Bantams Pekins Pekins come in a large variety of colours but I have chosen to focus on the one colour, gold partridge due to personal preference. They originate from Beijing and arrived in the UK as part of the loot taken from the Emperor's Palace by the British and French forces in 1860. A wonderful ball of feathers they possess great characters and easily become tame making them a family favourite and very popular with the novice chicken keeper.                                                                           Gold Partridge Pekins -Shown with success                                                               Vorwerks The Vorwerk was created by Oskar Vorwerk in Germany around 1900 and the breed was standardised in 1913, but the bantam was only recognized in 1963. The Vorwerk was developed to be a good layer and they produce a nice white egg. They have only been in the UK for a short time and are regarded as a rare breed. I first saw the bantam version at the Federation show in 2006 and was hooked by their striking appearance.                                                                                                              Vorwerks are an active breed.

The 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 of Dutch bantams available with 13 standardised in the UK, but we have just the one colour lemon porcelain, which is a rare colour with only a handful of breeders in the UK. The standard weight is 500-550g (18-20 oz) for the males and 400-450g (14-16 oz) for females.

Usually people like bantams for their broody characteristics but the Dutch bantam is a good layer as well producing a large number of white/light tinted eggs. In fact the Dutch bantam was originally kept by peasants for their small eggs as large eggs were to go to the Lord of the Manor.

A hardy, active and lively breed, they must be small of good type and of good colour. These birds are gentle and will often become attached to their owners.

Sebright

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 separate breeds until 1899 when the Sebright became one breed with two colour varieties which were standardised by 1952. We only have the Silver variety.

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.

                                                                               Sebrights are stunning birds to watch.

Orpington

The bantam Orpington was developed in Germany by crossing large Orpingtons with pekins and Java bantams. The Orpington breed are friendly, docile birds with the hens making good mothers but they are also good layers producing a nice tinted colour egg. I keep the buff variety which is a lovely rich colour and is still not very common in the UK.

Buff Orpington Bantam Trio

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. However the Silkie hen can be very broody making a fantastic mother. I keep bantam Silkies in white only.

Bantam Silkie Trio