Broad, muscular body
A wide breast, powerful shoulders and sturdy stance give Indian Game a memorable silhouette. Close-fitting feathers mean the birds may look more compact than their actual weight suggests.
Breezy Bird Farms · Original heritage poultry
Indian Game Chickens
The original Cornish. Powerful in build. Rich in heritage.
Discover the traditional Indian Game, also known as the Standard Cornish: a substantial, broad-breasted heritage chicken valued for its remarkable body type, practical table qualities and role in poultry history. At Breezy Bird Farms in Manitoba, the White Indian Game is part of a heritage breeding program—not a commercial Cornish Cross broiler.
White Indian GameOriginal standard CornishManitoba-raised
A traditional breeding flock, not a fast-growing commercial hybrid
An original breed with lasting influence
The Cornish before the Cornish Cross.
Despite its name, Indian Game was developed in nineteenth-century Cornwall and Devon in southwest England. Breeders worked with game-type stock of Asian and British ancestry to create a muscular bird with unusually broad shoulders and deep breast development. The breed later became known as Cornish in North America.
Today's fast-growing supermarket Cornish Cross broiler is a different thing: a commercial hybrid produced by crossing selected poultry lines. It is not the same as a purebred Standard Cornish flock. The traditional Indian Game can be maintained through normal breeding from one generation to the next, making it interesting to keepers who value self-replacing heritage poultry.
The important distinction: “Indian Game” or “Standard Cornish” refers to the original breed. “Cornish Cross” describes commercially selected meat-type hybrids. Both names include “Cornish,” but they should never be presented as identical birds.
A remarkable traditional chicken
What makes Indian Game so distinctive?
Heritage table qualities
The traditional Cornish was prized for its substantial breast development and usefulness in breeding table poultry. It grows on a heritage schedule rather than the accelerated timetable of commercial meat hybrids.
A practical breeding flock
Hens lay tinted to tan eggs, often in the small-to-medium range. Laying quantity depends on the individual line, season, age and management; the breed is valued more for heritage and table qualities than maximum egg output.
The selection kept at Breezy Bird Farms
White Indian Game, with depth behind the colour.
The farm's existing Indian Game information describes a White Standard Cornish breeding line. The characteristic silhouette remains the main attraction: strong legs set wide apart, a broad breast, tight feathering and a confident, purposeful presence.
The farm has also described using Cornish bloodlines of different colours within its breeding history to maintain vitality. As a result, a small amount of coloured feathering or variation can sometimes appear in offspring. It should not automatically be mistaken for another breed, and photographs cannot promise an identical appearance for every hatchling.
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Plumage: predominantly White in the farm's described line, with occasional natural variation.
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Eggshell: typically tinted or tan; shell colour and size naturally vary.
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Egg code: IG identifies Indian Game hatching eggs in the farm's own marking legend.
Raised in southern Manitoba
Heritage poultry shaped by real prairie seasons.
Indian Game are raised successfully at Breezy Bird Farms through Manitoba winters. The farm's experience demonstrates that these birds can form part of a northern poultry program, with appropriate housing and daily care. As with every breed kept through prairie winters, dry shelter, suitable bedding, unfrozen water and age-appropriate management support strong, healthy birds.
From the farm: Experience matters. The cold-weather information here reflects Breezy Bird Farms' own success keeping Indian Game in Manitoba, rather than dismissing the breed as unsuitable for a Canadian winter.
“The original Cornish is a remarkable piece of living poultry history—a strong, substantial breed worth understanding on its own terms.”
Breezy Bird Farms · Heritage poultryQuestions about Indian Game
Get to know the original Cornish.
Are Indian Game the same as Cornish Cross broilers?
No. Indian Game is the traditional purebred Cornish breed. Cornish Cross refers to commercially bred hybrid meat chickens. They differ in breeding, growth patterns and use.
Which Indian Game do you keep?
Breezy Bird Farms' published breed description focuses on White Standard Cornish (Indian Game). Check the current farm listing for the specific breeding group offered at the time of ordering.
What kind of eggs do Indian Game hens lay?
The eggs are generally tinted or tan, commonly small to medium. Seasonal production, egg size and shade vary with hens, age and management. Indian Game are not primarily bred to be high-volume laying specialists.
Can Indian Game thrive in Manitoba?
Yes. Breezy Bird Farms has direct experience raising them in Manitoba's winter conditions. Suitable shelter, dry surroundings and appropriate age-specific husbandry remain important.
Will every chick from hatching eggs be pure white?
The farm's published breeding history notes that occasional coloured feathers or markings may appear in a White Indian Game line. Individual offspring are subject to normal genetic variation, and no exact plumage outcome is promised.
Where can I find Indian Game hatching eggs?
Visit the Egg Emporium for current availability. Indian Game hatching eggs are identified with the farm code IG. Shipping and incubation outcomes are influenced by natural and handling variables.
Interested in Indian Game hatching eggs?
Browse current farm availability, explore other heritage breeds, or visit the free hatching resources.
This breed profile describes traditional Indian Game and Breezy Bird Farms' published selection. Egg size, colour, seasonal laying, feathering, fertility, growth and hatch results vary naturally. Current availability and specific pen information are shown in the farm store.
Breed history and characteristics: Rare Breeds Survival Trust; The Livestock Conservancy; The Poultry Club. Farm photographs and flock details © Breezy Bird Farms.