A bantam is any small variety of fowl, usually of chicken or duck. Most large chicken breeds and several breeds of duck have a bantam counterpart, which is much smaller than the standard-sized fowl, but otherwise similar in most or all respects. A true bantam chicken is naturally small and has no large counterpart. The word "bantam" derives from the name of the seaport city of Bantam in western Java, Indonesia, where European sailors found the small native breeds of chicken in Southeast Asia to be useful, and any such small poultry came to be known as a bantam.
Some key characteristics of bantam chickens include:
- They are typically one-half to two-thirds the size of regular chickens.
- There are "true" bantams, which have no large fowl counterpart, and miniaturized bantams, which were made from a standard breed of chicken.
- Bantams are easier to handle because of their size and lend themselves to locations where you may not want larger fowl.
- They are great for beginners, as they dont need as much space and resources as standard breeds.
- They are also popular with folks that are trying to increase their flock size by using a broody hen.
Overall, bantams are a smaller variety of fowl that are great for beginners and those with limited space.
