Bantam chickens could make an exquisite small flock. Retaining three or 4 bantam hens will increase self-sufficiency for anybody engaged in small-time poultry-keeping. Bantam hens, infamous for setting and brooding, make wonderful surrogate moms for a lot of species of home poultry, together with chickens, geese, pheasants and turkeys. 

They make excellent birds for these residing on the grid, in addition to anybody eager to reside off the grid. They’re nature’s excellent incubator, egg turner and chick brooder, all constructed into one handy, reliable unit. Better of all, they require no utilities or energy to function. They’re probably the most handy and trouble-free methods for a homesteader to extend their small manufacturing or laying flocks. Fertile eggs, from the best-producing birds in one other flock, might be set below bantam broodies as a low-cost and extremely profitable option to improve the flock. 

These little marvels of nature make succesful, ultimate moms and can be utilized to hatch and incubate eggs from different forms of poultry. They even maintain the infants after they hatch. Bantam hens are infamous for going broody, generally two or 3 times in a 12 months.

Select virtually any well-known breed of standard-sized hen and likelihood is you’ll discover a bantam model that has been developed as its counterpart. Bantam hens are small, often lower than half the scale of their full-sized cousins. As miniature variations of a lot greater fowl, you’ll be able to hold them in a smaller coop or run. 

As a result of they’ve usually been raised as pets, many bantams keep a generational predisposition for friendliness and curiosity round people. As such, they’re typically simple to take care of. 

Due to their a lot smaller dimension, feed consumption can also be a lot decrease than with standard-size fowl. Some breeds, resembling Silkies or Cochin bantams, are well-known for eager to set on eggs and hatch out a household. Different breeds—Outdated English Recreation, Japanese and Belgian bantams—usually exhibit excessive tendencies for broodiness and wonderful mothering expertise as properly.

To present an thought of the distinction between standard-sized hen breeds and bantams, look no additional than the instance present in Cochins. In response to the American Poultry Affiliation’s Normal of Perfection, absolutely mature, standard-size Cochin hens ought to weigh 8 1⁄2 kilos when absolutely mature, and a rooster ought to weigh 11 kilos. On the flip aspect, a Cochin bantam hen ought to weigh 26 ounces and a rooster ought to weigh 30 ounces. Some breeds can be a couple of ounces heavier or lighter. Even so, most bantam hens can efficiently incubate 4 to 6 bigger eggs whereas setting.

In addition to being curious, personable pets and great moms, many bantam chickens make first rate little layers. Whereas perhaps not the egg producers {that a} Leghorn or Australorp may be, many breeds of bantams will lay three or extra eggs per week throughout the spring and summer time months. Some birds will even hold laying into the winter (however normally, that is an exception and never the rule.) 

Hens & Roosters

Most breeds, as soon as they begin laying, will lay small eggs with excessive inside high quality and robust shells. These eggs are great for dwelling use or promoting. Even with their small dimension, many shoppers discover these eggs to be of fascinating high quality and can purchase them on a repeat foundation, in case you have them out there. 

Bantam roosters are sometimes identified for his or her endearing and infrequently inflated egos and attitudes. What they lack in dimension, they make up for in persona. Bantam roosters will attempt to defend their perceived territory in opposition to a lot bigger males, with out hesitation. They like to crow and strut round, letting the world know that they’re in cost. For those who hold a bantam rooster along with your hens, you’ll be able to elevate a couple of new “banties” yearly and improve your brooder flock as properly.

Bantam chickens are usually clutch layers, which means that they lay a clutch of eggs, usually 18 to twenty, after which go right into a broody state and set on the clutch to incubate and hatch the eggs. If an individual retains the eggs gathered and eliminated every day, this may sluggish the tendency to set however not for lengthy. 

After laying her eggs, often over a six- or seven-week interval, nature will take over and the bantam hen will go broody. She’ll flatten herself so far as she will be able to and unfold her little physique out as she sits within the nest, assuming a place to permit her to cowl as many eggs as potential and hold them heat. This flattened place additionally makes her much less seen to predators if within the wild—nature’s manner of creating positive she and her infants are secure. 

She is going to lay declare to any eggs laid in the identical nest by different hens and shortly roll them beneath her, together with her beak. As soon as broody, the bantam go away the nest for under a only a few instances every day to eat and drink after which return to her duties of maintaining the eggs heat. She might turn out to be very protecting, make comfortable gurgling warnings or squawks, and peck any particular person who ought to have the audacity to stay their hand into her nest to attempt to steal her eggs. 

Regardless of all of the theories and people knowledge about breaking a broody hen from her need to set, it may be almost unimaginable to discourage a bantam hen from going via the entire brooding and setting cycle, even when all eggs are eliminated every day. The method is hardwired into their brains at a mobile and molecular stage. In case you are maintaining these hens as broodies or surrogates to hatch and lift the eggs of your different poultry breeds, that is precisely what you need and want. 

One of the vital fascinating phenomena of broodiness is how infectious it’s in a flock. It doesn’t take lengthy after one bantam hen begins brooding and setting earlier than one other hen additionally turns into broody and joins her, usually in the identical nest field. This makes for an excellent state of affairs when the hens are being stored for the aim of brooding new inventory, as this implies extra eggs might be set and hatched.

As soon as the eggs hatch, not often any squabbling or combating over the infants happens. The 2 hens will work collectively and use their pure mothering tendencies to nurture and lift the infants as a staff.

Why Use Bantams Chickens? 

Some breeds of bigger fowl even have tendencies towards broodiness. Normal Cochins are probably the most dependable. A bigger hen can also be capable of incubate a bigger variety of eggs than a bantam. Nonetheless, for reliability and repeat broodiness, bantam breeds resembling Silkies, Cochins, Outdated English Recreation and Japanese are exhausting to beat. 

From the Twenties into the mid-Fifties, government-funded poultry-improvement applications advisable that poultry farmers cull hens with an inclination to go broody and set, to extend egg manufacturing. A broody hen doesn’t lay eggs as soon as she absolutely enters her brooding cycle. Consequently, such hens have been usually eliminated and met their destiny within the stew pot. 

Over the a long time, the genetically inherited trait of broodiness was bred out of many customary breeds. As a result of bantams have historically been stored as pets as a substitute of for business manufacturing, many breeds of bantams by no means misplaced this worthwhile trait. 

Small Housing 

Bantams don’t require a lot room. A small flock of three to 6 bantams can reside very comfortably in a coop with ground dimensions no greater than 4-by-4 toes, and a pen or yard no greater than 4-by-8 toes in dimension.

Waterers and feeders must be of a design that the infants can have quick access however not fall into water too deep for them and drown. One or two nest bins simply above ground stage are ultimate. Placement close to the ground will make sure that child chicks can get again in below mama hen to maintain heat. 

Make sure that the nest field is vast sufficient for 2 hens to unfold out comfortably. In sizzling climate, extra body-heat buildup from two hens sharing a really small nest field may cause warmth stroke in a single or each hens.

In case you are maintaining a small flock of bantam chickens for elevating child chicks, wire mesh securely fixed round and over the run is greatest. You don’t desire a state of affairs the place small chicks can escape via bigger holes in hen wire and be misplaced to the weather or predators. 

Be sure that your pen may be very sturdy and the wire is securely hooked up so marauding neighbor canine or wild animals resembling raccoons can’t break in. Small holes no greater than the diameter of 1 / 4 will permit rats and weasels to enter. Each can and can kill child chicks, in addition to grownup bantams. Earlier than constructing the coop and run, pour a slab of concrete 3 to 4 inches deep to stop these animals from burrowing in via the soil.

Okayeeping bantam chickens is usually a welcome addition to any yard. They require much less area and feed than massive fowl breeds and are identified for his or her pleasant personalities. Bantam hens are infamous for going broody, too, which implies they make wonderful surrogate moms for different forms of poultry. They’re nature’s excellent incubators, egg turners and chick brooders.

General, maintaining bantam chickens is usually a enjoyable and rewarding expertise for anyone involved in small-scale poultry-keeping. 

Greatest Broody Bantam Chickens

Most bantam breeds will exhibit broodiness in some unspecified time in the future. Nonetheless, a couple of breeds are virtually positive bets for going broody. Some hens might not exhibit this need till their second laying season. That is widespread. As hens turn out to be older, their setting and brooding wishes are inclined to turn out to be stronger. Older hens usually make the perfect moms. Listed here are a couple of breeds to contemplate.

Silkie

These fluffy little chickens, with their comfortable downy feathering and loving, calm tendencies, are available a number of colours, together with white, black, blue, grey, paint (mottled or speckled) and others. The quintessential instance of a broody hen, they’re most likely essentially the most dependable setters. They make great moms, have calm tendencies and are excellent for households with babies.

Cochin

The bantam model of this breed is each bit as dependable for functions of brooding and setting as Silkies. They’ve calm tendencies and are inveterate setters and brooders. They’re a positive wager to be used as surrogate moms for different fowl. These little fluff balls, with their feather shanks and thick feather coats, are available a number of colours, are calm and delicate, and are additionally excellent for households with youngsters.

Outdated English Recreation

These small, alert little birds, with customary feathering and noticeably bigger tails and drooping wings, are available a number of colours and patterns and are a showy hen that you can be proud to personal. Not fairly as docile as a Silkie or Cochin, they’re very reliable setters and make wonderful moms. As a result of they could be a bit flighty and roosters a bit aggressive at instances, they might not be appropriate for younger youngsters.

Japanese

With massive tails, shorter shanks and wings that additionally seem to droop, these birds make wonderful moms, and the hens get alongside properly with different breeds. They arrive in a number of colours and are lovely dialog items that you can be proud to indicate to your pals. 

Belgian d’Uccle

In addition to being residing showpieces, this personable, light, feather-legged breed makes for great setters and moms. Remember that many homeowners of the birds say they have a tendency to not go broody till their second laying 12 months.

This text about bantam chickens initially appeared within the September/October 2023 challenge of Chickens journal. Click on right here to subscribe.