What color eggs do Old English Game lay?

Small **white to tinted** eggs. Old English Game Bantams are an exhibition breed, not a production layer, so hens lay modestly and shell color varies from white to a light tint.

Are Old English Game good for showing?

Yes — they're one of the **most numerous and competitive show classes** in America. Shown by color variety in the Game Bantam class, they're judged on hard feather, upright game station, and condition, so type and grooming decide placings.

How hard are Old English Game to hatch?

No harder than any bantam — about **99.5°F, lockdown day 18, hatch near day 21**. The eggs and chicks are small, so use shallow water and small feeders, and note that OEGB hens brood very reliably on their own.

How many color varieties do Old English Game Bantams come in?

Dozens. The American Bantam Association recognizes a long list of colors — Black Breasted Red, Silver and Golden Duckwing, Blue, Spangled, Crele, Brown Red, Lemon Blue, Wheaten, Black, White and more — which is part of why the class is so large.

Are Old English Game Bantams good backyard or beginner birds?

They're kept for **exhibition and ornament**, not for eggs or meat. Hens make excellent broodies and the birds are hardy and active, but males are combative with each other and need separate housing, so plan pens accordingly.

What's the difference between Old English Game and Modern Game bantams?

Both are hard-feathered game bantams, but the **Old English** is a compact, low, close-coupled bird, while the **Modern Game** is tall, upright, and reachy on long legs. They're separate breeds shown in different classes.

Old English Game Bantam: The Show-Hall Favorite

Verified September 2026White eggs

The short version

The Old English Game Bantam (OEGB) is a hard-feathered exhibition bantam and one of the most numerous single classes at American poultry shows. It is prized for its compact, upright "game" station, tight feathering, and huge color range — from the classic Black Breasted Red to Silver and Golden Duckwing, Blue, Spangled, Crele, and many more. Hens lay small white to tinted eggs. Today the breed is kept purely for exhibition and ornament; it is not a practical layer or meat bird.

APA class: Game Bantam

Egg color: White–Tinted

Broodiness: Frequently broody

Varieties: 18

Egg-color genetics

Old English Game Bantams are an exhibition bantam, not a production layer, so shell color was never selected for the way it is in laying breeds. Hens lay a small white to lightly tinted egg; the exact shade varies bird to bird, and no blue or dark-brown pigment genes are part of the breed.

Why Old English Game Bantams fill the show hall

Few breeds are as strongly identified with the exhibition side of the hobby as the OEGB. The Livestock Conservancy notes that after cockfighting was banned in Great Britain in 1849, breeders redirected the old game fowl toward the show bench, and the bantam form became especially popular because it packs the same hard-feathered game type into a small, easily housed bird.

That history is why an OEGB class at a large American show can be one of the biggest single breed entries present, spread across a long list of color varieties. For a new exhibitor it is an accessible, affordable entry point; for a serious breeder it is a lifelong pursuit in type and color.

What color eggs do Old English Game Bantams lay?

Small white to tinted eggs. The breed was developed and maintained for exhibition rather than egg output, so hens lay modestly and shell color was never a selection target. Expect a handful of little eggs from a hen in season rather than a steady supply.

Breeding notes

Breed within a single color variety: with dozens of recognized colors, mixing (for example) Duckwing over Black Breasted Red muddies pattern and lacing, so exhibitors keep separate pens per variety to produce showable, true-to-color offspring.
Select for hard feather and tight station — a short, well-knit body carried upright on a firm, compact frame. This 'type' is what wins in the class and is far harder to fix than color, so cull to type first and refine color within it.
Blue-based colors (Blue, Lemon Blue, Blue Breasted Red) follow the usual blue dilution: Blue × Blue throws roughly 50% Blue, 25% Black, and 25% Splash, so many breeders pair Black × Splash to lift the percentage of clean Blue chicks.
OEGB hens are famously reliable natural mothers and go broody readily, which makes them a common choice for hatching and brooding eggs of other bantam breeds as well as their own.
This is a hobby/exhibition breed only. Keep intact males in separate pens or coops — males are combative with one another — and manage the flock for shows and ornament, never for the historical use the breed descends from.

Showing notes

OEGB is shown in the American Bantam Association / APA Game Bantam class and entered by variety (for example 'Black Breasted Red, cock'). Because the class is so large and competitive, small faults in type or condition decide placings.
Judges reward correct game station: an upright, alert carriage, tight hard feather, a broad but short back, and a firm handling body — a bird that feels 'corky' and hard in the hand rather than soft and loose.
Condition matters enormously in a class this deep. Wash and dry birds well ahead of the show, keep plumage unbroken and glossy, trim toenails and beaks neatly, and protect leg and face color from damage.
Match the color pattern to the variety being shown — clean duckwing striping, even spangle tips, or correct lacing — and avoid off-color legs or a comb that has been damaged or frozen.

Hatching & incubation

No breed-specific incubation requirements: treat the small eggs like any bantam egg — about 99.5°F forced-air, lockdown around day 18, hatching near day 21.
Chicks are tiny at hatch; use narrow-lipped chick feeders and shallow water with marbles or stones to prevent drowning, and watch that they can reach food and water.
Because OEGB hens brood so willingly, many breeders simply set eggs under a broody hen rather than running an incubator.

Recognized varieties

Black Breasted RedSilver DuckwingGolden DuckwingBlueBlue Breasted RedBrown RedLemon BlueSpangledCreleGinger RedWheatenBlue WheatenBlackWhiteSelf Blue (Lavender)Red PyleCuckooBrassy Back

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Old English Game lay?: Small white to tinted eggs. Old English Game Bantams are an exhibition breed, not a production layer, so hens lay modestly and shell color varies from white to a light tint.
Are Old English Game good for showing?: Yes — they're one of the most numerous and competitive show classes in America. Shown by color variety in the Game Bantam class, they're judged on hard feather, upright game station, and condition, so type and grooming decide placings.
How hard are Old English Game to hatch?: No harder than any bantam — about 99.5°F, lockdown day 18, hatch near day 21. The eggs and chicks are small, so use shallow water and small feeders, and note that OEGB hens brood very reliably on their own.
How many color varieties do Old English Game Bantams come in?: Dozens. The American Bantam Association recognizes a long list of colors — Black Breasted Red, Silver and Golden Duckwing, Blue, Spangled, Crele, Brown Red, Lemon Blue, Wheaten, Black, White and more — which is part of why the class is so large.
Are Old English Game Bantams good backyard or beginner birds?: They're kept for exhibition and ornament, not for eggs or meat. Hens make excellent broodies and the birds are hardy and active, but males are combative with each other and need separate housing, so plan pens accordingly.
What's the difference between Old English Game and Modern Game bantams?: Both are hard-feathered game bantams, but the Old English is a compact, low, close-coupled bird, while the Modern Game is tall, upright, and reachy on long legs. They're separate breeds shown in different classes.

Sources

American Bantam Association (Bantam Standard & recognized varieties) — American Bantam Association (Breed club)
Old English Game Chicken (history, colors & exhibition use) — The Livestock Conservancy (Reference)
Old English Game Bantam (breed overview, egg color & temperament) — Cackle Hatchery (Hatchery)

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