Old English Game Chicken

     The Old English Game is an old breed of Chickens, probably one of the oldest strains of chickens overall. It’s the first chicken breed ever developed in Britain as a fighting bird. Since, cockfighting has been outlawed, the Old English Game is very popular among poultry fanciers as an ornamental bird instead in the mean time.

     There are two main types for the Old English Game chicken; the ‘Carlisle’ and the ‘Oxford’. The Carlisle Old English Game is slightly larger, has a horizontal back, a large breast, and can be seen in thirteen different color-varieties. While, the Oxford Old English Game has a back at 45º to the ground, and has thirty different color-varieties. 

     The Old English Game hen lays well (around 160 white eggs per year), and makes an excellent, reliable brooder and a very protective mother as well. The chicks are slow to mature, but they possess the fighting nature from a very young age. Generally, Old English Games are hardy and vigorous birds, and can be extremely active and very noisy. Despite being small, Old English Games have excellent muscle distribution, and make wonderful table birds. 

     Old English Games have single combs, red earlobes, and relatively small wattles. The most common color-varieties are black-breasted red, golden and silver duckwing, white, black and spangled. A bantam version is also available for the Old English Game which is quite famous.

 

Place of originThe UK
UseOrnamental and dual-purpose
Weight

Carlisle, male: up to 3 kg

female: up to 2.5 kg

Oxford, male: 1.8 – 2.5 kg

female: 1.4 kg

Bantam, male: 620 – 740 g

female: 510 – 620 g

Comb typeSingle comb
Skin colorWhite
Egg colorWhite

 

44396766791 5a6e9a0b71 b - Old English Game Chicken
A silver-duckwing Oxford Old English Game rooster by karen johns
colorful 216093 1280 - Old English Game Chicken
A golden-duckwing Carlisle Old English Game rooster
5 3 - Old English Game Chicken
A couple of duckwing Old English Game bantams by 4028mdk09
2 6 - Old English Game Chicken
A black Old English hen with her chicks by cskk