Old English Game Explained

Old English Game
Status:Breed association (2002): secure
Country:England
Apa:All other standard breeds
Pcgb:Hard feather
Maleweight:Carlisle: up to 2.94 kg
Oxford: 1.8–2.5 kg
Bantam: 620–740 g
Femaleweight:Carlisle: up to 2.50 kg
Oxford: 0.9–1.36 kg
Bantam: 510–620 g
Eggcolor:white tinted
Comb:Single
Type:Chicken
Latin:Gallus gallus domesticus

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.