Dutch

I had a little Dutch, named Bantam, she was the sweetest and most friendly little chicken. Unfortunately she passed away about two years ago. She was an excellent mother, hatching regular-sized chicken eggs, and she went broody usually the first or second week after finishing with a batch of chicks. Since she was my only bantam and laid such small eggs it usually wasn't a problem, I didn't need her for egg production, the only problem was when she was determined to hatch in January! I hated taking the eggs from her, so often I ended up caring for chicks during the winter (made spring and summer chicks seem like a breeze). Fortunately, all her chicks made it through the winters and grew up to be quite hardy birds. I guess broodiness could be a pro or a con, depending on your situation. Bantam was also an excellent flier, she could easily escape the chicken yard although she rarely did so. This could be useful in escaping predators, though. She could fly pretty far and even take turns. I highly recommend Dutch Bantams!

my dutch rooster Pecan is the best chicken i have ever had. he will protect his flock, but is very sweet to people. hes very small, so he doesn't eat very much. i hope to get more in soon.

My baby is only about 5 months old, got her in mid July and named her lucky! She is bantam though and still very small. She had 3 other friends at first but they passed just about 2 weeks after I go them, so she was an only baby chick for about another 2 weeks before I bought 2 more babies, one of those did not make it, the one that did turned out to be a Speckled Sussex. The reason her name is lucky is because not only did she survive the heat of July as to where the others did not, also she survived what I thought was my German Shepherd about to eat her, but thankfully it turned out that during her 2 week of being an only bird, my dog decided that it was her baby and was carrying it around in her mouth to the front yard and layed down with her. I still got after her for it, because she is a big dog, with big paws and claws.
Lucky likes to greet me in the morning, an likes it when I pick her up and snuggle with her. She loves her sister (the speckled sussex) and they hang out all the time together. She allows my 3 year old daughter carry her around and pick her up.
Falling in love with this bird is a difficult thing, considering they don't live long!

My kids and rabbit loves our bantam she loves to get rubbed and treats. When lying out with the bigger chickens she likes to snuggle in under their wings every now again she goes off doing her own thing and likes to lay her eggs in the rabbit hutch or under the shed. Not laying at the moment its been a month but she,s still happy and healthy. Makes a great first chick for kids

Of the several breeds of chicken that I have. the Dutch Bantam is probably my favorite. The males, in particular, are very pretty, but even the females have beautiful, soft feathers and bright eyes. Often, they have "conversations" with you, making sweet chirring noises in response to your voice. Though great fliers, they rarely try to escape by flying, much preferring to sit still and be petted.

The cocks are always entertaining to watch when they are around the hens. They never give up trying to court the hens, and are always finding (supposedly) delicious dry grass, random insects, and fallen leaves that they think that their little females will like. The hens just look at the cocks disgustedly, as though saying "Really? I won't eat that!". But, despite the males' hopelessness, both sexes get along together. The males ensure that the females are always fertile, but they rarely rip out any feathers, and don't over-mate the hens.

Dutch Bantams, though not very common in the United States make great show-birds. The males always show themselves very nicely; however, the females can be a bit lazy, and not hold their tails right. They also make great showmanship birds for kids just getting started in raising and showing chickens. They tame very easily, learn how to pose quickly, and, once accustomed to being held, do not struggle. While some cocks may be aggressive, especially when guarding their hens, if handled enough, a little 21oz. cock poses a very small threat.

When purchasing Dutch Bantams for show, keep in mind, though, that a lot of Dutch Bantams in the United States, particularly those from hatcheries, have Old English Game Bantam crossed into them to improve the color. This destroys the type, makes the earlobes red instead of white (they should be white) and lightens up the leg color, which should be a nice dark blue slate. Show-quality Dutch Bantams can generally only be bought from breeders, not hatcheries. This may be difficult to do, as there are very few breeders with pure Dutch, but it pays off in the end. Over in Europe, there is quite a different story. There, where Dutch Bantams were first developed, the Dutch Bantam is highly standardized. European birds have great type and coloring, and are truly a magnificent sight to behold.

If kept under the right conditions, Dutch Bantams are very hardy, productive birds. They don't mind hot weather, and (at least the hens) can withstand cold weather well. Rain doesn't faze them, and they will happily go out in dewy grass. They are great hunters of grasshoppers and other insects. So far, I've never had any serious problems with disease in my Dutch Bantams. The hens are pretty good layers of small white or cream colored eggs, and, though they do go broody, are generally easily broken up. The males are amazingly fertile, with (under proper conditions), over 90% of the eggs I set hatching.

Basically the only major disadvantage of the Dutch Bantam is that the males' large combs are susceptible to frostbite in cold weather. This can be prevented by keeping the temperature in the coop above freezing by use of a heater or heat lamp, by rubbing Vaseline on the combs, or (though this can't be done to show-birds--only breeders), dubbing of the comb.


In conclusion, Dutch Bantams make excellent pets and show-birds. I would definitely recommend them to anyone interested in raising small, sweet birds with big personalities.

Dutch Bantams are sweet little birds. I raise and breed them, and they are tied with my Wyandotte bantams for my favorite breed. These little birds, though good fliers, tame down easily. They are curious, intelligent, and funny to watch. My Dutch Bantams are always entertaining.

The cocks are extremely nice to their hens, and I have never seen any feathers ripped out by a male. However, they can sometimes be aggressive to humans. Most of my cocks and cockerels are gentle and sweet, but one, named Prince, is a biter.

Hens and pullets are wonderful layers of small white eggs. Most of my females lay every other day. This breed has high fertility, and if I set 10 eggs, at least 9 will hatch if nothing goes wrong with my incubator.

These birds handle heat very well, but the males need protection from cold during winter. Otherwise, they will get frostbite on their combs.

Dutch Bantams make great birds for those just beginning to show. This is because they are easy to handle, and cute little birds. They make nice chickens for those getting started in 4-H due to their tame nature.

This breed flys very well, and can be quite independant. However, they usually stay close to home, and their flying ability and alert nature would probably make them less likely to get eaten by a hawk.

Overall, Dutch Bantams are nice little birds, whether you keep them for pets or for show.

fun to watch interact with others

I can't wait to get one next year!!!

My Dutch hen is a small Bantam that is friendly and fun. She enjoys following me around my garden and nibbling on my cherry tomatoes.

great birds i recomend to all ages shapes and sizes

Very friendly, can be bossy sometimes

My Dutch Bantams are very sweet and are very tame (especially if you hold them a lot). I love them. There so tiny and cute and friendly. I have 2 but will probably get more in the future. Mine are 14 weeks old. Here they are.

I have light-brown variety. These birds are curious, very quick learners, and friendly. Great for kids, as pets or house chickens. They are small, even for bantams. Small enough so their scratching does not ruin the garden. Mine have been good layers and awesome brooders. The hens' coloration makes them harder for hawks to spot than many other breeds, and they demonstrate good defensive instincts when birds of prey are around. I adore these birds, really not interested in any others now! I have not seen them offered by hatcheries, have to get them from a breeder in the region.

Most wonderful rooster. Simply gorgeous. When crossed with Ameraucana hens (who he seemed to prefer) made GORGEOUS babies!

I have two dutch, and they are show birds. I recomend them for showing. They don't lay many eggs, but they do keep you company by talking! They have many beautiful feathers, and pretty slate blue legs!