Editing American Game

{{short description|American breed of fighting chicken}}
{{use list-defined references|date=January 2023}}
{{infobox poultry breed
| name          = American Game
| image         = American Game hen.jpg
| image_size    =
| alt           = 
| image_caption = [[Bantam (poultry)|Bantam]] hen
| status        = {{ubl|[[FAO]] (2007): not listed{{r|barb|p=127}}|[[Livestock Conservancy]] (2020): study{{r|albc2}}|{{nobreak|Livestock Conservancy (2021): not listed{{r|albc3}}}}}}
| altname       =
| country       = United States
| distribution  =
| standard      =
| use           = {{ubl|[[cockfighting]]|[[Ornamental animal|ornament]]|meat}}
| apa           = {{ubl|Large fowl: no{{r|apa}}|Bantam: game bantam{{r|apa}}}}
| aba           = Bantam: yes{{r|aba}}
| ee            = no{{r|ee}}
| pcgb          = no{{r|pcgb}}
| maleweight    = bantam: 850 g{{r|ekarius|page=107}}
| femaleweight  = bantam: 765 g{{r|ekarius|page=107}}
| skincolor     =
| eggcolor      = brown{{r|albc}}
| comb          = single 
| note          = 
| type          = [[Chicken]]
| latin         = Gallus domesticus
}}

The '''American Game''' is an American [[list of chicken breeds|breed]] of [[gamecock|game fowl]], chickens bred specifically for [[cockfighting]]. It has many [[list of chicken colours|color varieties]], and may also be kept for [[Ornamental animal|ornament]].{{r|albc}}

== History ==

The American Game was bred for [[cockfighting]]. The full-size ("large fowl") American Game is not recognized by the [[American Poultry Association]], which in 2009 recognized the American Game Bantam in ten colors. The American Game is not among the fifty-three chicken breeds reported by the [[National Animal Germplasm Program]] of the [[USDA Agricultural Research Service]] to the [[DAD-IS]] database of the [[FAO]],{{r|dad}} nor is it recognized by the [[Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture]]{{r|ee}} or by the [[Poultry Club of Great Britain]].{{r|pcgb}} In 2020 its [[conservation status]] was listed by the [[Livestock Conservancy]] as "study";{{r|albc2}} in 2021 it was no longer listed.{{r|albc3}}

Some stock has been exported to the United Kingdom; in 2002 there were fewer than a hundred birds there.{{r|dad2}}

=== American Game Bantam ===

The [[Bantam (poultry)|bantam]] version of the breed does not derive from the original large fowl. It was created in [[New Jersey]] in the 1940s by a breeder named Frank Gary. He [[cross-bred]] the wild [[Red Jungle Fowl]] with fighting bantams of the type known at the time as "pit game".{{r|ekarius|page=106}} The American Game Bantam was listed in the yearbook of the American Bantam Association from 1950,{{r|aba}} and was admitted to the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 2009.{{r|apa}}

== Characteristics ==

The standard-sized American Game is bred in a wide range of [[list of chicken colours|plumage colors]]; cock birds have long [[List of poultry feathers|sickle feathers]].{{r|albc}}

The bantam has a small five-pointed single [[comb (anatomy)|comb]] and small smooth [[wattle (anatomy)|wattle]]s and earlobes.{{r|ekarius|page=107}} Ten color varieties are recognized by the APA: birchen; black; black-breasted red; blue; blue red; brown red; golden duckwing; red pyle; silver duckwing; and white.{{r|apa}} Two others, "brassy back" and wheaten, are also raised.{{r|ekarius|page=107}}

== Use ==

The American Game was bred for [[cockfighting]]. It is a good [[chicken meat|table bird]], and may be kept for [[Ornamental animal|ornament]]. Hens lay brown eggs of medium to large size.{{r|albc}} As with other fighting breeds, for [[poultry show|exhibition]] the comb, earlobes and wattles are cut off ("dubbed").{{r|ekarius|page=107}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=aba>Mark Rosen ([s.d.]). [http://www.bantamclub.com/aba/index.php/articles/163-what-s-the-difference What's The Difference???]. American Bantam Association. Accessed June 2017.</ref>

<ref name=albc>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190505152439/http://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/large-fowl-american-game Large Fowl American Game] The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 5 June 2019.</ref>

<ref name=albc2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200401100827/https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/conservation-priority-list#Chickens Conservation Priority List: Chickens] The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed 11 April 2020.</ref>

<ref name=albc3>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210711113117/https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/large-fowl-american-game Conservation Priority List: Chickens] The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed 11 July 2021.</ref>

<ref name=apa>[https://web.archive.org/web/20171104135004/http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/PDF%20Forms/APA%20Recognized%20Breeds%20and%20Varieties%20Sept2012.pdf APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012]. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.</ref>

<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>

<ref name=dad>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=8bbdfb62e8fd9f231dacc158f6adce78,reportsreport12_50000120_50000047 Breeds reported by United States of America: Chicken]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2017.</ref>

<ref name=dad2>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=f9ece8eda3f0b0585fc2e7470a15c9c6,reportsreport8a_50005614 American Game/United Kingdom]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2017.</ref>

<ref name=ee>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130616062803/http://www.entente-ee.com/deutsch/sparten/gefluegel/dateien/2013/Verzeichnis%20R%20F%2028042013.xls Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013)]. Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.</ref>

<ref name=ekarius>Carol Ekarius (2007). [https://archive.org/details/Storeys_Illustrated_Guide_to_Poultry_Breeds_Complete/mode/1up ''Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds'']. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. {{isbn|9781580176675}}.</ref>

<ref name=pcgb>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143235/http://www.poultryclub.org/img/Breed%20Classification.pdf Breed Classification]. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.</ref>

}}

{{Chicken breeds of the United States |state=expanded}}

[[Category:Chicken breeds originating in the United States]]
[[Category:Chicken breeds]]
[[Category:Cockfighting]]