Modern Game Bantams

[Delaneygraces]

Hello Everyone!​

After browsing through old modern Game related posts/threads, I’ve realized, that there are a lot of people who want to learn more about Moderns! It was kinda sad to see users needing help on how to breed certain colors, how to care for Moderns, how to train them to pose, how to tell quality, or other moderny questions, but never getting any answers. But there are quite a few of users here who are knowledgeable of Moderns, and quite a few who are new to them!

If you have any questions about Modern Game Bantams, or just want to post stories/pictures of your birds, feel free! I’d be so glad to help anyone learn more about these amazing little birds, or convince you to go get some!

If you see a question you know the answer to, please feel free to answer/help as well!

Yay Moderns!!​

 

[Delaneygraces]

ABA Accepted Color Varieties*​

• Barred
• Birchen
• Black
• Black Breasted (B.B)Red
• Blue
• Blue Red
• Brown Red
• Crele
• Cuckoo
• Ginger Red
• Golden Duckwing
• Lemon Blue
• Red Pyle
• Self Blue
• Silver Blue
• Silver Duckwing
• Splash
• Wheaton
• White

*As of the 2014 standard book, let me know if I missed any/didn’t get any that have been recently accepted

ABA Unaccepted Varieties ​

This group doesn’t have any set Varieties, as they aren’t truly recognized. Some colors, such as cohocolates, aren’t accepted, but I will not add all f those, as they aren’t seen as a modern color, or aren’t in existence in the modern world.

Some these that are in Moderns, but not accepted include, but are not limited to:
•Pumpkin
•Sports (Or spalsh birds with color beside grey/ghost coloring)
•Dun
•Brassy Back
•Golden Duckwings (HENS ONLY, hey do not color right/true, therfor, as far as I know, are not accepted)
•Barnyard mixes (unless they greatly resemble a true variety)p
•buff (golden)

As I said, there are more, but I will not go into detail
I will add pictures, in order as listed, in a later edit.

All Accepted Varieties shown here in alphabetical order, both genders, unless otherwise stated​

(See next post)
*These are NOT my pictures! They may also not be 100% true to standard, depending on the variety, but they are here to give an idea of what the variety looks like! They are also not all actual birds, they may be drawn, I tried to find images with both hens and roosters, so you can see both genders.

 

[Delaneygraces]

Barred

Birchen

Black (rooster, and hen below)

BLack Breasted Red

NO BLUE PICTURED (Hen similar to Silver blue hen, NO SILVER NECK, more of a black/dark neck. Look up Old English blue birds, to see an average coloration.)

Blue Red (hard to come by in good quality, no picture)

Brown Red (color of brown/golden color varies)

Crele. Another hard to find variety. Rooster with hen below

NOT PICTURED cuckoo, hard to find, similar to barred.

NOT PICTURED Ginger Red Hard to find as well

Golden Duckwing

Lemon Blue (hen with rooster below) Sports look like splashes, but with yellow coloring.

Red Pyle (rooster with hen below)

NOT PICTURED self blue

Silver blue (rooster is my own image/bird, hen is NOT)

Silver Duckwing (See duckwig pair, rooster has little to none golden on wing)

Splash

Wheaton (Males hard to come by)

NOT PICTURED white (good birds hard to come by in photo. Self explanatory...they are all white

That is all the colorations! Some varieties require certain breeding to obtain, so ask if you have questions!
If something I’ve said seems whacky, it might be! Let me know, I can make mistakes!

 

[Delaneygraces]

We are open for stories/questions!!

 

[Gallusaur]

How are they in cold weather? I would love a flock of them but live in New England and I'm concerned about temps and snow being an issue.

 

[Delaneygraces]

@Gallusaur
Hello! MOST Moderns go terrible in cold weather! I say most because some can be more hardy, depending on they were raised. I live in Illinois, and winters can be harsh here. My solution for this was keeping them in pens in the garage (I combined multiple into pens together, to keep each other warm) then added a heat lamp above them, and covered the top sides and back of the pen with a thin plastic, then folded a blanket over the front when I wasn’t home, to keep them happy/not nervous being able to see out, and it helped them stay warm. Some people don’t like heat lamps, so I’d assume a heating pad would do the same, but with extra padding around the outside. This is what I did, as it was in the negatives this past winter. I suggest not having them out in the elements, to keep them in a garage or room in your house (that would eliminate need for heating pad/lamp), but if they must stay out, then make sure they are out of wind, and don’t get snow in their pens. Their feet and toes are very vulnerable to frost bite, eden with heat lamps, so I’d be sure to watch for that!

 

[Gallusaur]

Thank you! I appreciate getting advice from folks more experienced with certain breeds. I'll have to consider building a dedicated pen closer to the house that I can close off from the weather extremes. I don't like the sound of my flock turning into frozen chicken nuggets!

 

[Delaneygraces]

Thank you! I appreciate getting advice from folks more experienced with certain breeds. I'll have to consider building a dedicated pen closer to the house that I can close off from the weather extremes. I don't like the sound of my flock turning into frozen chicken nuggets!

That’s great! Not the frozen nuggets part, of course Good Luck!

 

[Faraday40]

I was hoping to find some mod game bantams ever since we saw them at the state fair last summer. I finally bought some shipped eggs and hope to have some black mod game bantams hatching soon.

About 1/2 the eggs developed. They are in lockdown. Two went under my broody silkie and the others are being watched carefully.

Day 21 = Sat afternoon.
Any advice for hatching? (I'm trying to keep the humidity up as high as I can. temp 99.5'F and humidity now about 65%.)

I've read that they are very delicate. Are they more so than seramas & OEG?

I like to feed my chicks a higher protein than the reg chick starter. I normally use meatbird crumbles or a gamebird formula (if it's not too pricey). Is that OK for mod games? Are there any special vitamin supplements or personal tips for keeping these tiny chicks safe?

 

[Delaneygraces]

I was hoping to find some mod game bantams ever since we saw them at the state fair last summer. I finally bought some shipped eggs and hope to have some black mod game bantams hatching soon.

About 1/2 the eggs developed. They are in lockdown. Two went under my broody silkie and the others are being watched carefully.

Day 21 = Sat afternoon.
Any advice for hatching? (I'm trying to keep the humidity up as high as I can. temp 99.5'F and humidity now about 65%.)

I've read that they are very delicate. Are they more so than seramas & OEG?

I like to feed my chicks a higher protein than the reg chick starter. I normally use meatbird crumbles or a gamebird formula (if it's not too pricey). Is that OK for mod games? Are there any special vitamin supplements or personal tips for keeping these tiny chicks safe?

For hatching, they can be quite difficult. I always have two incubators set up, one for hatching, and one to move them into after they are fully out of their shells, where they can dry before being moved into the heated brooder. Just as a warning, make sure when they start to peep, that no liquidy substances come out of the egg. If they do, make sure they don’t block of the peep hole, so the chick can breath, and that it doesn’t stick your egg to the turner/incubator. If it does stick, then the chick won’t be able to move the egg around to help in hatch.
I’m not too experienced with Serena’s, so I can’t compare them, but they are delicate. Some have also have been known as chicks to not eat or drink if they aren’t shown where to go, so make sure you show them where their food and water is! Good luck with your babies, share pictures when they hatch!
For chicks, escpecially bantams, I suggest getting medicated starter/crumbles. Not everyone does this, but my feeding schedule has been very successful. I feed medicated starter until about 3-4 months of age, then I switch them to a pellet. For moderns, small crumbles aren’t the best, especially not meat bird crumbles. You want moderns to be small, and light, but with a lead like bottom. Simple pellets (I use 18% protein feather fixer pellets) don’t have too much fat, but gives them that nice body. These pellets are also what multiple big time breeders/showers feed. But the things with moderns, they can’t be fed too much, they get heavy/fat easily, and that’s not good for their health. I use a kitchen measuring spoon of 1/3 Cup, and each chicken gets a scoop of that. Also, on the topic of feed, DO NOT allow them to eat ANYTHING moldy!! Whether that be feed, or grass or mold growing under poop or a pile of old feed outside. Mold is bad for chickens in general, but even worse for moderns for whatever reason. I was feeding one day when my birds still had outside pen, and they had scratched their food out of the feeder in the ground, and it rained that night. I picked up the feeder, and there was a bit of mold. I turned away for a few seconds to refill the food, and turned to the three chickens all eating the moldy feed. They all got sick, snotty noses, all puffed up. Only one of the three survived, and he now has a permanent rattle. Just a warning to keep your babies safe!

I think I answered all your questions, if I forgot something let me know!!