Bantam Chickens: A Guide to Small Chicken Breeds

What makes a chicken a bantam

A bantam is simply a small chicken. The poultry extension service describes bantams as about one-quarter smaller than standard birds, easier to handle, cheaper to feed, needing less space and laying smaller eggs. Most adult bantams weigh around one to two and a half pounds, compared with five to ten pounds for standard breeds.

There are two kinds. Miniature bantams are scaled-down versions of large breeds, such as bantam Cochins, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Brahmas and Wyandottes, bred to match the large breed in everything but size. True bantams have no large counterpart; Sebrights, Japanese bantams, Rosecombs and Belgian d'Uccles are examples, and Silkies are usually treated as one too. Exhibition standards for bantams are published by the American Bantam Association and the American Poultry Association. For a Bantam flock, our backyard chicken supplies and chicken coop guide cover housing, feeding and nesting.

Eggs

Bantam hens lay small eggs, and you will need about two or three of them to replace one large egg in a recipe. The extension service notes the smaller egg size as one of the trade-offs of keeping bantams. Laying rate varies by breed: miniatures of productive layers such as bantam Leghorns lay often, while ornamental true bantams may lay only a couple of eggs a week in season.

Many bantam breeds are very broody, and bantam hens are popular as natural incubators for other breeds' eggs, within the limits of their size. A bantam can cover far fewer eggs than a large hen; the extension service notes that a bantam can sit on 12 to 15 guinea eggs, against 20 to 28 for a large hen, and the number is similar for chicken eggs.

Temperament and handling

Bantams tend to be lively, alert and curious. Breeds such as Silkies and Cochins are famously gentle and easy for children to hold, while some game-type bantams are flighty and roosters can be surprisingly feisty for their size. Their light weight makes them easy to pick up and carry, which is why bantams are a favorite for 4-H and youth showing.

Some breeds are hard to sex as chicks. The extension service notes that Sebright males are hen-feathered, looking much like females, and Silkies' fluffy feathers hide the usual differences, so expect surprises with straight-run chicks. Watch for crowing, larger combs and wattles, and upright posture as the birds mature.

Space, housing and mixing with large breeds

Bantams need less room than standard birds, but they still need a secure coop with a roost, a nest box and a run. Many bantams fly well, so a covered run or wing clipping keeps them home and safer. Their small size makes them easy prey for hawks, owls, cats, raccoons and rats, so use hardware cloth rather than chicken wire and lock them in every night.

Bantams can live with large chickens, but watch closely: big hens may bully them away from food, and a large rooster can injure a bantam hen. Provide extra feeders and waterers, low roosts, and hiding spots, and introduce new birds gradually. Mild climates suit most bantams; very small birds lose heat faster, so a dry, draft-free coop matters in winter.

Feeding and health

Feed bantams in a backyard chicken flock the same complete chick starter, grower and layer feeds as large chickens, just less of it, with oyster shell for laying hens and grit if they eat anything besides feed. Crumbles may be easier for very small birds than large pellets. Keep treats to a small share of the diet, because extra calories go a long way in a small body.

Feather-footed bantams such as Cochins and d'Uccles need clean, dry ground to prevent mud balls and scaly leg mites. Call a vet who treats poultry if a bantam stops eating, sits fluffed up, has trouble breathing, or strains without passing an egg, which is more of a risk for small hens laying relatively large eggs.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace advice from a veterinarian who treats poultry.