Bantams... Mighty midgets of the poultry world

The evolution of bantams began over two hundred years ago, yet it has only really been in the latter half of the twentieth century that they have attained widespread popularity and been refined to the quality that we have them today. In old literature and practical works on poultry, bantams were usually referred to as "small Javan fowls" and were generally thus dismissed.

The first breeds of bantams to become popular in the western world were the Game bantams. These were miniature Modern Games, the tall, leggy exhibition fowls, rather than the fighting type. When the large Modern Game breed were taken out of the reach of less affluent people, it was the bantams which filled the void. Later on, miniature Old English Game bantams were developed and these are now the most popular of all the bantam breeds.

However, hardfeathered bantams were not the only types of miniature fowls to be had. Tiny bantams were imported into Europe from Asian regions and these, largely due to their cute appearance and unique characteristics, became popular in some circles. The earliest of these varieties was the breed now known as Rosecombs. Originally called Black Bantams or White Bantams (dependent on the particular colour... obviously) they were brought from the Indonesian region, hence the name sometimes attributed to them of, Java Fowls. They were later crossed with Hamburghs, resulting in large inprovement in the head ornaments and giving them the beautiful white lobes for which the Hamburgh is widely famous.

Following on the popularity of these bantam varieties, came the Booted bantams. These were like miniature Cochins, with short, squat carriage and profuse leg and foot feathering. No doubt, these were crossed with Cochin and Pekin bantam stock to improve their quality.

In 1842, a new breed of bantam was unveiled in Great Britain called the Sebright. It was a tiny, jaunty little fowl, with hen feathering and beautiful laced plumage. It had been developed by a British baron, Sir John Sebright, after whom it was named, using Hamburghs, Games and other less obvious breeds.

In 1893, the first poultry book devoted expressly to bantams, Book on Bantams, by L C Verrey, was published. This event helped bring bantams to the fore and they began their steady rise in popularity. Other more fancy bantam varieties were imported such as Japanese, Rumpless and Nankins. As popularity of miniature fowls began to rise, breeders began serious (and successful) attempts to miniaturise other established large breeds and bantam versions of Malays, Leghorns, Andalusians, Hamburghs, Polish, Brahmas, Dorkings and other common breeds soon began appearing in major shows. Many experts believed that two distinct classes should be made, one being true bantams and the other being miniatures of large fowls. However, almost every bantam-sized fowl is now called a bantam, irrespective whether it has a large counterpart or not.

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