till death. And the hens fight too not just the males. So then u got to figure out how to separate all of them but you're not prepared or experienced with games so now it's the games fault u have one big flock of fighting. And the games get the slack for it. I've seen it too many times the games getting the bad name cause the owner didn't realize what they were getting into. Sorry for the rant but games require different management than layers. Since u have no experience with games I would highly advise u don't cross that Kelso into your layers.

 

[sdm111]

What's up gameberds. We all were in your shoes before just getting started. Read all u can and we'll try to answer your questions. With games it's pretty impossible to give answers on breeds by looks. We have to rely on the people that owned them for that. Ask the guy u got them from what they are.

 

[gameberds]

I agree with sdm111
I have had game bird 3 years
They are great free range.
But the roosters can not live in peace.
I had one in a cage and one out they fought through the cage.
If was not home they would not have stopped.
At about 6 months the rooster have to all be caged separate or all but one removed from the area.
I also have noticed every now and then the glock will
Not accept a new hen even if she is game.
It also seems that if I try to
Introduce domestic hen the rooster try's to mate with here and for some reason the domestic hens are not into it and he kills them
I love my game birds they are tough lay great eegs, but there is a bit of work keeping order around here.

 

[Sjeane]

Thanks for the info! according to the previous owner, and from what i have seen, this kelso is the son of his 1 of his kelso pairs he has had for the past 15 or so years, he is 2, and never been in a fight with another bird, and never been outside of his single cage. i put him in with my flock of rhode islands (did not have a rooster and missed the crowing) watched him close the first 2 days and none of my ladies ever tried to give him a hard time or anything, and he never attempted to fight them so hopefully all is good ^.^

 

[prariechiken]

Cornish were created by crossing asils and meat bird breeds. The Buckeye was created using BBred games, Barred rocks and buff cochins. American games will add health, vigor, and survivability to non-game breeds. Though I like seeing them kept pure, if more backyard breeders are not encouraged to experiment with games, the fewer the people out there will realize how truely great gamefowl are and help us preserve the species. Of course games take different management than non-game breeds, if a breeder doesn't do their homework before getting any type of livestock that is on them, blaming the misunderstood breed is a cop out. More than 1 rooster locked together of any breed is asking for trouble. An outcross to a non-game does more to hurt the game side than the added pluses the game bring to the non-game side. What it all comes down to is if you are the one paying for the feed you throw at them, then you can decide what to do with them.