Why are most Asiatic Games too big???

I had mentioned earlier that the original Malayoid could not have been as large as most of the Asiatic Games of today. One exception possibly would be the smaller Aseel breeds from India which weigh in at four pounds or under. they also tend to be among the longest lived of all chicken breeds.

This is one in my possession. He is three years old now and doing very well. The larger breeds seem not to stay in prime condition for very long as I understand it.

They can be anywhere from six to twelve pounds in weight. The biggest tallest Shamo can reach thirty six inches in height. The most telling evidence that this is too big, from a physiological point of view, is the sparse feathering of most of these breeds and an actual reduction in the size of the individual feathers.

The saddle feather on the right is from a Malay fowl. Even after 150 years in England the feathers remain small.

In the growing chick the retarded feather development is even more striking.

This bird is nearly eight weeks old. Apparently under domestication the metabolism remains that of a smaller bird. The larger size brings the bird very close to it's physiological limit. It can't shed body heat fast enough, so it compensates by reducing it's feather insulation. Heat stress can easily be fatal.