Old English Game Bantam

The Old English Game Bantam is a hard-feeling, muscular bantam of barely medium height. Breeders often describe the ideal bird as a tennis ball in the hand: hard, compact, and exceptionally tight-feathered, with almost no down. The body is short, broad in front and distinctly narrower toward the rear; in profile it should look like a sliced calf's heart, never egg-shaped. Carriage is nearly horizontal, with a bold, active expression.

• Shoulders and wings: Broad, high-set shoulders slightly above the back line; short, arched wings help create the ball shape.
• Neck and tail: Full hackles form a collar over the shoulders; the tail is carried half-high at about a 40-degree angle. Cocks show small saddle sickles, broad lesser sickles, and long, strongly curved main sickles.
• Legs: Strong, round shanks at most medium length; thighs short and muscular with a clearly angled hock. Unlike the Modern Game, this breed must not look 'tight in stance'.
• Head: Short, broad, and wedge-shaped; single comb; large, bold eyes, usually fire-red (dark eyes allowed in birchen and black).
• Weight: US/Schmidt show lines often about 22–24 oz (625–675 g) for cocks and 20–22 oz (575–625 g) for hens. The Dutch standard is heavier: cocks 32–35 oz (900–1000 g), hens 25–28 oz (700–800 g).
• Leg bands (NL): Cock 13 mm, hen 11 mm.

In the Dutch standard, a small (neck) crest and/or beard is allowed as a variety. Serious faults include a too-narrow or elongated body, too-thin neck or thighs, wrong leg length, loose feathering, and poor muscle development.

While primarily an exhibition breed, the Old English Game Bantam is a moderate layer. They typically produce between 100 to 140 small eggs per year. The eggs are usually cream to yellowish white and weigh about 1.1 oz (30 g) (minimum hatching-egg weight in the standard).

Hens are highly broody and make exceptional mothers. Because of their protective nature and small size, hobbyists often use them to hatch eggs of other small bantam breeds.

The main sex difference is in comb and feather development. Roosters have a single comb that is traditionally dubbed (removed, historically as a 'helmet') for exhibition in many countries, echoing historic fighting birds and reducing injury risk; wattles and earlobes were also often removed in the past. Hens have small, upright single combs that are never dubbed.

In hens the hackle collar is well developed and reaches the shoulders. Hens carry the tail slightly higher and have a more horizontal posture than the rooster. For weights, see Characteristics (the Dutch standard is heavier than typical US/Schmidt show lines).

This breed is remarkably hardy and adaptable. Tight, hard feathering means they handle cold better than loose-feathered breeds, provided the coop is dry and draft-free. Small combs (if not dubbed) and wattles can still get frostbite in extreme northern winters.

They are active foragers that thrive with space, though they are flighty and easily clear a standard backyard fence. For keepers with limited room and modest feed needs, Old English Game Bantams are often recommended: compact, economical, yet full of temperament.

With dozens of officially recognized colors, Old English Game Bantams rank among the most colorful bantams. Common US and UK show colors include black-breasted red, spangled, silver and golden duckwing, black, white, blue-breasted red, crele, self blue (lavender), and pyle. Continental standards also list many partridge-family colors, wheaten, birchen, and cuckoo types.

Crele matches the continental cuckoo-partridge pattern; England also has Brassy and Furness.

• Black Breasted Red: Classic wild-type with orange hackle and black breast in cocks.
• Spangled: Each feather ends in a white tip.
• Silver Duckwing: Strong silver-and-black contrast in roosters.
• Crele: Cuckoo banding over a partridge pattern.
• Self Blue: Solid blue to lavender/pearl grey.