There are so many different types of chicken breeds to choose from when you embark upon starting your chicken farm. There are chicken breed types that are egg producers, meat producers, hybrids, standard chickens and even bantam chickens.
Before you can begin raising chickens, make sure that you really understand what species of chicken breeds you are getting and whether or not these kind of chicken breeds are right for what you really want to accomplish when it comes to raising chickens.
For example, you do not want to get types of chicken breeds that are better suited for meat production, when you want to sell eggs at your local farmer’s market for an extra income.
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Types of Chicken Breeds
Although there are many different types of chicken breeds, the following will explain a few of the differences between bantam and standard breeds, as well as help you to become familiar with a few of the bantam chicken breed type.
Bantam or Standard Chickens?
There are many differences between bantam and standard breeds of chickens. But when you think of bantam chickens, think of the word miniature. Normally, bantam chickens are only about one fourth of the size of standard chickens.
Although their eggs are much smaller than regular birds, they are domesticated birds that can be used as pets. They are good candidates for small backyard chicken coops.
On the flip side, regular breeds normally produce large grade A eggs that are used commercially. In addition, as previously stated regular breeds are around seventy percent larger than bantam breeds.
Whenever you see a particular breed of chicken, it might possibly have a bantam breed which is associated with that same chicken.
Thus the same name will apply, but the word bantam will go behind the name to indicate that it is a much smaller version of the standard chicken that goes by the same name.
For instance Plymouth Rocks, Easter Eggers, Anaconas, Australorps, Chanteclers, Catalanas, Faverolles and Leghorns are all examples of types of chicken breeds that have miniature or bantam versions as well.
This goes to show that there are many different breeds of chickens even within the various breeds.
The following is a small sample listing of various breeds of bantam chickens.
Black Frizzle Cochin
Black Frizzle Cochins get their name because they are obviously black and have feathers that look like they have been frizzled. They are very curly and look like they have just left the hairdresser.
These are unique looking chickens because one could mistake the body for that of a fluffy dog.
Even though they are known for their fluffy or frizzy feathers, you might run across a Black Frizzle Cochin chicken that has smooth feathers, although this is very rare. This particular chicken is very sweet and even tempered.
It is a breed that originated in China. The Black Frizzle Cochin is just one of the different breed types of poultry breeds that stand out because of its distinctive look.
Black Silkie Bantam
Out of the many different types of chicken breeds, the Black Silkie Bantam is definitely an eye catcher. One really has to look twice if you really want to tell what it is.
At first glance you could mistake it for a little puppy because it has feathers that look like a dog. Its size makes it look more like a puppy than a dog, but it is really a small miniature chicken.
The Black Silkie Bantam is a very well liked decorative chicken that originated in China. Even though there are a lot of different breeds to choice from, Black Silkie Bantam chickens are very well liked by children. Golden Sebright Bantam .
The Golden Sebright Bantam is another one of the different types of chicken breeds that are known for its good looks. It has black and gold feathers. Amazingly, the hen and rooster have a plumage that looks the same.
Although these chickens are not known for producing eggs, they are very docile and great to have as pets. Considering that they do not produce a lot of eggs, they are kept mainly for entertainment purposes. The Golden Sebright Bantam is a real Bantam breed because it does not have a regular breed that is associated with it.
All in all, there are a lot of different examples of chicken breeds. They have many functions indeed. The bantam chicken is a miniature chicken that is much smaller than its regular version of the same chicken.
Many of them are perfect to use as pets in your backyard because they are docile in nature and would not have a problem being confined in a backyard coop.
Many of them would make good pets for a child because of their wonderful temperament. But on the other hand, many of these types of chicken breeds are ornamental in nature because of their unique features many of their owners choose to keep them for show only.
Although there are obvious differences between bantam and regular breeds, there are also many things that make them alike as well.