Learning to identify bantam breeds from chicks

[RT Goth Barn]

I have been thinking a lot about eventually starting a bantam flock or just getting a few. While I can absolutely order which bantams I would prefer, I love to look at the mixed bantam bin at the farm store and always fall in love with a few.
I am pretty good at identifying or at least narrowing down standard chicken breeds from a few days old, but I'd like to get better at identifying bantams 1. Just for knowledge and learning purposes and 2. So that if I decide to take the leap I am not just choosing blindly!

so, I'd love to hear any tips, tricks, or info you use to help identify the different bantam breeds! And of course I'd love to see pictures and breed info of your bantams (or any bantams) and what they looked like at a few days old!

Thanks in advance, I really love learning this type of stuff!

 

[NatJ]

so, I'd love to hear any tips, tricks, or info you use to help identify the different bantam breeds!

Pretty much the same for bantams as for any other breed of chick.

The color is the most obvious thing, but for each chick color there are usually several possible breeds.

Checking comb type can help, along with looking for feathered vs. clean feet, extra toes vs. normal number of toes, muff/beard on the face (puffy cheeks), vaulted skull (will later grow a crest), and any other special traits that specific breeds are supposed to have.

Some traits show up as they grow their feathers: silkie or frizzle feathers, color and pattern in the feathers, crest on the head (chicks with a vaulted skull will grow a crest, but some chicks with a normal-shaped skull will also grow crests.)

And if you find pea-combed bantam chicks that are not right for any other breed: they are likely to be Easter Egger bantams.

 

[RT Goth Barn]

Pretty much the same for bantams as for any other breed of chick.

The color is the most obvious thing, but for each chick color there are usually several possible breeds.

Checking comb type can help, along with looking for feathered vs. clean feet, extra toes vs. normal number of toes, muff/beard on the face (puffy cheeks), vaulted skull (will later grow a crest), and any other special traits that specific breeds are supposed to have.

Some traits show up as they grow their feathers: silkie or frizzle feathers, color and pattern in the feathers, crest on the head (chicks with a vaulted skull will grow a crest, but some chicks with a normal-shaped skull will also grow crests.)

And if you find pea-combed bantam chicks that are not right for any other breed: they are likely to be Easter Egger bantams.

This is such great info thank you so much! Also, I have a few crested standard chickens and never realized about the vaulted skull, but now that I read that I realize their heads are indeed a different shape! That's wild! Thank you so much for all the info!

 

[my spoiled chickens]

Pretty much the same for bantams as for any other breed of chick.

The color is the most obvious thing, but for each chick color there are usually several possible breeds.

Checking comb type can help, along with looking for feathered vs. clean feet, extra toes vs. normal number of toes, muff/beard on the face (puffy cheeks), vaulted skull (will later grow a crest), and any other special traits that specific breeds are supposed to have.

Some traits show up as they grow their feathers: silkie or frizzle feathers, color and pattern in the feathers, crest on the head (chicks with a vaulted skull will grow a crest, but some chicks with a normal-shaped skull will also grow crests.)

And if you find pea-combed bantam chicks that are not right for any other breed: they are likely to be Easter Egger bantams.

OEGBs have eyeliner when their chicks

 

[NatJ]

OEGBs have eyeliner when their chicks

I think that is only on certain colors of Old English Game Bantams, not all of them. And certain colors of other breeds (bantam or standard) can have it too.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

I think that is only on certain colors of Old English Game Bantams, not all of them. And certain colors of other breeds (bantam or standard) can have it too.

yes but when from the assorted bantam bin if they have pink legs and eyeliner usually its an OEGB

 

[NatJ]

yes but when from the assorted bantam bin if they have pink legs and eyeliner usually its an OEGB

Good point. The colors with eyeliner do seem to be more common than some of the other colors of that breed, and the leg color also helps identify them.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

a

Good point. The colors with eyeliner do seem to be more common than some of the other colors of that breed, and the leg color also helps identify them.

and the stripes usually give it away aleast every OEGB I ever had I only have silver duckwings and bb reds

 

[NatJ]

and the stripes usually give it away aleast every OEGB I ever had I only have silver duckwings and bb reds

I don't know which chicks are usually in the hatchery assortments, but I've seen the websites for several hatcheries that also have OEGB in colors like black, blue, white, and wheaten, and none of those have stripes or eyeliner.

On the other hand, I've also seen Dark Cornish Bantams and Easter Egger bantams that had the stripes and eyeliner (but both of those had pea combs, and neither had white legs, which is why looking at combs & legs can be very helpful in addition to looking at the color & pattern of the down.)

 

[MROO]

Sebrights have rusty "thumb-prints" on their foreheads & faces ... too cute!