What does the Game in gamefowl mean?

[Jungleexplorer]

Could someone give me a clear understanding of what the majority of people are talking about when the use the term Game, Game fowl or Gameness? Thanks

 

[Oldhound]

All males of the species of Junglefowl and their domestic descendants( chickens) will fight to establish dominance. The loser or less dominant one will run off. The gamefowl have been selectively bred not to run or quit , but to stand their ground and fight until they drop. Like any trait it can be bred out of them because not all will "stand their ground". Cock fighting is Illegal in the U.S. and most of Europe . It is considered a Felony in most if not all States. here in Florida it is punishable with jail time and fines of up to $5,000. per count. The discussion of cock fighting Is Not Permitted on BYC.

 

[galanie]

There are chicken breeds considered "Game" fowl. Some have names like Aseel while other breeds have names with "Game" in the breed name. They are usually a muscular but long legged bird. They are largely raised for meat and eggs in the USA and not for that.. other.. purpose that they are proported to have been created for. They are also reported to be excellent foragers and can be raised pretty cheaply if allowed to forage.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

All males of the species of Junglefowl and their domestic descendants( chickens) will fight to establish dominance. The loser or less dominant one will run off. The gamefowl have been selectively bred not to run or quit , but to stand their ground and fight until they drop. Like any trait it can be bred out of them because not all will "stand their ground". Cock fighting is Illegal in the U.S. and most of Europe . It is considered a Felony in most if not all States. here in Florida it is punishable with jail time and fines of up to $5,000. per count. The discussion of cock fighting Is Not Permitted on BYC.

Thank you for this explanation. I was under impression that gamefowl were a breed and color, size and shape determined what was a gamefowl. I also thought that the word Game meant that they were more like natural wild Game Birds like Pheasant, Quail and Turkeys.

 

[gallorojo]

There are multiple definitions to the word "game". The one you want is as follows-

adj. gam·er, gam·est
1. Plucky and unyielding in spirit; resolute: She put up a game fight against her detractors.
2. Ready and willing: Are you game for a swim?


Have you ever heard the phrase " game as Ned Kelly"?
Look up that story and you will know what this definition is all about.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

There are multiple definitions to the word "game". The one you want is as follows-
adj. gam·er, gam·est
1. Plucky and unyielding in spirit; resolute: She put up a game fight against her detractors.
2. Ready and willing: Are you game for a swim?
Have you ever heard the phrase " game as Ned Kelly"?
Look up that story and you will know what this definition is all about.

Never heard of this use of the word, Game, before. I have heard of the word Game being used like; "Hey, you want to go fishing? I'm game if you are." Or something like that. In this sense the word is used as an indication of willingness to participate. I have never heard the word use in the sense of aggressive defiance. But in terms of talking about chicken breeds, I was totally under the impression that the word game was related to the use of the word in the in the following sense; "I have been out hunting game." In this sense, the word "game" is synonymous with wild animals.

When I first heard about gamefowl, I was looking for a breed of chickens to raise on my farm as totally free range almost self maintained flock. I was looking for birds that were strong, intelligent, and had a more wild natural instinct and that were not like these dumber then dirt inbred show breeds or hybrid production breeds that are so common these days. I thought the word Game meant the birds were more like wild game birds, so I was excited to invest in them. Imaging my surprise when people I would meet had some odd reactions when they heard I was raising American Greys. People would ask why I wanted to raise them and I would answer that I wanted to raise a free range flock. That's when I would get the old, "Oh Okay, free range. Right! wink wink. It was totally confusing for me, because I had no idea what they were talking about. I have raised chickens for over 30 years in three different countries, but only for eggs and meat. I have never been around people that only saw chickens in the singular light of that other thing some people sadly use them for.

But I guess I am really lucky because now of I have a bunch of chickens that are supposed to be bred to have a lot of "Game" (new meaning here) and they have to be the most docile birds I have ever raised. I mean, I have had white leghorns that had more "Game" in them then these birds. I believe in letting nature take it's course when it come to the pecking order in the flock. In the Amazon, I raised mostly Orientals and those birds started working out the pecking order as young as 1 month old. When I first started my flock here in Texas, I bought about thirty adult birds of various breeds and let them figure it out. One white leghorn rooster became the alpha male (He won the name, Maximus) and held that position for five years. I gave him away to a family that had lost their rooster in a dog attack when I started raising Greys because I was afraid, because he was old, he would be defeated by one of the game (LOL) roosters I was going to bring in. He had been a good rooster and deserved to live out his life with dignity and an old alpha male will starve himself to death if he is ever defeated.

I do love my birds though. My problem is that I don't know what to refer to them now that you have explained to me what it means to be a gamefowl. I mean, I bought gamefowl, but they have no game in them at all, Take a look at the picture below. There are four 7 month old cockerels in this picture (3 BBR and a Golden Duckwing). They were all raised together and there are six more in this group that are not in this picture. They live together in peace and I have never seen so much as a squabble between them. Their fathers were a Hatch and Grey that were meaner then all get out when I bought them, and I had to keep them penned with a sight barrier so they would not fight through the fence. I managed to tame them both down to the point that they can run free with the rest of my flock and eat next to each other. Maximus would have never tolerated this. So I guess Maximus was a true gamefowl, and I have no idea what to call these birds. I guess I should refer to them as their Black Breasted Reds and Golden Duckwings. What do you think I should call them.

 

[griffinkid02]

Quote:
Um, calm down shortfuse. No one was discussing cockfighting but you. A question was asked about a frequently used term in the chicken world. That is all. And there is every right to ASK that question, since, as I mentioned, it IS a frequently used term. i currently have 3 50lb bags of "Gamefowl" ration crumbles at my house to feed to young birds because it is the highest crude protien availible at the feed store. There are also at least two types of chicken with "Game" int heir name, so do us all a favor and either answer the question or not, but keep your trolling anger to your self. Now, about the question, as I'm sure some intelligent person by now has answered, "Gamecocks" were bred for fighting. Which is now illegal, however the the breeds have been saved by conservationists because of their cultural/historical value; and because they are, honestly, quite lovely birds. "Game" can also be used to refer to any species of bird that is hunted, for sport or otherwise, such as pheasants and quail. These birds typically have higher crude protein needs while growing out, as well as specific characteristics and mannerisms unique to their species or breeding, Which is why you find the word "game" used fairly frquently in the poultry world.

 

[TallChickMagnet]

I was told that game fowl were once hunted in the wild, using dogs and on house back...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Mere mention of "game" tends to turn into discussions/arguments that go where BYC does not allow; I think that that is why Oldhound said what he did, so that the question could be answered, and people would be warned against venturing there. and getting the thread locked.

Gamefowl are specific breeds of chickens, and they are also species such as pheasants, quail, chukar, etc. Context will generally tell you which is intended. Turkeys are not generally considered gamefowl.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Some say game is attitude and others say breed. Looking at my pictures (above), what would you say my birds are?