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Raising Chickens - Bantams

I consider these the 'Flowers' of the poultry world, offering unique qualities and colorful plumage with distinctive personalities.  A Bantam is a small variety of poultry, especially chickens.  Most breeds have a bantam counter part, or miniature, but a true bantam has no large counterpart and is naturally small.  Miniatures are usually one quarter the size of the standard breed and are expected to exhibit all of the same characteristics as the standard breed.  Bantams are popular as pets as well as for show because of their varied colors and feather patterns; this is where the reference to being the 'flowers' of the poultry world comes in.  They are also used as laying hens and their eggs are about half the size of a standard egg.  I'm often asked if you can eat a 'banty' egg – of course!  They are just smaller versions.  I love them all but some of my favorites (because I raised them as a kid) include Silver and Golden Sebright, Old English Game, Modern Game, Silkies, Silver Spangled Hamburgs, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Frizzel Cochins and White Blacktailed Japanese.