BANTAMS: They’re Fun Sized!
What the Heck is a Bantam, Anyway? When I was still a newbie to the poultry scene, I kept hearing the term Bantam, and I wondered what kind of odd breed quality a Bantam had. Like me, if you’ve spent…
Bantam Ducks are bright and varied
Bantam ducks, like bantam chickens, are the miniatures of the breed. They range from the small Mandarin and Wood ducks, maxing out at 24 and 25 ounces respectively and popular Call ducks at 26 ounces to 30-ounce East Indie ducks…
If it walks like a duck…
Ducks! Colorful and varied, good producers, effective pest foragers, attractive. Some quack more than others – they call them Call ducks for a reason – but many owners enjoy that sociability. Husbandry is different from that for chickens, but once…
Orpington Chickens: A Royal Breed
Consider the Orpington Chicken Breed. It’s a general purpose breed, useful for both meat and eggs. Orpingtons are large birds, roosters weighing around 10 lbs., hens 8 lbs. Orpingtons lay brown eggs. Estimates of laying on exhibition strains vary, from 50 to…
Icons of the Farm: Rhode Island Red and White Chickens
The Rhode Island Red chicken is the iconic Red Rooster and Little Red Hen of folk tales. In the American Poultry Advocate of May 1912, poultry judge and breeder W. H. Card described the breed as so impressive “that the…
