Show Off Your Games!

[Lollipop]

Well said, Daniel..........Pop

 

[monita]

Quote:
Games were originally bred for cockfighting, this is a pretty well known fact, in some countries they still are used in cockfighting there. Now that it is illegal in the US most of the breeds are going towards show fowl, or some breed them just for their history. You can look into the American game individual strains, or even just the breed itself and tell that these birds are a large part of our culture. They were raised by all, or most of the former presidents and statesmen and in the book Oriental Gamefowl it even mentions that the American Gamecock almost became the national seal of the United States and only lost to the Eagle by one vote.

Then there is all of the history involved in these birds from all over the world, the time spent in breeding them and selecting for individual traits that I and many others are just wowed by all of the time, effort, and history involved in these chickens. They were the first domesticated poultry, and many of the games especially Orientals like the Asil and Malay went into all of the game and production breeds.

They're aggressive by nature to the same sex, meaning cocks will fight other cocks when they come of age (varies by breed, typical age for American gamee cockerels (stags) 7-10 months.) And hens can sometimes be aggressive to other hens, though usually OK if raised and kept together at all times, then may fight over feed, nests, chicks, etc. You can eat the eggs too if you want.

You know, a lot of people want to ban the birds because they don't know exactly how gentle and priceless they can be. I'll tell you this- my family has been around gamefowl for four generations counting me, I grew up around them, and I wasn't always that good in school. I was told how to sound out words, and I taught myself to read reading gamecock magazines called Grit&Steel, Gamecock, and the Featheredwarrior. One of my main "pass-times" is reading up on the breed and gathering all of the old history for them. These birds even taught me fractions at a young age, and basic genetics in the breeding process

.

So basically, to me they are not "just chickens". I have been told by someone before (it was here on the forum actually) that "There are plenty of other breeds you can already show" but just the thought of getting rid of my birds for those breeds makes me sick to my stomach literally. Even if I only have one cock and one hen, I will always have a game chicken stashed away somewhere.


Edited since I missed a few of your questions: No, they're not hunted. They're called gamefowl, instead of game birds, and the game for them refers to the desire to fight until death by nature (literally) instead of hunting. Game owners do tend to keep a lot of chickens, more than any other breeders actually- it's not unheard of for most game owners to have upwards of a couple hundred or thousand roosters not even counting hens. You can look up a lot of game farms and ones with pictures will show ya what I mean.. But they're not exactly kept in flocks because of the aggressive nature and most people believe single mating is better than breeding one cock over five or more hens. I am the same way really, or at least single mate for one year to see what your hens throw then if they prove good and match up with their sisters or whatever then you can put them together in groups (if it isn't a line so aggressive you have to single mate).

Since you're new to chickens, I'll state what I mean by single mating (one cock and one hen) being better. Even if from the same family/parents, and same bloodlines, at times a hen(or rooster) will throw worse offspring than the rest and if you had them together in a flock you would never be able to tell which threw the bad ones and which the good ones.

Also, you will see a lot of chickens being called a "game". But those people only base it off of looks, without the desire to fight being there in my opinion, they are not a game. And if they're not a game, then they are useless and there is no point in even calling them that. Even if not fought now, I believe the gameness is still a key characteristic to the attitude(Proud, confident, courageous) that makes them the best breed (in my opinion, I know they're not everyone's cup-o-tea) of chicken and It shouldn't be lost like it has in the Old English Game Bantams, and many others like the Sumatra, Kraienkoppe, Malay (in most lines, some are still intact), etc.

-Daniel

Couldnt have said it better myself.... Good job Daniel

 

[cwc362]

Quote:
Games were originally bred for cockfighting, this is a pretty well known fact, in some countries they still are used in cockfighting there. Now that it is illegal in the US most of the breeds are going towards show fowl, or some breed them just for their history. You can look into the American game individual strains, or even just the breed itself and tell that these birds are a large part of our culture. They were raised by all, or most of the former presidents and statesmen and in the book Oriental Gamefowl it even mentions that the American Gamecock almost became the national seal of the United States and only lost to the Eagle by one vote.

Then there is all of the history involved in these birds from all over the world, the time spent in breeding them and selecting for individual traits that I and many others are just wowed by all of the time, effort, and history involved in these chickens. They were the first domesticated poultry, and many of the games especially Orientals like the Asil and Malay went into all of the game and production breeds.

They're aggressive by nature to the same sex, meaning cocks will fight other cocks when they come of age (varies by breed, typical age for American gamee cockerels (stags) 7-10 months.) And hens can sometimes be aggressive to other hens, though usually OK if raised and kept together at all times, then may fight over feed, nests, chicks, etc. You can eat the eggs too if you want.

You know, a lot of people want to ban the birds because they don't know exactly how gentle and priceless they can be. I'll tell you this- my family has been around gamefowl for four generations counting me, I grew up around them, and I wasn't always that good in school. I was told how to sound out words, and I taught myself to read reading gamecock magazines called Grit&Steel, Gamecock, and the Featheredwarrior. One of my main "pass-times" is reading up on the breed and gathering all of the old history for them. These birds even taught me fractions at a young age, and basic genetics in the breeding process

.

So basically, to me they are not "just chickens". I have been told by someone before (it was here on the forum actually) that "There are plenty of other breeds you can already show" but just the thought of getting rid of my birds for those breeds makes me sick to my stomach literally. Even if I only have one cock and one hen, I will always have a game chicken stashed away somewhere.


Edited since I missed a few of your questions: No, they're not hunted. They're called gamefowl, instead of game birds, and the game for them refers to the desire to fight until death by nature (literally) instead of hunting. Game owners do tend to keep a lot of chickens, more than any other breeders actually- it's not unheard of for most game owners to have upwards of a couple hundred or thousand roosters not even counting hens. You can look up a lot of game farms and ones with pictures will show ya what I mean.. But they're not exactly kept in flocks because of the aggressive nature and most people believe single mating is better than breeding one cock over five or more hens. I am the same way really, or at least single mate for one year to see what your hens throw then if they prove good and match up with their sisters or whatever then you can put them together in groups (if it isn't a line so aggressive you have to single mate).

Since you're new to chickens, I'll state what I mean by single mating (one cock and one hen) being better. Even if from the same family/parents, and same bloodlines, at times a hen(or rooster) will throw worse offspring than the rest and if you had them together in a flock you would never be able to tell which threw the bad ones and which the good ones.

Also, you will see a lot of chickens being called a "game". But those people only base it off of looks, without the desire to fight being there in my opinion, they are not a game. And if they're not a game, then they are useless and there is no point in even calling them that. Even if not fought now, I believe the gameness is still a key characteristic to the attitude(Proud, confident, courageous) that makes them the best breed (in my opinion, I know they're not everyone's cup-o-tea) of chicken and It shouldn't be lost like it has in the Old English Game Bantams, and many others like the Sumatra, Kraienkoppe, Malay (in most lines, some are still intact), etc.

-Daniel

Couldnt have said it better myself.... Good job Daniel

I agree too Daniel!! Very informative piece you wrote!!

 

[operator16]

Daniel,

Thank you for this wonderful information. I really appreciate it!! I love learning about all the different varieties of chickens. I knew that they used to be used for fighting, but since that isn't a big part of current day's usage of those birds, I didn't really know their role. I can see the glory in breeding and showing those beautiful birds though. They are just breathtaking!

Thank you again!

-Jennifer


Quote:
Games were originally bred for cockfighting, this is a pretty well known fact, in some countries they still are used in cockfighting there. Now that it is illegal in the US most of the breeds are going towards show fowl, or some breed them just for their history. You can look into the American game individual strains, or even just the breed itself and tell that these birds are a large part of our culture. They were raised by all, or most of the former presidents and statesmen and in the book Oriental Gamefowl it even mentions that the American Gamecock almost became the national seal of the United States and only lost to the Eagle by one vote.

Then there is all of the history involved in these birds from all over the world, the time spent in breeding them and selecting for individual traits that I and many others are just wowed by all of the time, effort, and history involved in these chickens. They were the first domesticated poultry, and many of the games especially Orientals like the Asil and Malay went into all of the game and production breeds.

They're aggressive by nature to the same sex, meaning cocks will fight other cocks when they come of age (varies by breed, typical age for American gamee cockerels (stags) 7-10 months.) And hens can sometimes be aggressive to other hens, though usually OK if raised and kept together at all times, then may fight over feed, nests, chicks, etc. You can eat the eggs too if you want.

You know, a lot of people want to ban the birds because they don't know exactly how gentle and priceless they can be. I'll tell you this- my family has been around gamefowl for four generations counting me, I grew up around them, and I wasn't always that good in school. I was told how to sound out words, and I taught myself to read reading gamecock magazines called Grit&Steel, Gamecock, and the Featheredwarrior. One of my main "pass-times" is reading up on the breed and gathering all of the old history for them. These birds even taught me fractions at a young age, and basic genetics in the breeding process

.

So basically, to me they are not "just chickens". I have been told by someone before (it was here on the forum actually) that "There are plenty of other breeds you can already show" but just the thought of getting rid of my birds for those breeds makes me sick to my stomach literally. Even if I only have one cock and one hen, I will always have a game chicken stashed away somewhere.


Edited since I missed a few of your questions: No, they're not hunted. They're called gamefowl, instead of game birds, and the game for them refers to the desire to fight until death by nature (literally) instead of hunting. Game owners do tend to keep a lot of chickens, more than any other breeders actually- it's not unheard of for most game owners to have upwards of a couple hundred or thousand roosters not even counting hens. You can look up a lot of game farms and ones with pictures will show ya what I mean.. But they're not exactly kept in flocks because of the aggressive nature and most people believe single mating is better than breeding one cock over five or more hens. I am the same way really, or at least single mate for one year to see what your hens throw then if they prove good and match up with their sisters or whatever then you can put them together in groups (if it isn't a line so aggressive you have to single mate).

Since you're new to chickens, I'll state what I mean by single mating (one cock and one hen) being better. Even if from the same family/parents, and same bloodlines, at times a hen(or rooster) will throw worse offspring than the rest and if you had them together in a flock you would never be able to tell which threw the bad ones and which the good ones.

Also, you will see a lot of chickens being called a "game". But those people only base it off of looks, without the desire to fight being there in my opinion, they are not a game. And if they're not a game, then they are useless and there is no point in even calling them that. Even if not fought now, I believe the gameness is still a key characteristic to the attitude(Proud, confident, courageous) that makes them the best breed (in my opinion, I know they're not everyone's cup-o-tea) of chicken and It shouldn't be lost like it has in the Old English Game Bantams, and many others like the Sumatra, Kraienkoppe, Malay (in most lines, some are still intact), etc.

-Daniel

 

[DTchickens]

Quote:
Games were originally bred for cockfighting, this is a pretty well known fact, in some countries they still are used in cockfighting there. Now that it is illegal in the US most of the breeds are going towards show fowl, or some breed them just for their history. You can look into the American game individual strains, or even just the breed itself and tell that these birds are a large part of our culture. They were raised by all, or most of the former presidents and statesmen and in the book Oriental Gamefowl it even mentions that the American Gamecock almost became the national seal of the United States and only lost to the Eagle by one vote.

Then there is all of the history involved in these birds from all over the world, the time spent in breeding them and selecting for individual traits that I and many others are just wowed by all of the time, effort, and history involved in these chickens. They were the first domesticated poultry, and many of the games especially Orientals like the Asil and Malay went into all of the game and production breeds.

They're aggressive by nature to the same sex, meaning cocks will fight other cocks when they come of age (varies by breed, typical age for American gamee cockerels (stags) 7-10 months.) And hens can sometimes be aggressive to other hens, though usually OK if raised and kept together at all times, then may fight over feed, nests, chicks, etc. You can eat the eggs too if you want.

You know, a lot of people want to ban the birds because they don't know exactly how gentle and priceless they can be. I'll tell you this- my family has been around gamefowl for four generations counting me, I grew up around them, and I wasn't always that good in school. I was told how to sound out words, and I taught myself to read reading gamecock magazines called Grit&Steel, Gamecock, and the Featheredwarrior. One of my main "pass-times" is reading up on the breed and gathering all of the old history for them. These birds even taught me fractions at a young age, and basic genetics in the breeding process

.

So basically, to me they are not "just chickens". I have been told by someone before (it was here on the forum actually) that "There are plenty of other breeds you can already show" but just the thought of getting rid of my birds for those breeds makes me sick to my stomach literally. Even if I only have one cock and one hen, I will always have a game chicken stashed away somewhere.


Edited since I missed a few of your questions: No, they're not hunted. They're called gamefowl, instead of game birds, and the game for them refers to the desire to fight until death by nature (literally) instead of hunting. Game owners do tend to keep a lot of chickens, more than any other breeders actually- it's not unheard of for most game owners to have upwards of a couple hundred or thousand roosters not even counting hens. You can look up a lot of game farms and ones with pictures will show ya what I mean.. But they're not exactly kept in flocks because of the aggressive nature and most people believe single mating is better than breeding one cock over five or more hens. I am the same way really, or at least single mate for one year to see what your hens throw then if they prove good and match up with their sisters or whatever then you can put them together in groups (if it isn't a line so aggressive you have to single mate).

Since you're new to chickens, I'll state what I mean by single mating (one cock and one hen) being better. Even if from the same family/parents, and same bloodlines, at times a hen(or rooster) will throw worse offspring than the rest and if you had them together in a flock you would never be able to tell which threw the bad ones and which the good ones.

Also, you will see a lot of chickens being called a "game". But those people only base it off of looks, without the desire to fight being there in my opinion, they are not a game. And if they're not a game, then they are useless and there is no point in even calling them that. Even if not fought now, I believe the gameness is still a key characteristic to the attitude(Proud, confident, courageous) that makes them the best breed (in my opinion, I know they're not everyone's cup-o-tea) of chicken and It shouldn't be lost like it has in the Old English Game Bantams, and many others like the Sumatra, Kraienkoppe, Malay (in most lines, some are still intact), etc.

-Daniel


Anytime

.

 

[Chief]

Hey everyone. I have to thin down my flock! I'm moving to NC. Any one that may want some well cared for Game Chickens, PM me. Take a look at "my page" to see what they are. We can discuss prices and shipping, or pick up, or meeting somewhere if you want some of them. I'll be getting rid of some adult fowl, and most of what I hatched this year, except for the Asil. I have grey cross's, kelso roundhead cross's, Kelso hatch cross's. Let me know!

 

[Rennie]

Ive been told this would be the best place for my question so here goes

What is the best thing to feed Asils ?.. Ive read so many different things and just wondered if anyone on here could give me a straight forward answer ..


From what i have found searching the net so far

Oats, Whole wheat, Whole corn, Growers pellets , BOSS, Kelp meal and fish meal, seem to be the things they should be eating

..One person suggested 60% whole corn 30% pellets and 10% whole wheat ..would this sound about right ?.. Ive also read that the protein levels need to be around 15 -18 % ..

I dont personally own the Asil but do know the person who does .. He has adults and their new offspring,

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Rennie, I`ve had Asils for about 10 years now. There are lots of good home brews out there, but I`ve had excellent results with Purina Game Bird Blend. It`s 14% protein and gives the birds a nice big breast and no fat. Excellent feed and simple, as all you do is buy it and feed it with no worries about mix ratios or suppliers. Highly recommended.......Pop

 

[upthecreek]

what is Purina Gamebird Blend ?




Quote:
Rennie, I`ve had Asils for about 10 years now. There are lots of good home brews out there, but I`ve had excellent results with Purina Game Bird Blend. It`s 14% protein and gives the birds a nice big breast and no fat. Excellent feed and simple, as all you do is buy it and feed it with no worries about mix ratios or suppliers. Highly recommended.......Pop

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Rennie, I`ve had Asils for about 10 years now. There are lots of good home brews out there, but I`ve had excellent results with Purina Game Bird Blend. It`s 14% protein and gives the birds a nice big breast and no fat. Excellent feed and simple, as all you do is buy it and feed it with no worries about mix ratios or suppliers. Highly recommended.......Pop


PG Blend is a mix of all the grains needed for healthy birds. Don`t have a lable on hand at the moment, but the only filler I can see in it is cracked corn. At 14% it is right in line with the protein needs of oriental fowl. At one time I bred Spanish Gamefowl using PG blend and never had fat cocks, but just like the Asils, I had a big stout breast. Purina Gamebird Blend should be available anywhere Purina feeds are sold............Pop

Edited for spelling.