GAMEFOWL at ADRIE BROUWERS’ By: Elly Vogelaar. Photos: Team Brouwers. "Why does someone decide to start keeping Game Fowl", is my first question to Adrie Brouwers. The answer will surprise you perhaps just as much as me: "Because they are so friendly and calm by nature" ... Who's Adrie Brouwers Adrie Brouwers lives in Roosendaal and is an enthusiastic chicken breeder; of Gamefowls, to be more precise. And, like his fowls, he is just as friendly and calm, and also said to be tenacious. As a result of his tenacity, he managed to get a one-day Show of Gamefowls in the Netherlands, the Optimum Avium International, which will soon be organized for the third time in his home- town, Roosendaal. More about that later. First, we shall learn a little more of the man. Photo above: Adrie with one of his Shamo roosters. Right: A breeding pen of Malay and a head study of a Malay cock. As a teenager he bred cage birds and already had a passion for fowls. But at home there was no room to keep chickens. In 1978, he left the family home and together with his wife moved into a house with a garden in Eindhoven. Soon a number of coops were built, and he even built an incubator. Chicks were hatched and the coops became populated with many varieties of fowls. As a brand new member of the local breeders’ club he went to the National Exhibition in Hertogenbosch, where he saw the large Malays and they conquered his heart. Looking back, he thinks that at the first exhibition he visited, he was actually inspired by the versatility of the chicken fancy. That was 38 years ago, and he is still an avid chicken lover, breeder and now also a judge. He has now kept the Malays for 30 years. Now, he has been living in Roosendaal for many years, where he's lucky to have a beautiful piece of land at his disposal; here, over the years, he has bred all the breeds of Gamefowl recognized in the Netherlands. Above: Young Yamatos. Why does someone chose to breed Game Fowl Probably many chicken keepers think gamefowls are a 'false', or an artificial breed; they are usually very large and muscular, they can look so pervasive and the name says it already; they fight. How different from other fowls it is! The reason Adrie chose to keep Game breeds is because these birds are generally peaceful by nature. Some varieties he has chosen purely out of a passion; others as study material, as he has to have all-round and specific knowledge of the breeds to be a qualified judge. Besides the recognized breeds, he has bred several Game breeds that are not (yet) recognized in the Netherlands, such as the Yakido, Kulang Aseel and Tosa Chibi. He also has bred several Longcrower breeds, such as Koeyoshi, Tomaru, Totenko and Denizli. And not to forget: the Ayam Ketawa, the laughing chicken from Indonesia. Right: Adult Yamato. Below: Double laced Indian Game bantam cock. Right: Kishyu Chibi pair. Below: Very old Ko Shamo pair. The breed that he has had the longest in his coops is the large Malay. This impressive breed has always intrigued him because of its size and majestic appearance. He bought his first Malays in 1978 from Mr. Temminghof in Hengelo. Unfortunately, a few years ago, the last cock of his old line died. He has made several attempts to pick up the thread again and bought birds from several top breeders; such as Harald Asbreuk in the Netherlands and his namesake in the German Black Forest, Harald Heubach. Rearing results have been fairly good, but his feeling is that the old Malay character was gone. He then decided to start specializing in Japanese breeds. Above: Young Yakido. Left: Adult Sudanese Game. The main breeds he is breeding today - along with his son Martijn, as ‘Team Brouwers’ – are the Yamato, Yakido, Ko Shamo, Satsumadori, Shamo, Indian Game LF and bantam, and Sudanese Game. From the first five breeds he has bred fairly good specimens in recent years thanks to a serious breeding program. He hopes to have the Yakido standardised at the next National Poultry Show (the Noordshow) in January 2017. He is applying for a second time; last year they had some bad luck because one of the required number of hens had to be removed to the infirmary because of a prolapsed cloaca; presumably because of stress, because she is still alive and still lays eggs. Today they also have Kishyu Chibi, Thaiwan Game and Malay bantams in the colour red shouldered silver partridge in their coops. If the breeding program is successful in the coming years, they want to spread these birds among other serious and enthusiast breeders. Should there be a lot of interest for one or more breeds, he will be happy to start a recognition procedure. Left: Kishyu Chibi cock. The breeding of these characteristic chickens A characteristic of Gamefowl chickens is their stately and quiet nature. However, some varieties can be quite aggressive later in life against any newcomers in the coop. One must therefore stay alert with these breeds, as the breeding pens are not always easy to change. The laying is, likewise, very different. His Yakidos lay about 150 eggs per year. By contrast, his Yamatos only up to 20 eggs per year. Fertilization in the heavier breeds can also be a problem due to their heavy weights, or because of the short, wide standing legs as, for instance, Indian Gamefowls have. Below: Young Shamo. With all the varieties he breeds only with pairs (one on one) so he always knows the parents of the chicks. The breeding pair preferably consists of a virile cockerel and a healthy adult hen. In preparation for the breeding season, when eggs are to be expected, he clips some feathers off around the cloaca of both the rooster and hen, so that fertilisation is not impeded. The eggs are collected and stored for up to two weeks in a room with a constant temperature and a somewhat higher humidity. The number of eggs they hatch depends on the breed. From the Yakido and Shamo they selectively produce only about 20 chicks per breed. From the Yamato they incubate all the eggs, as only about 60% will hatch. They use a cabinet incubator with electronic egg turning control and hatcher. The hens of some breeds sometimes go broody, and hatching with a broody hen could be possible; but because the runs are open at the top, there is always the risk that the chicks are taken by crows, gulls or other birds of prey. Hatching with an incubator gives much more certainty, as not only temperature and relative humidity can be controlled, but also because the chicks are reared in safe environment during the first weeks. Right: Young Satsumadori, Asiatic silver partridge. At hatching any chicks displaying any anatomical im- perfections are removed, and after 7 to 8 months the young stock are selected for body type and feathering. Surplus birds of good quality are often given away to friends or family breeders. The inferior birds are slaughtered in an officially certified slaughterhouse. Adrie is happy to share some tips for breeding these special chickens: • Take time for proper care. • Feed them only moderately. • Handle the birds regularly. • Breed one to one. • Register the offspring. • Let the birds, especially the Large Game breeds and Longtail breeds grow-on as long time as possible before making your selection. With larger breeds the birds can take up to two years to mature. • With Longcrowers it is an advantage to breed, if available, with a hen that crows, or attempts to crow. Left: A young Ko Shamo. Caring The type and amount of feed differs with each breed. Generally they are fed with a quality high protein and vitamin content feed from Garvo®. He gives only an amount of feed that will be eaten in a single day. This way, pests such as mice and rats are not given a chance to eat the leftovers during the night. The fowls, especially those that don’t have access to grass-runs, also get greens and vegetables. As seen in the pictures, the coops and runs are situated largely in the shade of large trees; ideal for the warmer, sun-drenched summer days. The downside is that there is a lot of work in autumn to clean up the fallen leaves. Only the more delicate breeds such as Yamato and Ko Shamo are housed in the stables during the winter, where the temperature is at least above freezing. Because these chickens have several patches of bare skin, they are susceptible to frost damage. Left: A pair of old Ko Shamo. Although the chickens are kept in the vicinity of neighbouring houses, there are few complaints about the crowing of the roosters. Good communication with neighbours works wonders. Sadly, however, he has been visited by thieves several times. Only Game fowl were stolen ~ mostly roosters! It's a miserable thing to lose your valuable stock birds in such a way. 'Knock on wood', the thieves haven’t been back the last few years! Aim of the fancy To him, the main purpose of the hobby is maintaining and improving recognized breeds and even more so, the non-recognized breeds - especially Gamefowl, Longcrower and Long-tailed fowl. The Netherlands is only a participator in this field and of course it is very important for him to maintain close contacts with breeders at home and abroad.