Booted Bantam

General Appearance

The Booted Bantam is a somewhat compact yet upright bantam chicken, appearing low-set due to its elaborate leg and foot feathering, which forms a distinctive 'pedestal' or 'booted' appearance. This includes well-developed vulture hocks. They are generally hardy and docile birds, valued for their ornamental qualities.

Physical Traits

• Weight: Roosters typically weigh between 1.76-1.98 lbs (800-900g), and hens are between 1.21-1.43 lbs (550-650g).
• Head: Medium-sized and rather broad, with a bright red, smooth face that may have some hair-like feathers.
• Comb: A single comb, medium-sized, regularly toothed with five points, straight and upright. It is finely textured and bright red.
• Beak: Rather short, strong, and slightly curved at the tip, its color depends on the plumage variety.
• Wattles: Barely medium-long, well-rounded, fine-textured, and bright red.
• Earlobes: Elongated, round to almond-shaped, flat, smooth, fine-textured, and red with some white permissible.
• Eyes: Orange-red to reddish-brown.
• Neck: Rather short, thinning towards the head, with a gracefully arched posture and full feathering.
• Body: Broad and compact, narrowing slightly towards the rear. The rump is quite deep and filled. The back is short and broad, slightly sloping backward in a short, concave line to the tail. The saddle is rather short, broad, and equipped with moderately long saddle feathers. The breast is carried high and forward, broad, deep, and well-rounded.
• Wings: Large and long, carried low but held tightly against the body, with wingtips resting somewhat against the vulture hocks. Shoulders are broad and well-rounded.
• Tail: Medium-sized, well-spread, carried upright but not too high. The sickles are saber-shaped and extend slightly beyond the main tail feathers. The lesser sickles are somewhat curved, and tail coverts are well-developed and tight-fitting.
• Thighs: Medium-long, somewhat curved at the hock joint, strong, and well-feathered with strongly developed vulture hocks, consisting of long, stiff feathers curved inwards at the tip.
• Shanks & Toes: Shanks are rather short, of a color varying with the plumage, heavily feathered on the outer side. They have four medium-long toes. The foot feathering and shank feathering should form a beautifully continuous whole.
• Feathering: Well-developed, smooth-fitting but not too tight, without excessive down development.

The Booted Bantam is known for its decent egg production, especially considering its ornamental nature. Hens are also noted for their maternal instincts.

• Egg Production: Hens lay a good number of eggs, approximately 80-120 eggs per year.
• Egg Size & Color: They lay medium-sized eggs, weighing about 1.3-1.4 oz (35-40g), typically with cream-colored shells.
• Broodiness: Booted Bantam hens are often broody and are considered good mothers.

Apart from the secondary sexual characteristics, there are no significant differences in the general appearance of the Booted Bantam hen and rooster. However, the hen carries her tail slightly lower. Also, the presence of spurs in hens is considered a positive trait.

The Booted Bantam is described as a hardy breed, indicating its resilience to various environmental conditions. Their robust build and ample feathering, particularly on the legs and feet, provide some protection against colder temperatures. However, during wet and muddy conditions, extensive foot feathering can become a disadvantage, requiring clean and dry housing to prevent frostbite or matting. They are adaptable to both confined spaces and outdoor runs, enjoying foraging activity.

The Booted Bantam is recognized in a wide array of colors, with the standard emphasizing clear and distinct patterns where applicable. The following are some of the numerous recognized varieties:

• Partrijs (Partridge)
• Wit (White)
• Zwart (Black)
• Blauw (Blue)
• Koekoek (Cuckoo)
• Zilverpatrijs (Silver Partridge)
• Roodgeschouderd Zilverpatrijs (Red-Shouldered Silver Partridge)
• Zwart witcolumbia (Black White Columbia)
• Wit blauwcolumbia (White Blue Columbia)
• Buff zwartcolumbia (Buff Black Columbia)
• Rood zwartcolumbia (Red Black Columbia)
• Zwart witgepareld (Black Mottled)
• Blauw witgepareld (Blue Mottled)
• Parelgrijs witgepareld (Pearl Gray Mottled)
• Geelwitgezoomd (Yellow White-Laced)
• Zilver witgezoomd (Silver White-Laced)
• Citroenpel (Lemon Penciled)
• Goudpel (Gold Penciled)
• Zilverpel (Silver Penciled)