Last night, we were unloading some chicken feed down at the coop, and I noticed that one of our little “Picard” birds was out and about – worth noting, as they typically remain indoors most of the time. We call them Picards, due to their resemblance (in our opinion) to a certain Starfleet captain, but I think that they are, in fact, Silver Duckwing Bantams. We purchased several “assorted Bantams” at Tractor Supply’s Chick Days, and the breeds were not identified, so we’ve been playing a guessing game as to “who’s what.”
Bantam (also known as “Banty”) chickens are small breeds of poultry that take their name from a seaport in Indonesia. Ships from Europe docking in the port would restock their fowl, and found that these smaller breeds were ideal for sea travel, and so they started referring to them as Bantam chickens.
Well, being that they are so small, you can imagine, with pecking order being what it is, they do get picked on by some of the larger birds. Mind you, they hold their own, and if need be, they are fast little runners! But this has also made them more open to being held by us, because they feel safe, and well, frankly, much taller than the other birds when they are in our hands.
The little hen who was out and about last night decided she wanted to gain even more elevation, hopping up to my shoulder after I picked her up.
(Please excuse the cell phone quality photo – we didn’t have the real camera with us!)
She rode around for several minutes, peeping happily, and I can’t help but think, perhaps, she was taunting the bigger birds just a bit. “See, the tall human is MY friend!”
After a few minutes, she flew down to the ground and strutted around before going inside the coop. She certainly made my night! I can’t wait for this to happen again. 🙂
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