Dutch Bantams Breed Thread

[Rach123]

This brings me to another question... The three light brown backyard dutch that are pictured... They are a year old and the hens are STILL NOT LAYING. what do i do to encourage them?!

EDIT: YAY! One of them laid her first egg!!

she was awful mean, pecking everybody, and fussing like crazy, and i wondered if she was having urges that way. Finally she laid her egg! We showed it to our 2 yr old and explained it to him, and his eyes were HUGE and he said (with amazement) "the chicken pop that egg out?!"

2 of my girls are coming up to 2 and a half years old and i will only have had a handful of eggs out of them. Another used to lay eggs which never had a shell? Never became egg bound or had any trouble just made a right mess!

. She's come right now, all the other hens lay fine, i have no idea why mine don't lay...one even went broody at 6 months old! Weird chickens!

 

[JeanR]

The Dutch Bantam Society website had a new address, but was down for revision. Maybe another: www.dutchbantamsociety.net will give information you seek. This site may be enlarged to replace the old website.

 

[Rhandi74]

Are these two Dutch bantams or OEGB?
I am not sure.

 

[JeanR]

They are neither, Color/pattern is OEGB, never this Splash pattern in Dutch--will always have random orange, red, gold, black, blue flecks or some solid feather colors, but mostly "off-White"--in translation from the Dutch language: Vuilwit (dirty white). (pullet in Dutch would have a pale yellow or greyish hackle and some most have some light yellow in the breast plumage.

The ear lobe of the cockerel, would be only fair on a Dutch Bantam, no red edges are permitted, but this is NOT a Dutch. The comb is okay for a Dutch--OEGB are dubbed, but few have nice combs if not dubbed. They are not bred for nice, correct combs--as they do not need them.. He is long legged wth hocks showing, no saddle, which is long and wide on a Dutch, so is more OEGB in type. Back and tail are more OEGB, definetly not Dutch

The pullet is not either type. She is more the type of your lovely large fowl hen, your avatar. She is cobby, no shape to her neck, too short, tail (although it is not in full as yet, it would be more upright, even at this stage. Back would be smooth, shorter and rounded up to the tail. Neither is she OEGB shape.

Hatchery birds? They are lovely bantams, but not any breed. Hatcheries purchase eggs to hatch and can only trust what the day old chicks out of those eggs will grow up to be. They take the word of the seller of the eggs. Sorry, even a breeder cannot guarantee what will hatch, if they are not dedicated, know genetics of their birds and keep them in known mating pens--and still odd ones will hatch. And if a hatchery keeps their own flocks of bantams (few do)--they are MIXED--sometimes a number of breeds--and out go the dear, healthy little chicks--to unsuspecting new owners. And yet, some of their breeds are not too far from the real deals.





Pair of Dutch Splash youngsters and a Splash cockerel, unlike OEGB, Splash, there are no two exactly alike in Dutch. The Splash hen is 7 years old and just left her chicks, so her tail is ruffled.

Enjoy your birds as Splash Bantams, probably mostly OEGB breeding--NOT as Dutch. Good luck.

 

[Rhandi74]

They are neither, Color/pattern is OEGB, never this Splash pattern in Dutch--will always have random orange, red, gold, black, blue flecks or some solid feather colors, but mostly "off-White"--in translation from the Dutch language: Vuilwit (dirty white). (pullet in Dutch would have a pale yellow or greyish hackle and some most have some light yellow in the breast plumage. The ear lobe of the cockerel, would be only fair on a Dutch Bantam, no red edges are permitted, but this is NOT a Dutch. The comb is okay for a Dutch--OEGB are dubbed, but few have nice combs if not dubbed. They are not bred for nice, correct combs--as they do not need them.. He is long legged wth hocks showing, no saddle, which is long and wide on a Dutch, so is more OEGB in type. Back and tail are more OEGB, definetly not Dutch The pullet is not either type. She is more the type of your lovely large fowl hen, your avatar. She is cobby, no shape to her neck, too short, tail (although it is not in full as yet, it would be more upright, even at this stage. Back would be smooth, shorter and rounded up to the tail. Neither is she OEGB shape. Hatchery birds? They are lovely bantams, but not any breed. Hatcheries purchase eggs to hatch and can only trust what the day old chicks out of those eggs will grow up to be. They take the word of the seller of the eggs. Sorry, even a breeder cannot guarantee what will hatch, if they are not dedicated, know genetics of their birds and keep them in known mating pens--and still odd ones will hatch. And if a hatchery keeps their own flocks of bantams (few do)--they are MIXED--sometimes a number of breeds--and out go the dear, healthy little chicks--to unsuspecting new owners. And yet, some of their breeds are not too far from the real deals. Pair of Dutch Splash youngsters and a Splash cockerel, unlike OEGB, Splash, there are no two exactly alike in Dutch. The Splash hen is 7 years old and just left her chicks, so her tail is ruffled. Enjoy your birds as Splash Bantams, probably mostly OEGB breeding--NOT as Dutch. Good luck.

Thank you for the reply. They are hatchery birds that were purchased at TSC. I was just curious because I knew the white earlobe on my cockerel was not considered OEGB. I will consider them Mutts along with the other mixed BR pullet I got from the same batch. I got the bantams because they were cute and the large fowl for eggs so it doesn't matter just don't want to be misinforming people on the breed.

 

[Rach123]

Anybody help me (again) here? One of my Dutch girlies has gone broody

and i tested one egg and it was fertile so fingers crossed! Anyway, my best little laying hen is what my breeder called a speckled rose (a dilute buff with white flecks) and my cockerel is lavender. What do you reckon the chicks will be? Will they just be lavender or something more interesting? Any help would be much appreciated,
Cheers Rachel.


My hen and my cockerel, this was taken a while ago so both have matured now.


Closer look at my hen.

 

[JeanR]

Not an easy guess. Takes a Geneticist to predict. It helps to know what the variety the parent of each bird is. Even the Lavender may have Black in the background. The pullet is a nonapproved variety. I had a Blue Mille FleurXBlue Mille Fleur (Splash Blue Mill Fleur) pullet that looked like her as a young pullet. Lovely pattern, and the Buff background, if from Holland, is unlike the Buff of Buff Columbian, so difficult to have a true genetic code for her. So, it will be an interesting chick, that may change its looks as it grows. Fun to keep pictures from hatch to mature plumage. A treasure, no matter what color--Hope IT HATCHES. GOOD LUCK

 

[LazerClaire]

Hi I've been raising 3 cream light brown dutch chicks. They are 3 weeks now & 2 have little pink combs. Though their coloring is quite different. I'm hoping that out of the 3 at least 1 is a hen. I've read though that early combs are a sure giveaway with dutch.

 

[JeanR]

Early comb develoment--not a sure thing, but a good guess. The baby on the left does look like a cockerel, the one on the far right, good guess, a pullet, middle chick, if I could see the hackle, could better guess. But from what is shown, I would guess another pullet?? Maybe? Body baby feathers often are different in P or K. MIght have to learn that one? Combs can be deceiving, as some pullets will just have larger combs than preferred, but how far on the head the comb is displayed also helps, cockerels comb blade end is higher on the head. See, the pullet on the right, her comb does not go as far up the head as the K on the left. Still is not SURE, but a very good guess.

THe shape of the head is a wee bit different on the P or K. See the slightly heavier beak on the K at the left and how it is a continuous slant connection to the head, while the pullet beak has a slight break as it joins the head. And note the stripe at the eyes--different on the one that I am sure is a cockerel. Have never found this a sure mark of sexing--with these chicks, it looks like it might be a mark to tell??

By about 6 weeks, cockerels will have red showing on the wing bows, pullets, NEVER. The photo hints color on that one on the left of the 2 CLBs, but hard to get true color in pictures........Can't see the other 2 well enough. So by 6 weeks, LB and CLB, BLB and BCLB chicks can be sexed for sure by the red wing bow color that begins to develop.

If all else fails--cockerels will crow, pullets will lay eggs. HAHAHA

 

[LazerClaire]

Here are some better photos of the suspect cock. I think the comb development is equal on both. On the right in the first image & the left in the second.

h.