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Belgian Bantam

Belgische Kriel

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The Belgian Bantam (Naine belge / Belgische Zwerghühner) is an original true bantam without excessive frills, notable for its beautiful round shapes, slate-blue legs, red earlobes, and a single comb. They are hardy, lively birds and excellent flyers that lay about 120 small white eggs a year.

Characteristics

General Appearance

The Belgian Bantam is an original bantam breed without excessive frills, notable for its beautiful round shapes and richly developed ornamental feathering. The short back transitions smoothly into a broad and well-spread tail. They are very active and are known as excellent flyers.

Physical Traits

Weight: They are small without exaggeration. Roosters typically weigh between 1.21-1.43 lbs (550-650g), and hens weigh between 1.10-1.21 lbs (500-550g).
Comb: The Belgian Bantam features a single comb that is not too large.
Earlobes: Red, without any trace of white.
Tail: The tail is broad and well-spread, flowing in a smooth line from the short back.
Shanks: The legs (shanks) are slate-blue in color.
Ring Size: Roosters use an 11 mm ring, and hens use a 10 mm ring.

Egg Laying

Despite their small size, these bantams are reasonably productive and require very little maintenance.

Egg Production: Hens lay approximately 120 eggs per year.
Egg Size & Color: The eggs are small and white, weighing around 30 to 35 grams.
Broodiness: The hens are good brooders that incubate their eggs with a lot of love, and the chicks are very strong and grow up quickly.

Hen vs Rooster

Besides the standard sexual dimorphism in poultry (such as sickle feathers in roosters), both the hen and rooster share the same compact, rounded body type. If allowed to free-range, hens are known to hide their eggs and can be quite elusive, only allowing humans to approach within 1 to 2 meters.

Climate

These birds are very hardy and lively. Because they are excellent flyers, it is highly recommended to keep them in a covered run or aviary. They can roam free in large gardens with high fences, but they tend to wander in small groups.

Color Varieties

The most common color variety for the Belgian Bantam is Partridge (Patrijs), which has gained popularity in recent years. In total, the Belgian Bantam is recognized in a wide variety of colors, although not all of them are officially recognized in neighboring countries like the Netherlands.

Recognized in the Netherlands: Partridge (Patrijs) and Silver Partridge (Zilverpatrijs).
Not recognized in the Netherlands (but exist in Belgium): Blue Partridge (Blauwpatrijs), White Partridge (Witpatrijs), and Red-shouldered Blue Silver Partridge (Roodgeschouderd blauwzilverpatrijs).
Other known varieties: Black (Zwart), White (Wit), Blue (Blauw), Blue Silver Partridge (Blauwzilverpatrijs), Red-shouldered Silver Partridge (Roodgeschouderd zilverpatrijs), Wheaten (Tarwe), and Silver Wheaten (Zilvertarwe).

History

The selection of the Belgian Bantam began around the year 1900 in the vicinity of Liège (Luik). Breeders utilized targeted selection on local bantam populations, an effort that ultimately gave rise to two distinct new breeds: the Belgian Bantam and the Bassette. This small fowl is essentially the specific Belgian breeding direction of the traditional partridge-colored 'English bantam' ('Engels kiekske'). For centuries, this ancestral bantam type had roamed across Europe, with nearly every country selectively breeding its own localized version.

It took considerable time and dedication before the Belgian Bantam was firmly established as a true breed, with its first official standard finally being approved in 1934. Alongside the single-combed Belgian Bantam, a rosecomb variant also emerged in the Waasland region, known today as the Waasse Bantam or locally as the 'steens kieksken'. Today, while the Belgian Bantam has become fairly widespread in Flanders (particularly the partridge varieties), it remains quite rare in Wallonia, the Netherlands, and is largely unknown in other countries.