Pekin

This breed comes in a large variety of colours but I have chosen to focus on the one colour, gold partridge, which is a beautiful colour with brightly coloured cockerels and lovely patterened hens. Pekins originate from Beijing arriving in the UK as part of the loot taken from the Emperor's Palace by the British and French forces in 1860. A wonderfull ball of feathers they possess great characters making them a favourite with family members of all ages.  

 

                                                                           

Sebrights

The Sebright is a true bantam been one of the oldest British breeds emerging in the 1800's after been developed with the aid of Sir John Sebright a Hertfordshire MP and landowner. By 1874 the Gold and Silver Laced Sebrights were two seperate breeds until 1899 when the Sebright became one breed with two colour varieties which were standardised by 1952.

 

Sebrights are very difficult birds to raise and are not suitable for the beginner as they are not very robust and they prove difficult to reproduce. However the adult bird is hardy and active with them been ideal for the small garden as they thrive in limited space.

The following page lists all the bantam breeds I currently keep along with some interesting background information on each breed which makes them all so different.

                                                                         

Dutch Bantam

The Dutch bantam is regarded as one of the smallest bantams in the world. The Dutch bantam, as the name suggests originates from Holland and was standardised in 1906. There are many colours available with 13 standardised in the UK, I keep two colours at present the Lemon Porcelain a very rare colour and the Gold Partridge. The standard weight is 500-550g (18-20 oz) for the males and 400-450g (14-16 oz) for the females making them a small bird perfect for a small enclosure or garden.

 

The Dutch bantam is a hardy, active breed with the birds been gentle, however there are other reasons why people are often drawn to keeping this delightful breed unlike most bantams that are chosen because of their broody characteristics these little birds are good layers. The Dutch bantam lays many eggs during the summers, producing a white/tinted egg - in fact the Dutch bantam was originally kept by peasants for their small eggs as large eggs were sent to the Lord of the Manor.

 

 

 

 

Silkie

The exact origines of the Silkie is not known, but Marco Polo wrote of a fur-covered bird in China during the 13th century. Silkie bantams are one of the most charming breeds of poultry with their unique appearance and gentle docile natures making them great pets. My Silkies make wonderful broody hens and look after their young very well during the summer months while they lay eggs mainly during the winter months. I only keep bantam Silkies in white but there are other colours. 

 

 

Maran

The Maran was developed in the mid 1800's in the town of Marans in France where they were bred for their meat and eggs, the meat was later introduced to London where is grew very popular. However the Maran's chocolate coloured eggs became it's claim to fame which have helped the breed to remain popular to this day  

                                                                                                          

Vorwerk

The Vorwerk was created by Oskar Vorwerk in Germany around 1900 with the breed later been standardised in 1913, but the bantam was only recognized in 1963. The Vorwerk was developed to be a good layer and they have proven to have retained this characteristic producing a lovely white egg. The bantam Vorwerk has only been in the UK for a very short time and are regarded as a rare breed. I only saw my first bantam Vowerk in 2006 at the Federation show in Stafford and was hooked by their striking appearance.