General Information
- Breed Purpose
- Dual Purpose
- Comb
- Single
- Broodiness
- Frequent
- Climate Tolerance
- All Climates
- Egg Productivity
- Medium
- Egg Size
- Small
- Egg Color
- Cream to Light Brown
- Breed Temperament
- Calm and Personable
- Breed Size
- Bantam
Nankin Bantams (aka Nankeen bantams) is one of the oldest known bantam breeds. It’s origins are obscure, but it is thought to have originated in Southeast Asia in the Nankin or Nanking region of China. The breed is believed to have arrived in England prior to the 1500’s, where it found use on the country estates of Britain for its ability to hatch and rear game bird chicks. It’s exceptional ability as a broody have kept it popular to the present time. The breed has contributed to the formation of many other bantam breeds over the years. They have become more widely found in the United States in the last ten years, with a breed club forming in 2006, and they were recognised by the APA in 2012.
Nankins have a calm temperament, the hens are very sweet, the breed is popular as pets, broodies, and show birds, especially for children. They are usually very flock oriented, with a tendency to want to stay very close together, with individual birds rarely wandering far from the rest of the flock.
The Nankin is a true bantam, currently not found in a standard size. Nankins come in only one color, their bodies are a rich chestnut color with a black tail, the hen’s body color is slightly lighter than the males. It can have either rose or single combs.
It was recognized by the APA in 2012 and is on The Livestock Conservancy's Critical list.
Note: Ideal Poultry carries Rose and Single combed Nankins.
Nankin chicks
Nankin hen
Nankin rooster
For more information on this breed and their owners' and breeders' experiences with them, see our breed discussion here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-nankin.1052799/
