What is a bantam chicken?
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A bantam chicken is a smaller version of a regular chicken. Bantam chickens are typically one-fourth to one-fifth the size of standard chicken breeds. They are usually kept as ornamental birds or pets and are popular among backyard chicken keepers.
Types of Bantam Chicken Breeds
Bantam chickens come in many different breeds, with various colors, feather patterns, and personalities. Some of the most popular bantam breeds include the Silkie, Cochin, and Serama.
Bantams are known for their friendly personalities, and many of them are very docile and make great pets. They also lay small eggs, which can be eaten just like regular chicken eggs.
My Pet Chicken offers the following type of Bantam Chicken Breeds:
Size of Bantam Chickens
Generally speaking, bantam versions of large fowl breeds tend to be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the larger birds. Below you see two cochins, one a bantam and the other a large fowl cochin. But even bantams vary in size.
The tiniest Seramas might weigh just a few ounces, while larger bantams may weigh more than two pounds. Place a Serama beside a Silkie, for example, and the Silkies look like large fowl!
"True bantams" are chickens which don't have a large fowl version, such as d'Uccles or Sebrights.Â
