The Bantam breed of chicken

The Bantam variety of chicken is a small chicken and the name comes originally from the city of Bantam.  Bantams are popular birds because they are small and come in a wide variety of colours. The Bantam can also be kept in smaller gardens, making them popular with the hobbyist or someone just starting out. Bantams are used for their eggs although their eggs are only about half the size of other breeds.

Bantams are known for their personalities and many describe them as having a more varied personality than other chickens. They also make fearsome mothers and are very successful at hatching most eggs placed beneath them.  Bantams are also sociable birds and prefer to be with other chickens or bantams; they also are extremely inquisitive birds and are known to take notice of everything around them. They are also very good at finding their own food and are rather partial to insects and grasshoppers.

A good number of Bantams to keep is three. Two hens and a cockerel and their care is much the same as it is for other chickens, enough food, clean water and good housing. Bantams are smaller birds and won’t need as much room as the other chickens and so their chicken coop only needs to be a small one.

If you want to start keeping your own chickens, Bantams are a good bird to start with. They are good natured but feisty birds and their housing doesn’t take up much room.  You may need to enclose them in at first to ensure they become familiar with their new home and it is a good idea to include roost perches which Bantams like to sit on in the evening. You will find that your new Bantams will appear more curious than other chickens and they are known to be extremely popular with children who they become very attached to. They may not lay for the first couple of days until they have settled in and as mentioned above; their eggs are about half the size of other breeds eggs. You may find that you need a couple of eggs for breakfast rather than just one.

Bantams are good mothers and you may find your hen becoming broody, especially in the spring and Bantams are excellent at hatching other eggs too.