Bantams




bantam frizzle "Roscoe"

                             Todays blog is about my Bantams. Bantams are a species of chicken all their own. They are miniature versions of standard sized chickens. Their eggs are tiny, falling into the egg classification of "pee wee" eggs. They are approximately the size of a quail egg and when cooking the rule is, "2 bantam eggs for 1 reg. large egg".  I love my bantams. They remind me of my Grandmother Velma. She always had Bantams as long as I can recall there was never a moment in my childhood that I don't remember seeing her cooing and coaxing one onto her hand and giving it "kisses".


bantam silkie rooster (& hen on rt-"Frida") "FEZ"



                            They were teensy, they were sweet natured and they were beautiful and exotic looking. I have been blessed to get  matched pairs in almost all the breeds we chose ,since they are sold unsexed it is a crap shoot what you are getting.  Currently we have a black Cocchin rooster named COSMO, he is fearless and clearly the alpha in the bunch. When their door is opened he hopped to the front and pushes out his little chest and cooes. like a dove, he cooes. he will be the first to jump on myhand and let me stroke his neck andhe will even relax enoughto go to sleep. His mate was killed in a freak brooder incident (noIi did NOT kill her) her brooder mates crushed her. We are looking for a female for him now. Next we have the red Frizzles, Roscoe and Tina. Their feathers more closely resemble permed hair and waves backward towards their heads giving them a frazzled frizzy appearance. They are so soft it is hard to believe they have feathers instead of fur. They are a bit more skeptical of humans and are reluctant to hop on a hand or arm for some affection. Then there are the Silkies,"Fez" & "Frida".They are the strangest lil birds I have ever seen. First of all they are identified as chicks by their extra toes. Yes, extra toes, and all black skin. Even their tiny wattles and microscopic combs are blue black in color. Second of all, they grow feathers that look like dandelion fluff all over their bodies and it literally feels silky soft. They are a bit more curious than the Frizzles and a less so than Cosmo. They hang back briefly while Cosmo gets the attention and then dash in for brief encounters of the human kind, to snatch a bit of banana from a fingertip or strawberry from a lip. They are soft and odd looking and irresistably cute.



                             Then there is Skull Fracture & his mate Teensy. Skull Fracture aptly named for a near life threatening injury he sustained as a fledling cockerel.The entire top portion of his head was scalped down to the skull by an older hen that got in the brooder. We nursed him tohealth and watched as the gaping hole in his head healed and regrew feathers. His personality is larger than he will ever grow to be. He is bold and cocky and never shies away fromt he door of his shelter. he pops up and flitters from his roost whenever approached and is eager to run face to face with even the older, much larger hens in they yard. His mate teensy is ladylike and demure,shy even. She waits on her roost until all the other Bantams  have approached and  returned, always the last one to hop onto my hand for a treat. Delicate in every feature and gentle natured she  beckons me to hold her each time I open the door.



                                I feel closer to my Beloved Grandmother each time I spend a few moments with them. I can feel her at my shoulder explaining the behaviour of each one and  how they should be handled. I hear her cooeing to them and make little chittering noises as she walked among them in their henhouse. Their tiny eggs precious to her, colored and speckled and so very teensy tiny. No one else could handle her Bantams , those were hers exclusively.Now I understand why. I am stingy with mine too. Allowing others to handle them briefly at best and then a sense of urgency or panic  forces me to scoop them up and put them back in the safety of their home. So theses are my special babies,good only for show or for pets for the eccentric chicken lover,never growing big enought o even make soup. They are a luxury, my only one and I am happy to turning into an Old Southern Woman.



Skull fracture's mate






































bantam rooster "skull fracture"





my bantam cocchin rooster "Cosmo"