Backyard Poultry Forum

Malay Game

This pre-historic looking bird, with cruel and morose appearance called the "Malay" is well worth considering if your looking for something a bit different, and can devote the space. Breeders tend to stick with the breed for a very long time, and they truly are unique, so I don't think you will be disappointed.

breed:Malay Game
origin: Asia
colours: Black, black-red, Duckwing, Pile, white and other game colours.
eggs: tinted/cream in colour. Generally fairly poor layers, and nick named “May-Lay”.
comment: very tall, leggy birds that do well outdoors, particularly in warmer climates.
Cost: They can demand very high prices of up around $150 per bird or more, but often cheaper stock can be found also.
History: Very old breed believed by some to be derived from a giant ground dwelling fowl. They have contributed to the development of many of the more recent breeds, including our very own “Australian Game”.


Exhibition:
Malays are not often seen at Poultry shows and roosters added height often result in birds having to crouch in standard size show pens.

As can be seen in the picture below, they Should look fierce, gaunt and very erect. Plumage is very short and scanty, but surprisingly a heavy, firm fleshed, and wide fronted bird.


For more information, feel free to look at the following PDF link for other Exhibition Malay features

Malay Game Exhibition Chart

Suitability:
They will cope with cold climates, but not thrive on it. Because of their scanty feathering, they do feel the cold more than other breeds, especially late hatch chickens, and late moulters that can fall victims to the weather. Like all breeds, you can get aggressive roosters, but this depends a lot on the strain. An Aggressive malay rooster can do a lot of damage, and best avoided, especially if you have young children. Most have a friendly disposition towards people, and love to roam outdoors, great around horse stables etc. They have very powerful dense legs, and can enjoy digging holes. Space is a must for this breed.

Selecting birds:
Its often said with malays, that you start with the “head” and work your way down (opposite to other hardfeather breeds). Try to avoid birds with bright orange eye colour, and narrow or snipey heads, as you want a nice broad skull with deep brow ridges and light eyes (preferably pearl). Leg colour must always be yellow, walnut (sometimes called strawberry) comb, and small wattles.

Birds type often refers to them having 3 curves formed by neck, back and tail (triple arch).



Colour is of little importance. Some birds may be crossed with shamo or Australian Game (similar tall game breeds), so its important to look closely before buying that they have good Malay characteristics. If purchasing an older rooster, spurs should curve downwards (towards the ground). They are very long lived (especially females) and often improve with age.

Breeding:
When new birds are penned together for the first time, birds are often very aggressive towards each other, so should only be kept in largest pens possible. Once they have worked out their order of dominance, a level of understanding should be met. It needs to be remembered that they are game fowls, and will often have physical squabbles anywhere from a few weeks old onwards. Its best not to put roosters that are too young or inexperienced with a dominant female, as she may only decide to accept him if he can show he is able to put her in her place.

Fertility is usually good. They will usually lay a clutch of eggs and successfully go broody, but because of their size and fearsome nature, I don't recommend them as mothers. They are often VERY protective, but may kill another hens chicks, or even her own in the process.

Feeding:
They do eat a LOT. They do well with a bit extra protein (crave it in fact) in their diet, but best to be careful of not giving them too much in the developing stages as they should be slow growers.

Bantams: There are bantam Malays in Australia, but they are even harder to find than the large, and a lot of them tend to be a bit big . Perhaps in years to come, they will increase in quality and popularity.

Forum Links:
Malay
Malay game, what colour am I


Internet Links:
Malay Photos on BYP http://www.backyardpoultry.com/index.php?page=./breeds/mal.html
German Malay Game website: http://www.malaieninfo.de/
Feathersite http://www.feathersite.com//Poultry/Games/Malay/BRKMalay.html

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MONEY can't buy happiness....but it can buy CHOOKS, and that's pretty much the same thing

wow that is a great source of info!!

Thanks Andy

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Keeping chickens out of battery cages - one egg at a time!

Great job Andy For promoting a great breed.

Since I got my first Malay's my respect and admiration for the breed has done nothing but grown. If your looking for something different give them a go

Cheers Andrew

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Helping to keep the legend alive. Australian Pit Game

I've herd several ideas on the ideal proportions for the conformation of the perfect Malay.

The three curves at equal angles is well understood along with the semi circular profile of the head and upper neck.

Some specialists have also refered to ideal reach as equal length shank, thigh and neck. Others still have said equal proportions shank, thigh, body,and neck (refering to 4 equal length 'boxes' stacked on end).

The '4 boxes' ideal gives a very specific looking bird when the body 'box' is the vertical measure of the body when the bird is standing upright.

If the ideal focuses only on shank/thigh/neck with body of any size we can have very different looking birds.

I'd like to hear of other information regarding the ideal Malay's perfect proportions.


What standard have other's

Were malays ever used much for fighting like asils etc?

I am not a breeder of Gamefowl but if I was ever to take them up it would be the Malay.

They are an awsome bird very unique and worthy of a much greater following. To all you Malay breeders out there keep up the good work and maintain the passion. Is there a club for Malays? and if not Why not Start a show somewhere and see what comes of that.

Cheers The Cochin Man

Hi CM
There is no Malay Club as such but we are welcome as part of the Game breeders club

This year there are special exhabition points and awards for Malays through the VPFA. but I think its pretty sown up already
If you ever do feel the urge let me know - I'll set you up with a nice trio.

Pyxel - Malay's are the exhabition equivelent of the old 'Heavy' type fighting fowl - apparently they are not "game" and don't have the temprement or mind set for fighting - gentle giants for most of the time-
They will still have a bit of a stoush in the yard if two boys get out at the same time - but nothing more serious than the leghorns or the Rocks etc get up to- they generally will not deliberatly try to kill and hunt down another rooster once it gives ground.

Iv'e been doing a bit of reading on the Naked Heals site since I got my first Malay 2-3 years ago,
I asked exactly the same question you have, when I purchased my first Pair 8) -

The Shamo which can look very much like the Malay game - but is lighter with a few other differnces in type and has a very different temprement - seems to be quite a well respected type of fighting bird In those circles.
It can be quite easy to mistake a pic of a Shamo for that of a immature Malay.

Cheers
Roogz

Thanks Roogz. I'd never heard of malay being used for fighting like asils or shamos but thought they might have been used at one point. I suppose they are similar to Indian game in that way - look tough and maybe capable of beating up most other breeds but no match for real game fowl.

On the other site - there is a thread - about crossing Malay with Thai and Shamo - to improve size in the fighting birds, somewhere in the thread people mention the original fighting Malay - But who knows if they even really exisited or just a big fighting bird that looked the similar from the region.

Most of the other posters in the same thread considered the crossing just about pointless as the Malay is an exhabition bird and you would be diluting the 'gameness' of the other breeds

I have a couple of Shamo I like the look- they have the type (stance curves etc just lghter) that Exhabition Malay should have, but personality wise give me Malay any day - even using the Shamo to introduce 'Malayness' into the Malay I find the crosses very difficult in temp - so good knows what a real blooded fighting roo is like

Cheers
Roogz

Might take you up on your kind offer some day Roogz. Still think a club or at least a special show jus for malays at a central location like Albury or even Yass could be a good idea

Cheers The Cochin Man

Malay's in asia are somtime put in the pit but are not very popular, one was telling me that Malays are very powerful but there fighting style is too boring, and most time will always be a draw after hours and hours.

The most original looking malays I have seen in Australia was like 10 years ago, and was very aggresive towards other roosters and can easily kill any oxfords or american games.

Mine are not the best looking to what I have seen before but some are very game and can not be let alone with other roosters.

Cochin Man

The Australian game club hold their show in Parkes (NSW) each year in June.

They held a Malay Game Feature at the same show this year and I think they intend to do the same next year.

If your quick you would still have time to balance up your yard with some hard feather and breed some Malays for 2010 show.

I have bred malays for 20 years now, and I find the best malay type is the fowl that contains 1/4 to 1/8 shamo, the old exhibition type has gone down the same road as the exhibition old english game, with judges only picking fowl with the extra short back, and well overdone body....after all a malay is from the game family and as such should be athletic, active on his feet, upright, fierce as well as proud....Not some lumbering slob as most often seen...
The 3 curves should also be of the same lenght in keeping with the balance of the fowl..

The pen and ink drawing at the top of the page put there by Andy Vardy,(good work Andy) Is the type of malay that people should be aiming for....good head, body high in front and drooping at rear, and not over done....

One other thing, judges should take a bit more time and read the standard before trying to judge a malay, as most judges havent the time for malays and know very very little about the breed....As malays have started to make a comeback in the last 6-8 years, the older judges just are'nt used to seeing and judging them, hence them knowing NOTHING about them..

Well if you start with a good line of malays then you have no need to inject alien blood into them, which by the way if it is at all obvious to the judge that the bird is crossed with another breed is a defect and a reason for disqualification. A proper Malay is a wonderful bird to see and I am lucky to have a line of birds which goes back well beyond 20 years and are consistant show winners.

I tend to agree with Wineglass here, there are too many Malays being shown these days that look like heavy clydesdales. As it was Malays were bred for sport so should be athletic looking.