The Modern Game is a breed of a chicken originating in England between 1850 and 1900. Purely an exhibition bird, Modern Game were developed to be most aesthetically pleasing and to epitomize the visual appeal of the gamecock or fighting cock. After the outlawing of cockfights in the U.K. in the mid 19th century, many cockfighting enthusiasts turned to breeding for shows as an alternative poultry hobby, and the Modern Game was developed from crosses of Old English Game and Malays. Despite being classified as game chickens (i.e. of cockfighting derivation) in breed standards, Modern Game were not bred to fight.
Today, the ideal show bird should have a body shaped like a flat iron when seen from above, a relatively short back, fine tail, hard feathering, and a very upright carriage. The breed appears in more than a dozen colour variations. The most common being black red, birchen, brown red, duckwing and pyle. The colours can be broadly divided into two groups; those with willow-coloured legs and red eyes, and those with black legs and dark eyes.
Like many breeds, Modern Game comes in both a standard large size and a bantam version; according to the British Poultry Standards large fowl should weigh 5- 9 pounds (2.25-4.10 kilos) and bantams 16-22 ounces (450-620 grams). Today, the bantam version is the most popular among poultry fanciers. The colour of their skin, comb, and wattles varies from red to mulberry depending on variety, but all have a small single comb. Combs and wattles are required to be dubbed (cut off) to compete in showing in some countries, which reflects their descent from fighting birds.
Modern Game are neither good egg layers nor are they valued for meat production. Admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection upon the first edition in 1874, they are almost exclusively kept by competitive breeders. In temperament, they are friendly and curious towards people, and are easily tamed. For this reason Modern Game is considered excellent pets for the suburban poultry keeper.
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