If you research the history of the Pekin Bantam , you will read many stories about their origin. Others say that they were imported as a gift to Queen Victoria the early Victorian era. The birds from those bygone days were then bred, by keepers in the UK, crossed with other breeds of Bantams to create what we now know as the Pekin Bantam. Some people say that Pekins are known around the world as Miniature Cochins or Cochin Bantams, but it is generally agreed in the UK, by fanciers and keepers, that they are in fact a true Bantam and are not related to or connected to Cochins.
See here for the full history of the Pekin bantam chicken. Pekin Bantams are known and loved by many as one of the most gentle, docile, decorative and fun loving of Bantams. They make excellent and intelligent pets for young children, who delight in watching them hatch and grow and teaching them to come by name. As layers, they are as good as any other Bantam, laying small, tinted eggs that they are happy to sit on themselves, making them great broody mums for natural incubation.
Pekin hens are a delight to have around. Below: A Pekin hen from the back showing the characteristic "bustle" of feathers. If you hatch Pekin Bantams yourself and grow them up, you will find that they can become very tame and train very easily, responding exceptionally well to human company.
Even the males can be taught to quieten down and although they can be quite noisy for their size. Pekins are not quick to point of lay and it can take 6 to 8 months especially if they are raised late in the year. Birds that are beginning to mature in the shortening days of fall or Autumn may not begin to lay until the following season and these are no exception.
They produce to cream coloured eggs per year for about 4 or 5 years. In line with most rare breed chickens they will live on average for between 5 and 7 years. Expect some losses from the age of 3 or 4. Size-wise, being so small they are ideal for smaller or more urban or suburban areas, as they require very little space and are happy to be housed in small arcs or coops with attached runs.
Pekins can be introduced to groups of larger Poultry, where they will, over time, accept their place, providing they and your larger birds are initially socialised and supervised. Unlike the larger breeds, they do not tend to ruin well kept flower beds or churn up lawns and for this reason, make them ideal, easy-keep, low-maintenance pets.
They are also suitable to be kept as indoor pets, providing they are allowed adequate space and time to run free on a regular basis. You can even purchase nappies for your indoor Pekins now.
Care must be taken so that the Pekin's foot feathering does not get soiled. Vent feathers may have to be trimmed to maximise fertility when breeding. Frizzle pekins like this one above need even more care and a warmer more sheltered environment than the standard bird.
If you want to keep Pekins to show, it is best to find out how to properly care for and house your birds from an experienced breeder first.
Pekin bantam chicken breed standards. Do consider their well being as well as why you are keeping them and what you hope to gain from keeping them and you will soon find that they become a life long passion.
This chicken has charmed and captivated the hearts of many chicken handlers by looking like a cuddly little furball. However, it seems their founding can be traced back to the 19th century.
The first anecdote dates back to , where they were not yet known as Pekins and instead were called Shanghais. In this one, they were supposedly imported from China and gifted to the late Queen Victoria. She took care of a lot of chickens in her reign, after all. The second anecdote dates back to and seems to be more plausible. In this one, the Pekins are believed to have been stolen by the British soldiers. They were looted from the Summer Palace, from the Emperor of China.
The Summer Palace was located at Peking, which is probably where the breed got its name. Peking is now known as Beijing. Most of the other stories seem to be just a different version or retelling of these two. They are known to have originated from a beautiful place now known as Beijing, China. With the beauty they hold, it should come as no surprise that the Pekin chickens are still popular even after having been around for a long time already.
As time goes by, their history will only probably grow richer — and fluffier! As stated earlier, it is a true bantam, and it only weighs around grams and stands approximately 25 cm. The most prominent feature of this bird is probably its plumage. While all chickens have feathers, the Pekin chicken looks like its feathers have feathers!
They have such a large number of feathers that they appear comical. The Pekin chicken also comes in different colors and patterns. On the other hand, the Millefleur Pekin looks like the chicken counterpart of a teddy bear. It would be adorable to watch them strutting on your coop.
There are a lot of other different variants out there. If you want to learn more about the other variants, then you can click here. This breed is renowned for its broodiness and its wonderful fostering ability. What is remarkable is the variety of colours this bantam comes in. As well as single colours like black, white, blue, lavender, red, buff or grey, there are combinations such as black-red, brown-red, mealy-grey and splash and patterns like mottled, cuckoo, partridge and Columbian.
Name the colour and you can find a Pekin proudly displaying it. These bonny bantams are fowl whose outline should touch all sides of a circle — ie, their body length appears to be equal to their width and depth. As well as looking rounded and close to the ground, they also tilt forward a little. Plumage is profuse, lots of soft and pliable feathers and volumes of under fluff. They have fully feathered feet too.
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