Modern Game Bantams

[Faraday40]

My mod game bantams are due to hatch today. 7 out of 12 developed & looked good earlier this week. Often my bantam eggs hatch a day earlier (which would have been yesterday) than my other eggs. I still see no pips. I slipped 2 laced orp eggs in with them & both of those are now pipped. (If they hatch this afternoon, they will be exactly on time.) All the eggs were incubated in the same conditions. I really hope some mod game hatch.... but I'm getting a sinking feeling.....

I kept my silkie in her broody state to care for these chicks. She's sitting on 2 of the mod game eggs now, but she's better with mothering than incubating. I didn't want to risk all the eggs. I do not hear any peeping from her broody cage, so I doubt there's any chicks yet.

some hatch.....but I'm getting
Could there be something in shipped eggs that could have slowed the development?

No pips feels like a bad sign. English Orps are bigger & can take as much as 12-24 hours longer. So strange that they would hatch first. Now I'm just hoping the mod games are more like quail & can go from nothing to pip, zip, hatch quickly.

I did do a quick candle on 2 eggs. No internal pips & no movement. However, they could also be resting. Too early to do anything but wait.....

 

[Delaneygraces]

My mod game bantams are due to hatch today. 7 out of 12 developed & looked good earlier this week. Often my bantam eggs hatch a day earlier (which would have been yesterday) than my other eggs. I still see no pips. I slipped 2 laced orp eggs in with them & both of those are now pipped. (If they hatch this afternoon, they will be exactly on time.) All the eggs were incubated in the same conditions. I really hope some mod game hatch.... but I'm getting a sinking feeling.....

I kept my silkie in her broody state to care for these chicks. She's sitting on 2 of the mod game eggs now, but she's better with mothering than incubating. I didn't want to risk all the eggs. I do not hear any peeping from her broody cage, so I doubt there's any chicks yet.

some hatch.....but I'm getting
Could there be something in shipped eggs that could have slowed the development?

No pips feels like a bad sign. English Orps are bigger & can take as much as 12-24 hours longer. So strange that they would hatch first. Now I'm just hoping the mod games are more like quail & can go from nothing to pip, zip, hatch quickly.

I did do a quick candle on 2 eggs. No internal pips & no movement. However, they could also be resting. Too early to do anything but wait.....

Hmmm...this previous year I had the same things happen. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most of my moderns would develop and look good up until day 18 or 19, then suddenly die and not hatch. BUT there’s still a chance some might hatch, the only 6 I managed to hatch this year were half and half. 3 hatched the morning they were supposed to (time depends what time of day you put them in; I stick them in at night, and don’t include the rest of the day, so depending on when you put them in, they may not be that late) and they didn’t have much movement or noise. The other three hatched within the next 2 days. Fingers crossed for your babies as well! I have a picture somewhere showing a good compression of two eggs, one that hatched and one that didn’t. I’ll find it when I get home, I’m currently at a football game, awaiting the end of half time.

 

[Faraday40]

The eggs were due on Sat. I waited until Wed before pulling the plug. Every egg died before the yolk was fully absorbed. Probably around day 18. I guess mod games will stay on my wish list for a while longer......

 

[Delaneygraces]

The eggs were due on Sat. I waited until Wed before pulling the plug. Every egg died before the yolk was fully absorbed. Probably around day 18. I guess mod games will stay on my wish list for a while longer......

That’s terrible! Are the eggs under the broody still good?

What part of Illinois are you from? Are you anywhere close to Kankakee? They have a sale one Sunday a month, and I bring some of my birds occasionally, and there is almost always another modern or two being sold there!

 

[Faraday40]

Yes, the broody had the same issue. (I didn't give her the eggs until lockdown since I wasn't sure how well she'd do.) She not the best incubator, because she sometimes returns to the wrong nest. However once bonded, she is a very dedicated mama. I had 2 of my orp eggs in with the mod game eggs. They hatched exactly on time. At least my broody's not too disappointed.

Kankakee is doable, but I never added birds who were not hatched here. I figure the future chicks are in quarantine for 3 weeks of incubation, plus another 2-3 weeks in the garage after hatch. I would be sad if I lost a broody hen, but this way I never risk the whole flock.

 

[Delaneygraces]

So, my BB red hen went missing (on a nest somewhere) a week or so ago, so I found it today, and candles the eggs. 5 of the 6 has veins and development!! She’s not very social, and always wandered in her own, but wa spanned with a Duckeing rooster, so I’m hoping she wasn’t bred by anything else, and these are duckwing moderns! I’m not moving her, but added some sawdust in the little corner she’s in, behind an old Rubbermaid tote, against the wall in the garage. She comes out in the morning and at chore time, smart little bird knows exactly when she can access open pens with food

 

[LarryTX]

My granddaughter has some moderns that she wants to show. She has them coming to the front of the pen looking for the dog food. We are both wanting to learn how to train them to properly pose. Any help will be appreciated.
Larry

 

[Delaneygraces]

My granddaughter has some moderns that she wants to show. She has them coming to the front of the pen looking for the dog food. We are both wanting to learn how to train them to properly pose. Any help will be appreciated.
Larry

Hello! Dog food is a GREAT way to train your birds! I use small “meaty morsels” and they love them, and are always eager to eat them. When you are training them, make sure they are hungry. They will remeber hunger, and posing as a way to relive that. I suggest working with them before feeding them.
Another method they’d hould know, is how to pose with a stick. It totally depends on the judge, and how he/she will pose the bird, but some use just their hands/fingers, others use the more popular method of a stick. ( I added an image below). If you don’t want to buy/find one of these, I personally use an antenna off an old, broken radio. Also, an even better option, is to find one of those long metal match sticks, (not sure what they are called? They are used to hold a match to stick into a fire place...) since they have a better reach, and are more similar to what a judge uses. No matter, as long as the birds know “metal stick” means food, you should be good.

If your birds are already comfortable with you, and will eat out of you hand, you over half way there! If not, then slowly get them to trust you, simply with food in the palm of your hand. what many judges do, is put their hand nearer to the ground than the birds head, then bring it up. So, once they get more used to posing for a treat, I suggest doing this yourself. Until then, simply get them to look for your treats at lower levels, then slowly get them to go higher. BUT you do not what them jumping for it!! I make sure my birds will stand and stay posing for a treat over their heads, then lower it to them, to break that jumping habit. If they get into this, they will not be interested in a judge trying to pose them, as they don’t know “pose”, only jump for food. It’s also a good idea to not feed them the treat every time, but to make them pose a few times before they are fed, or only let them take a small peck out of the treat, or at the treat.
These tips are also the same for the stick, but it may take some time for them to respond to it! Also, moist treats work best for the treats, as you can stick them on! Try to slowly wean them off treats on the stick though, and get them to pose without it, then treat them from your hand. If they see at a show there’s no treat on the judge’s stick, they might cower/not be interested!
Repetition is key!!! Work everyday with them!

Hope this was helpful! If anything is not clear/described enough for your use, let me know! Hope you do great with your birds!!
Pictures:

Training Stick (looks like an antenna right? Minus the pen appearance? XD)

After typing this, I realized it might be a ton easier and helpful, if I just recorded a video of this...let me know if you’d like that!!

 

[LarryTX]

Thank you very much. Her birds are eating from her hand and one will jump. A video would really be good if it’s not too much trouble.
Thanks again,
Larry

 

[Delaneygraces]

Thank you very much. Her birds are eating from her hand and one will jump. A video would really be good if it’s not too much trouble.
Thanks again,
Larry

Sure thing! I’ll take one tomorrow afternoon, and upload it!