Dutch Bantams Breed Thread

[dainironfoot]

Hi guys! I have always wanted some dutch bantams and am ready to make the coop. Was just wondering how much space I would need for a rooster and 3 or 4 hens. Also, Does anyone know any good breeders of sliver dutch or cream bantams? I've looked everywhere and can't find any and would hate to resort to a hatchery. I could either use hatching eggs, chicks, or grown birds. Thanx a lot in advance,


-Tony

 

[laughingdog]

dutch chickies hatched! i cant very believe at least some even made it through all the bator troubles for various non forseeable reasons. theyre so very cute. hope others are maybe just late hatchers, but im not being greedy. they must be tough birds as more made it from them all together, than even my game and game mix eggs of differant stages.

 

[Crunchie]

mother o' chicks72 :

Is it possible for a young bantam dutch to get red on it's wings if it's a pullet, or does this mean it's a cockerel?

It's probably a cockerel. Can you post a picture?

That would be the way for us to know for sure!

Quote:
I'm not the person to give you an exact square footage suggestion for your coop, though in general I'd say go as big as you have room for--even if the birds are tiny, they'll appreciate the extra space (especially birds that are very active, like Dutch). That said, these guys really don't take up a lot of space. I keep breeding pairs in 4 X 4 pens for the breeding season and they seem plenty happy, though in my opinion that is too small for long-term housing. I would maybe look up the suggested space for bantams and go from there (there's some sort of suggested square footage per bird, though I can't remember what it is for the life of me).

Have you checked the Dutch Bantam Society's web site for breeder contacts? Definitely don't go to a hatchery if you want to breed them. If you don't find anyone on the club's web site who has birds available, let me know. I can probably help you out, at least with creams (I breed light brown, blue light brown, cream light brown, and blue cream light brown). I'm on the east coast, though. Maybe you can find someone closer to you on the breeder list. The club's president, Kristi van Gruenen, is in CA and she breeds creams. The Caroll's in MA have nice silvers, and Wayne Gritter (IN?) has silvers, too (and I think creams as well). All of their contact info should be on the web site.

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Congrats on your new chicks.

Yeah, Dutch are some pretty hardy critters, at least in my experience! I know a lady who is a true homesteader, very into sustainable living and such (I am very much into sustainable living as well, just not on the scale that this person is). She wonders how I can justify keeping my "fancy" bantams--teensy eggs, birds not big enough to eat, etc. Sure, they may not be big beefy heirloom breeds, but if the day ever comes that I have to truly worry about survival and there isn't any fancy layer crumbles at my disposal, I'm placing my bets on the smart, thrifty, good foraging, efficient game bantams--like my Dutch!​

 

[laughingdog]

@crunchy, thanks, and i didnt know dutch were game bantams (though guess technically are, as have to breed to OEGB to get most colors). yeah my game bantam hens lay med to large eggs every day for me, and have two dozen im trying to decide what to do with. to hatch or not to hatch, that is the question!!! on another note i like how nice they seem also, even though curious, and glad seperated them and my new bantam cochin chicks, as put some new chicks of game bantam and jap quail that hatched into brooder, and started doing things and then turned back in time to see.. well.. it was not a happy site. funny thing though, the cochin chicks even brood over the half sized dutch.

 

[Crunchie]

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Well, I guess I should clarify...I just consider them a game type bird, but definitely don't confuse them with OEGB (I know you're not, just want to clarify for anyone else reading). Dutch aren't classified as games, at least not by the APA/ABA (they are single comb clean legged bantams, with OEGB in a separate/their own class), and true Dutch do not have OEGB in their ancestry (tho you're right, that's how some of the other colors have come about...but your basic light brown & variants, if they're not from hatchery stock, should be pure Dutch). Anyway, I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my ramblings--Dutch shouldn't be confused with games because they are quite different birds than OEGBs. It's just the type of bird, in my mind--thrifty, alert, active, small, intelligent--is a "game" bird.

You'll love their temperaments. It's funny how even as chicks their personalities are different! I have some itty bitties that will run right up to you and jump into your hand, while the other breeds stampede in the opposite direction and hide in a corner of the brooder. They are curious, bold, and can become quite friendly if they're handled. My show birds are extremely tame. I love just hanging out with them!

 

[laughingdog]

yes, i love how they flock their tiny bumble butts right up to smush against me at the glass, but then and when in cage or its open, they dont ever peck or attack thinking they can eat, or run me off (whichever they could accomplish in mass and even as single just hatched chicks). you seeing them next or compared to oegb there really is no comparision, so i must have before just have seen mixes, mistaken identities, or alot of fakes, aside from most seen on this site. i considered putting with game bantam babies so could grow up in flock so hens would be cool with each other, but i dont want to risk my few dutches... do they seem to hold own if bullied possibly?

 

[mama24]

I "accidentally" got a couple Dutch at TSC this spring, and had to go back for more! LOL. I'm at work, don't have any pics to post, but I wanted to join the thread. They are some of our favorite birds. My 2 year old daughter has claimed her "gray one" ("that's my gray one!" in her little toddler lisp

) since she was a little ball of gray fuzz. She's a beautiful splash pullet now, about 6weeks old. My daughter finally gave her a "real" name last night while she was holding her (they are such calm birds! Even at this young age, 6 weeks) She named her Pokey b/c of the pokey pin feathers coming in on her head. rofl! I also have a gold (or light brown??) pullet the same age. This pullet is funny. She's been missing every night for several days now. I went around our yard with a flashlight so many times and couldn't find her! Last night, I was in our shed (we keep ouir chickens in a very large shed in our yard, just close the door at night after checking to make sure they're all inside) and there she was perched way way up by the ceiling on top of one of the cabinets! She must have started doing this a few days ago! ROFL! I got lucky and also have another pullet and a cockeral 2 weeks younger than my originals. I had to go back for more b/c they're so tiny and CUTE! I'll have to post a pic of my dd holding Pokey. It's so cute! She looks like a tiny little dove. We love them all. Along with our bantam salmon faverolle and sultan, they are our favorite chicks. Our egg layers are crazy and unfriendly. lol

 

[mama24]

Here's my dd holding Pokey. Do you think she's really a Dutch? I was told she was a Dutch when I got her, but someone on the breed forum here said they were sure she was an OEGB. She's very friendly (as you can tell by the way she's falling asleep on my daughter's arm!) My daughter is 2, and the pullet is about 6 weeks old. So tiny!

 

[Henk69]

Unless your daughters is more tiny than I think, the pullet looks too big for a dutch.

 

[Pathfinders]

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Dutch have white ear lobes and slate colored legs. If you got the chicks from a feed store, the likelyhood is that they are either a) OEGB or b) Dutch that have been crossed with OEGB. There is no hatchery that has "pure" Dutch, although they will tell you they do (they consider Dutch that have been crossed with OEGB four generations back to be pure, which most serious Dutch breeders consider quite wrong.)

She sure looks cute though, have fun with her!