Bantams and Pullets

Thanks for all the lovely comments yesterday, the new birds are settling in well although they are all still very bedraggled with all this rain.

I've just been moving Mother Goose (the hen) and her Gosling children to the Eglu, the little broody run was proving too small for them already.  Lovely Hubby is going to make them a Goose House with a roosting bar for Mum when they are a bit bigger but for now the Eglu will do fine.

Campfire, you asked what is the difference between a bantam and a pullet, well a Pullet is officially any chicken that is less than one year old, when they reach one year then they are known as a hen or a cockerel. 

A Bantam is usually a small sized copy of a larger bird, lots of pure breed chickens have a Bantam counterpart, which are around a third to half the size of them.  Although there are now some true Bantams these are mainly bred for showing, and are very fancy birds.

Bantams are brilliant birds for smaller back gardens as they are quieter, make less mess, eat less and won't decimate your flower and veggie beds.  They lay gorgeous little tasty eggs, but you do need to use two for every one hens egg called for in a recipe.  They are friendly, cuddly little birds and usually make great pets for children.  Some cockerels can be aggressive though as they seem to have 'little man syndrome', so stick to girls if they are for children.

So there you have it, I have Bantams, Pullets, Hens, Cockerels and a lovely little trio of Chinese Grey Goslings.  We're all very birdie here in Berkshire at the moment.......Lol.

Sue xx