Bantam Classes

by Eric Markley

 

The Ohio Poultry Breeders (Ohio National) would like to encourage everyone to breed, raise, and exhibit exhibition poultry. There is truly a breed for everyone in the world. There are over 600 breeds, and the color variations within each breed are almost endless.

 

Bantams are more popular because they require less space in most cases; they consume less feed, and are easier to handle than most large fowl. They are the ideal size for the junior to start out with. For more complete information you will need to email Eric Markley or consult the American Bantam Association Standard or the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection.

 

There are 15 basic groups that all exhibition poultry fit into, but we will only cover the bantams on this page. The bantams are most commonly referred to as banties to just about everyone in the United States, although there are very few true bantams. True bantams are mostly only for exhibition. The reason for this is that most true bantams lay very small eggs and very few eggs. They also have no large fowl counterparts. Along with having very small bodies for meat production, bantams are just not big enough for slaughter.

 

All exhibition bantams fall into one of the following classes:

 

Modern Games. These are small birds usually having a good personality. They have very long legs and will stand about 12 to 15 inches tall with very small bodies.

 

Old English (OEGB). These are active little birds which usually are very alert and the males are very protective. The Old English have over 40 color variations.

**** Note The American Game Bantams when entered at poultry exhibition are also entered in this class. They are slightly larger then the OEGB but still have many of the same qualities as the OEGB. And in the past several years there has been a noted growth in this breed at the shows around the country. The American Game also have nearly as many color variations as the OEGB 

 

Rose Comb Clean Leg (R.C.C.L.). This Class covers many breeds. For the bird to fall into this class it must have a Rose Comb and no feathers on the legs. A few of the breeds in the class are Sebright, Wyandotte, and Hamburg. These birds usually make very good pets and calm down quickly.

 

Single Comb Clean Leg (S.C.C.L.). This class also covers many different breeds. For the bird to belong in this class, it must have a single blade comb and no feathers on its legs. A few of the breeds in this class are Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, Japanese.

 

All Other Comb Clean Leg (A.O.C.C.L.). This class covers over 15 breeds and these birds have a comb that is neither a single blade nor Rose Comb. In cases such as Cornish the comb is referred to as a pea comb. Some of the breeds in this class are Polish, Sumatra, and Buckeye.

 

Feather Leg. The birds in this class may have any form of comb but all do have feathers on the feet and legs, Some of the breeds in this class are Brahma, Cochin, and Silkie. Most of these breeds are very docile, non-aggressive and make good breeds for juniors to start out with.