Chicken Breed Focus - Modern Game Bantam

[mgbantams]

 

[The Moonshiner]

A pic of our brown reds.

 

[Wetmorechick]

I love the second pic of the 3 chicks by juliechick. They look like little bandits!

Little bandits for sure !!!

 

[BYC Project Manager]

The Modern Game Bantam was developed from crosses of Old English Game and Malays, after the outlawing of cockfighting in Britain in the mid-19th century, when many cockfighting enthusiasts turned to breeding for shows as an alternative poultry hobby.. Despite being classified as game chickens (i.e. of cockfighting derivation) in breed standards, Modern Game Bantams were not bred to fight. Game, as they were then called, were included in the Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Poultry, the first edition of the British Poultry Standard, in nine colours in 1865. Eight colours of Game were included in the first edition of the APA's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Today, the breed appears in more than a dozen colour variations and is very popular for exhibition purposes. The ideal show bird should have a body shaped like a flat iron, viewed from above, a relatively short back, fine tail, hard feathering and a very upright carriage. The most common colours are black red, birchen, brown red, duckwing and pile. The colours can be broadly divided into two groups: those with willow-coloured legs and red eyes, and those with black legs and dark eyes. The colour of the skin, comb and wattles varies from red to mulberry depending on variety, but all birds have a small single comb. Combs and wattles are required to be dubbed (cut off) to compete in showing in some countries,

Details:

Detail Value
Breed Purpose Ornamental
Comb Single
Broodiness Frequent
Climate Tolerance Heat
Egg Productivity Low
Egg Size Small
Egg Color White
Breed Temperament Aggressive,Friendly,Not bear confinementwell,Noisy
Breed Colors/Varieties Brown Red, Birchen, Silver Blue, Lemon Blue, Black Breasted Red, Red Pyle, Blue Red (Blue Breasted Red), White, Black, Blue, Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, etc.
Breed Size Bantam


Pic by @blackred


Pic by @juliechick


Pic by @juliechick


Pic by @wing it


Pic by @tiki244

BYC Breed Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/modern-game

BYC Breed Discussion:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/348908/modern-game-bantams/0_30


Do you own Modern Game Bantams? Are you a Modern Game Bantam breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

Great article about the Modern Game Bantam. It's this week's homepage feature.

 

[CaradineCousins]

I love mine as well I have Old English Game Mille Fleur and one of my hens goes broody all the time and she is a good one and yes she will hatch out standard eggs as well and it is funny to watch her teach the Elf chick. I also have Silver Duckwings however one or both are infertile but i love them just the same beautiful birds, the roo doesn't like to petted or held he attacked me once, when I feed he'll always move to the end of the cage to let me feed and water, the hen lays a nice bantam egg maybe 3 times a week, the Mile Fleur every other day. I really love all my birds

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Wish I had mondern game bantams. I love their long legs and how beautiful they are.

 

[Lamontelle4]

The Modern Game Bantam was developed from crosses of Old English Game and Malays, after the outlawing of cockfighting in Britain in the mid-19th century, when many cockfighting enthusiasts turned to breeding for shows as an alternative poultry hobby.. Despite being classified as game chickens (i.e. of cockfighting derivation) in breed standards, Modern Game Bantams were not bred to fight. Game, as they were then called, were included in the Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Poultry, the first edition of the British Poultry Standard, in nine colours in 1865. Eight colours of Game were included in the first edition of the APA's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Today, the breed appears in more than a dozen colour variations and is very popular for exhibition purposes. The ideal show bird should have a body shaped like a flat iron, viewed from above, a relatively short back, fine tail, hard feathering and a very upright carriage. The most common colours are black red, birchen, brown red, duckwing and pile. The colours can be broadly divided into two groups: those with willow-coloured legs and red eyes, and those with black legs and dark eyes. The colour of the skin, comb and wattles varies from red to mulberry depending on variety, but all birds have a small single comb. Combs and wattles are required to be dubbed (cut off) to compete in showing in some countries,

Details:

Detail Value
Breed Purpose Ornamental
Comb Single
Broodiness Frequent
Climate Tolerance Heat
Egg Productivity Low
Egg Size Small
Egg Color White
Breed Temperament Aggressive,Friendly,Not bear confinementwell,Noisy
Breed Colors/Varieties Brown Red, Birchen, Silver Blue, Lemon Blue, Black Breasted Red, Red Pyle, Blue Red (Blue Breasted Red), White, Black, Blue, Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, etc.
Breed Size Bantam


Pic by @blackred


Pic by @juliechick


Pic by @juliechick


Pic by @wing it


Pic by @tiki244

BYC Breed Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/modern-game

BYC Breed Discussion:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/348908/modern-game-bantams/0_30


Do you own Modern Game Bantams? Are you a Modern Game Bantam breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

I’ve owned modern game birds for 5 years now and I love them. They make incredible pets. One of the smartest breeds I’ve ever had. They will actually except treats from you with minimal training. Extremely friendly. They are also very hardy. however they dont make good egg birds because they lay about 52 eggs a year. I got mine from a breeder for $100 each. A little pricey for a bird but they were also show standard quality. I have a huge difficulty also getting them to hatch out eggs successfully. I ended up just incubating their eggs. The chicks are also very adorable . One issue a lot of other breeders run into is a genetic defect where some Of the chicks are born with a lung issue, and they usually die. So if your starting out I would get full grown birds just to assure you won’t have to deal with any of them suddenly dying.

 

[rmlewis4]

anyone have eggs available for this breed?

 

[Grisbeard]

Can anyone elaborate on their temperament? I'm looking for a pet and future show breed.

I hatched 2 modern Bantam eggs many years back. Both were hens. One died the other feathered and flew out of the brooder box and circled the room. She became very attached to me. She would fly up on my shoulder in the morning and steal a sip of coffee then nibble on my ear. She went broody but no mod too so we gave her a polish bantam egg and she hatched it. She was frustrated that her super big chick wouldn’t stay under her wing like he was supposed to.

 

[Lamontelle4]

anyone have eggs available for this breed?

I do. Would you like some? I also have chicks that I’m selling. There only 4 days old.