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Bantams are mini-chickens, miniature versions of large fowl. They are separate breeds from their larger cousins. They are just like full-size chickens, but only one-fifth to one-quarter the size.
“They are easier to handle and lay beautifully,” said Doris Robinson, director of the joint American Poultry Association-American Bantam Association Youth Club. “They don’t need as much room or protection. To me, bantams are better able to take care of themselves.”
Most bantam breeds are small versions of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association. Some, however, have no corresponding large fowl breed. Those are considered True Bantams. They include Japanese, Vorwerks, Nankins, Belgian Bearded d’Anvers and Belgian Bearded d’Uccles, Dutch, Rosecomb, Sebrights, Silkies and Junglefowl, the ancestor of all domestic chickens. There are also bantam ducks.
The American Poultry Association has a Bantam division, divided into five categories for exhibition: Games, Single Comb Clean Legged Other Than Games, Rose Comb Clean Legged, All Other Combs Clean Legged and Feather Legged. They are usually shortened to initials only at shows, resulting in an alphabet soup of letters – SCCL, RCCL, AOCCL — that looks obscure to the uninitiated. Now you know.
The American Bantam Association has its own separate Standard. Although the two organizations work together cooperatively, the ABA recognizes more breeds and color varieties of breeds than the APA, 56 breeds and 392 varieties. The ABA divides Bantam chickens into six classes: Modern Games; Old English and American Games; Single Comb Clean Leg; Rose Comb Clean Leg; All Other Combs Clean Leg; and Feather Leg. Exhibiting bantams at shows is part of the fun of owning them.
Bantams are prized for their small size, so limited weight ranges are part of the Standards. The smallest, the American Serama, recently recognized by the ABA, must not be larger than 16 ounces for a rooster, 14 ounces for a hen.
Kids who are interested in chickens can get started with bantams. They’re easier to hold and usually more gentle than large fowl. With some supervision, kids can take responsibility for food, water and clean-up.
As backyard chickens become more popular, bantam breeds are being raised by more people in more places. That helps breed conservation.
Mary Ann Harley of South Carolina raises Nankin, Dominique, Delaware and Dutch bantams. Her birds have contributed to flocks on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina, a private preserve in Virginia and Colonial Williamsburg.
“More people are keeping chickens, and bantams play a big part in that,” said Mrs. Harley. “Numbers are important to breed preservation, where they are, who is breeding them.”
Many bantams are excellent layers, although their eggs are, predictably, small. One friend prefers her bantam eggs to large fowl eggs. She finds one large fowl egg not enough, and two too many. But like Goldilocks and her porridge, two bantam eggs are Just Right.
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Cochin Chickens arrived in England from China in the 19th century and have been a sensation ever since. Their soft, fluffy feathers, covering them down to the feet and beyond, are irresistible.
Cochin chickens are one of only three chicken breeds in the American Poultry Association’s Asiatic class. Reliable Poultry Journal, a publication that flourished through the 1920s, describes them in the publication The Asiatics: Brahmas, Cochins and Langshans. “Their origin is veiled in mystery, but from data gathered by numerous early fanciers, the period of their first appearance is fixed.”
Associate editor A.F. Hunter recorded the Cochin breed history, which was then within living recall. The birds were imported from Cochin China in 1843. In the 19th century, that wasn’t Mainland China, but a French colony in what we now know as the south of Vietnam. Those birds were presented to Queen Victoria. Lewis Wright, in his Illustrated Book of Poultry (1890), noted how different those birds were from the round, chubby Cochin Chickens of 50 years later. The Victoria Cochins are tall and rangy, like Malays. The drawing, by Samuel Read, is posted on my blog.
In 1847, four years after Queen Victoria received those original ‘Cochins,’ Shanghai birds were imported to England. Wrightpointed to them as the true ancestors of modern Cochins. The ‘Shanghai’ name didn’t stay with the fluffy new imports, though. Poultry writers called them Shanghai, but “The public had got to know the new, big fowls as Cochins, and would use no other word, and so the name stuck, in the teeth of the facts, and holds the field to this day,” he wrote.
Cochins, at 11 lbs. for roosters and 8 ½ lbs. for hens, are a dual purpose breed with good egg production. The American Poultry Association recognizes Buff, Partridge, White, Black, Silver laced, Golden laced, Blue, Brown and Barred varieties of the Cochin. Many unrecognized colors are also raised, including Red, Silver Laced, Mottled and Splash. Seventeen color varieties of bantam Cochins are recognized by the American Bantam Association, including Black Tailed Red, Birchen, Golden Laced, Columbian and Lemon Blue. Their popularity is second only to the English Game bantam.
Franklane Sewell, noted poultry expert and artist, wrote in 1912 that although style had influenced development of birds with very short legs, the ideal is “one that will preserve all the vitality of the ancient Asiatic and prove, as they have with some fanciers who study their proper management, to be productive and profitable as well as exceedingly showy.”
That description continues to suit Cochins well in the 21st century. Their soft feathers beg to be touched. Combined with their calm and friendly disposition, they make an excellent backyard chicken. The hens are often good broody hens and mothers.
Cochins International Club publishes three newsletters annually and updates its Breeders Directory every two years. Contact Jamie Matts, Secretary/Treasurer, 283 State Highway 235, Harpursville, NY 13787, (607) 693-3433.
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Dominique chickens are considered the first truly American chicken breed. The first USDA publication in 1862 recognized the Dominique as the sole uniquely American breed at that time.
Their French-sounding name is misleading. Historically, the name may have come from the cuckoo chickens that came to the mainland from the Caribbean island of Dominica, which was colonized by the French. You may know them as Dominikers. That’s the Americanized name that they are often called.
The term ‘cuckoo’ refers to the irregular slate barring on their feathers. The black/slate varies in shade. Their barred feathers are similar in color to Barred Rocks. That color pattern may have provided protective camouflage for them when they found their own living by foraging in the barnyard. Dominiques are still good foragers.
Dominiques are the rock solid dual purpose bird, comfortable as roasters or fryers at 7 lbs. for mature cocks and 5 lbs. for mature hens, and steady, reliable layers of brown eggs. They lay well through the winter months. They are good broody hens and mothers who will raise their own chicks.
The males have long sickle feathers. Their bright yellow legs stand out. Getting the rose comb perfect is a challenge to breeders. It may lack the required spikes or the spikes may be misshapen. Tail angle in both males and females can be difficult to perfect. Dominique tails should stand at a jaunty 45-degree angle.
Those French cuckoo chickens may have provided the name but they were only a small part of the Dominique’s genetic background. Although their origins are clouded in history, the International Correspondence Schools Reference Library on Standard-Bred Poultry (1912) says they were plentiful in the United States by 1820 and were documented on Ohio farms by 1850. ICS cites Rose Comb White Dorkings and Black Javas as being among their forebears. Other 19th century writers, such as Lewis Wright in The Illustrated Book of Poultry (1890) credit the Rose-comb Cuckoo Dorking and the Scotch Grey, with Hamburgs influencing the comb. Harrison Weir in The Poultry Book (1912) cites the Dorking influence, but notes that Dominiques have only four toes and yellow, rather than white, shanks. He quotes T.F. McGrew’s opinion that Hamburgs had substantial influence.
By 1890, Wright noted that the Barred Plymouth Rock had replaced the Dominique on many farms. Dominiques were eclipsed by Rocks in the early 20th century and nearly disappeared with the rise of industrial poultry methods by mid-century. Dominiques rallied in the late 20th century under the influence of significant breeders but have since struggled. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy keeps the breed in the Watch category, with numbers declining since 2007.
The Dominique Club of America champions the breed’s interests. Thanks to Mark A. Fields for locating that original 1862 USDA document and posting the information on the DCA site.
Dominiques are a satisfying breed that will connect you to American history.
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What is a chicken breed, anyway? A breed means the birds all resemble each other enough to be readily recognized by traits that can be described. Breeds breed true – their offspring resemble their parents in predictable ways. A chicken breed has unique appearance, productivity and behavior. Recognized breeds are described in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection. Other countries have their own standards.
Landraces are local or national breeds that develop in a geographic area. Sumatras are considered a landrace. Landraces are influenced more by natural selection than intentional selective breeding by humans. They developed in response to environmental pressures and conditions. They existed before people identified, named and described them.
Other old breeds, considered foundation breeds, are the result of domestication and selective breeding going back centuries. They include Javas, Cochins, Langshans, Dorkings, Hamburgs, Polish, Leghorns and Old English Games, among others. They are the breeds from which composite breeds were developed. Some of those have long histories as well, and some are modern. Breeders continue to cross breeds to develop new production birds today.
Traditional breeds are part of an agrarian culture that is being fragmented and lost. Traditional breeds do not flourish in industrial settings. The traits that make them special include being a good forager, good brooder and good mother (and father), alert protector, longevity, disease and parasite resistance, ability to mate naturally and fertility.
Traditional breeds are an important part of an integrated and sustainable farm. Each breed’s characteristics suit it to a climate and certain production goals. The Chantecler, developed in Canada, flourishes in a cold climate. Mediterranean breeds such as the Leghorn and the Ancona are known for egg laying.
Sustainable, integrated systems include poultry as working contributors to farm ecology and production. They provide meat and eggs. They reproduce themselves and perpetuate the flock.
Choosing which birds to breed is never simple. Flocks need variability to be vigorous and avoid the pitfalls of inbreeding. On the other hand, flocks need uniformity and predictability to retain breed identity. Industrial strains seek uniformity. Traditional breeds seek genetic diversity within phenotypic (appearance) consistency.
Breed standards are mainly physical but also behavioral. Selective breeding is guided by breed standards. The APA specifically includes mention of Economic Value. The American Bantam Association Bantam Standard focuses on exhibition. Conformation, plumage, comb and color are all significant aspects of the description.
Traits such as fertility, parasite and disease resistance and longevity are less easily observed than physical traits.
Hobby breeding can save rare breeds from extinction, but finding a market for traditional breed poultry will generate economic conditions that give them a more secure future. Breeders who sell their birds and earn income will raise more of them. Having an economic purpose fulfills one of the original purposes of domestic poultry.
Be part of history as you raise poultry in the future! Choose traditional breeds.
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Welcome Purely Poultry customers! My name is Meghan Brawdy. You may recognize me from emails, phone calls, and our facebook page. I want to introduce myself to you today.
Meghan Brawdy
Six years ago, my husband and I moved out of the suburbs and into the country. After enjoying a year of rural living, I decided to try something “farm-y” and thought that chickens might be the way to start. They were relatively inexpensive, easy to care for, and didn’t eat much… or so I thought! I found an ad on Craigslist for some Rhode Island Red mixed chicks for $1.00 each and bought my first dozen. Unfortunately, I lost a few that first week because I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I found myself at the library that weekend checking out pretty much all the books they had on chickens (rural library, not a huge selection!) I learned so much from my mistakes that first year. I read all that I could about chickens. I watched them, studied them, and fell in love with them.
That winter, I had a particular Golden Sebright hen that went broody on some eggs she had laid. I just let her sit on them to see what would happen. Unfortunately, with it being winter, they didn’t hatch. This inspired me to get an incubator. Two years later I am still hatching my own eggs and my one incubator has grown to six.
I am now the proud owner of Silver Lakenvelders, Old English Game Bantams, Americauana bantams, and Coturnix Quail. I recently ordered some Easter Eggers and Golden Comets from Purely Poultry. They are now three weeks old and doing great! I also own two peacocks and a peahen. They should start laying eggs this year. Finally, I have a good size flock of Campines that are into their second generation. I am super excited about these since they are critical on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Priority Conservation list! I have raised many other breeds in the past as well as turkeys and guineas.
I have experience in many aspects of poultry husbandry including buying, selling, feeding, vitamins and meds. I can set dislocated hock joints and other basic veterinary care. My husband and I have built our own chicken coops and runs. I gather eggs for eating and also for incubating, raising them from a hatchling until they are full grown. I’ve not lost any of my love for them. After all this time I still enjoy just watching them because they are so interesting! I am the poultry go-to person for all my friends and enjoy talking to fellow enthusiasts about all aspects of poultry. I have built a pretty extensive home library of poultry books.
In addition to poultry, I enjoy homeschooling my children and am an avid organic gardener. I sell seeds, garden starts, produce, and eggs locally. I am passionate about my food and where it comes from and will happily discuss this with anyone interested.
I am honored to work for Purely Poultry as a customer care representative. Thank you very much for reading.
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