Bantam (poultry)

August 4th, 2010 |

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the band, see Bantam Rooster. For the Jake Thackray album, see Bantam Cock.

A bantam is a small variety of poultry, especially chickens. Etymologically, the name bantam is derived from the city of Bantam, once a major seaport, in Indonesia. European sailors restocking on live fowl for sea journeys found the small native breeds of chicken in Southeast Asia to be useful, and any such small poultry came to be known as a bantam. Most large chicken breeds have a bantam counterpart, sometimes referred to as a miniature. Miniatures are usually one-fifth to one-quarter the size of the standard breed, but they are expected to exhibit all of the standard breed’s characteristics. A true bantam has no large counterpart, and is naturally small.

Bantams have become increasingly popular as pets as well as for show purposes because they are smaller and have more varied and exotic colors and feather patterns than other chickens. They are suitable for smaller backyards as they do not need as much space as other breeds. Bantam hens are also used as laying hens, although Bantam eggs are only about one-half to one-third the size of a regular hen egg. The Bantam chicken eats the same foods as a normal chicken, wheat and grains.

In contrast, the Bantam rooster is famous in rural areas throughout the United Kingdom and the United States for its aggressive, “puffed-up” disposition that can be comedic in stature. It is often called a “Banty” in the rural United States.

Many bantam hens are renowned for hatching and brooding purpose. Bantams clutch a variety of eggs from quail up to two goose eggs, and are known as fearsome mothers, with a high success rate in rearing any egg hatched.

The Bantam chicken is considered faster and “spunkier” than their larger counterparts. In 1954, the Trinity College basketball team had named their team after the Bantam chicken. They called themselves, the Trinity Bantams. Trinity College still calls their team the Bantams to this day.

Bantams are separated into 3 main categories. They are Feather Footed Bantams, Cochin Bantams, and Clean Legged Bantams. Most bantam breeds fall into 1 of the 3. Here is a list of the most common bantam breeds:

Feather Footed Bantams