The Belgian Bantam, nl, Belgisch kriel, italic=no, french: Naine belge, italic=no, is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of bantam chicken from Belgium. It is a true bantam, and has no full-sized counterpart; cocks weigh about and hens about It is in danger of extinction; in 2010 a total of 168 birds were counted in the whole of Belgium. Fourteen colour patterns are recognised in the European standard.

History

Like the

Dutch Bantam The Dutch Bantam ( nl, Hollandse Kriel, italic=no) is a breed of bantam chicken originating in the Netherlands. It is a true bantam, a naturally small bird with no related large fowl from which it was miniaturized. It is kept mainly for exhibitio ...

and the French

Pictave The Pictave is an endangered French breed of bantam chicken. It is named for the Pictavi, the tribe which gave its name to the former Province of Poitou, now part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is a true bantam, and has no full-sized ...

, the Belgian Bantam derives from the widespread European population of small partridge-coloured bantams which in Flemish were known as ''Engelse kiekskes'', "English bantams". From about 1900 these were

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

in the area of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, in Wallonia. Two distinct bantam breeds were developed, the Belgian Bantam and the

Bassette Liégeoise The Bassette Liégeoise or Bassette is a breed of large bantam chicken from Belgium. It is larger than most bantams, but much smaller than full-sized breeds; cocks weigh about and hens about Like most Belgian bantam breeds, it is in danger ...

. The Belgian Bantam breed standard was not drawn up until 1934. The Belgian Bantam is distributed mainly in Flanders, with a few in Wallonia and in the Netherlands. It is rare and at risk of extinction; in 2010 a total of 168 birds were counted in the whole of Belgium.

Characteristics

The Belgian Bantam is very similar to the Dutch Bantam, but is slightly larger. It is nevertheless among the smallest bantam breeds, with cocks weighing about and hens about It is small and alert. The

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

is single, and the legs are slate-blue. Fourteen colour patterns are listed in the European standard for the breed, of which thirteen are officially recognised in Belgium. Partridge is the colour most commonly seen; the partridge variant colours are rare, and the other colours extremely rare.

Use

Belgian Bantam hens are good layers of small white eggs weighing . They are good sitters and good mothers.

References

{{Chicken breeds of Belgium Bantam chicken breeds Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in Belgium