 Bantam cock and hen | |
| Conservation status | Breed association (2002): secure FAO (2007): not at risk |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | England |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Egg color | white tinted |
| Comb type | Single |
| Classification | |
| APA | All other standard breeds |
| PCGB | Hard feather |
| |
The Old English Game is a British breed of domestic chicken. It was probably originally bred for cockfighting. Two different standards are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain: Carlisle Old English Game and Oxford Old English Game. There is also an Old English Game bantam.
Characteristics
The Old English Game has many colour variants. Twenty-eight are recognised by the American Poultry Association, while the Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture lists thirty-three. In Britain, thirteen colours are recognised for the Carlisle type, and thirty for the Oxford type.
Use
Since the abolition of cock-fighting in 1849, the Old English Game has been kept primarily for show. Old English Game hens may lay about forty small tinted eggs in a year.
References
- Breed data sheet: Old English Game/United Kingdom. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2014.
- Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed November 2016.
- ^ Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424.
- ^ Old English Game. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed November 2016.
- ^ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
- Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.