Pekin Bantams
Varieties: Lavender, blue, silver partridge, red partridge, blue mottled, Columbian, cuckoo, mottled, buff, black, white & wheaten
Average Annual Egg Production: 125
Garden Suitability: High
Best Features: full feathers, make great pets
The Pekin bantam originates from China, although there is no proof to the story that they were stolen from the Emperor’s private collection in 1860!
The Pekin is a lovely little chicken that looks much bigger, thanks to masses of feathers that drop to the ground like a silken coat. They have short legs and heavily feathered feet. If they were show dogs, they’d be a Yorkshire Terrier or American Cocker Spaniel, groomed to perfection!
Pekin chickens enjoy human company, and are exceptionally tame. From day one, they settle into new homes extremely quickly and don’t require much space to lead full and happy lives. However, they flourish best when you allow them to graze fresh grass as part of their diet. They are not destructive chicken, preferring to peck gently than scratch and scrabble.
The Pekin lays a reasonable amount of small eggs, and are very broody, so they can be used as foster mums to other breeds if required. The cockerels are generally good-natured too, and have been known to share incubation duties!
Long-lived and usually very healthy, Pekins hens will even sit in your lap and be stroked, So, Pekin hens make good pets for children who want a hen for life, not just for lunch.
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