Old English Game Bantams
A bantam is a small variety of poultry, sometimes referred to as specialty chickens. The name bantam is derived from the city
of Bantam in Indonisia. This was once an important Seaport. European sailors restocking on live fowl
for sea journeys found the small native breeds of chicken in Southeast Asia to be useful, and any
such small poultry came to be known as a bantam. A true bantam has no large
counterpart, it is naturally small.
Old English Game Bantam is the bantam version of the Muffed Old English Game.
This is one of the smallest chicken breeds, weighing about 22 oz (650 grams)
when they are fully grown. The Old English Game Bantam is one of the most
popular bantam breeds.
The Old English Bantam is similar to the Old English Game in that it has long
legs and it is fairly muscular. They are great pets for children. The bantam
was not developed from the larger sized Old English but rather from other
barnyard bantams in the same area. This explains the lack of length in their
sickle feathers that you see in the standard sized O.E.G.
The English Game Fowl is one of the oldest strains of poultry breeds that
have been used for fighting purposes. Through the Middle Ages the breed was
developed by the English Nobility into many varying colors, traits desirable
for cockfighting were chosen by breeders. Cockfighting became illegal in Britain
and Australia in the 1850s and English game fowl are usually kept just by
poultry enthusiasts.
We currently have Porcelains, Blue Golden Duckwings and Blue blacks.
