Poultry – Selecting Your Bantams, Small Bantams

Posted on 30 April 2010

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The best Bantams to keep are probably the ones that are “low maintenance” as Bantams were originally bred to be miniature versions of larger chickens. This means that you want a chicken that can stand the cold, not fly over the fence and also be friendly to people.
In terms of being a people-friendly bird you can’t beat an Astrolope. This Bantam from Down Under is found in many back yards and is known for its pleasant cooing and scratching sounds. It is very good with children and easily picked up.
However although the Astrolope is people friendly it is a little higher maintenance when it comes to being penned. For one thing it can be quite a restless bird and it does better if it is free range. Yet to compensate for that it also has a shorter wingspan that makes it harder to escape a yard so in that sense it is lower maintenance. They are also very hardy and can weather colder conditions well.
The Ancona may be a smallish and very pet friendly bird but it is one of those chickens that can fly. They are not happy kept in confined spaces and make a better free-range animal. One of their main strengths as a farm animal is that they were always able to produce a large number of white eggs in even very cold wintry conditions so in that sense they are very low maintenance.
If handled from a very young age the Ancon can make a good pet for a child. It is also a chicken that makes pleasant noises and is just a cuddly charming bird to have around. In terms of being a calm, well-behaved bird the Ancona is a good choice.
One of the highest maintenance of the Bantams to keep is the Ardenner. The Bantam version of the Ardenner is almost identical to the larger original bird. They are not a very calm bird and like to strut and peck noisily around the cage. It is a very strong breed with long wings and they can fly easily so if you are going to raise them in your backyard make sure you have a tall fence. Just making sure they don’t fly away on you can be a daily challenge.
Another peculiarity of this breed is that they prefer to sleep outside in trees throughout the year. They also fly and peck at humans and like to hide their eggs after they lay them instead of laying them in layers. If you don’t fancy going on an Easter Egg Hunt every day to search for buried eggs then the Ardenner is probably the worst type of bird you could get!
The Barnevelder Bantam is of course the miniature version of the original much flappier and larger Dutch Barnevelder. As attractive as this chicken is because it is really round and fluffy with a broad breast it also has a tendency to become fat and lazy. They are probably the worst type of chickens to keep in a coop. They need to be kept free range so they can be well exercised. If you feed them well and prevent them from getting fat they will produce eggs well right throughout the winter. If you do not want a chicken that requires a lot of observation then you will probably not do that great with these Bantams as their hygienic and active habits need to be constantly and carefully observed or they will not stay healthy.
You can of course breed Bantams for many other reasons as well including for show, for egg production and for eating. Many people breed them for pets. This is why it is a good idea to look carefully at the considerations for care and personality of each breed so that you make a good choice.

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Category: Bantams, Chickens for Sale, Choosing Chicken Breeds, Keeping Chickens, Poultry Breeds
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