The Pekin is probably the most famous and popular of the true bantams.
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It is the one most commonly featured when the big prizes are announced at presentation.
Bred to an amazingly high standard, the breed has a look and style that is truly unique.
This is mainly due to it’s amount of feathering.
It is the large feathering that gives the Pekin it’s rounded fullness and feathers account for a quarter of all points allocated.
These birds do require a fair amount of care and grooming and they have extensive foot feathering which means they are not great birds for the yard, if you intend to show.
The breed has a multitude of colours, but it is the white and the black that dominate the show pen.
If you want to begin with the Pekin, go to a reliable breeder and look at the breed club website to give you the best start possible.
The birds may be expensive, but you will save many hard years of breeding if you begin with great stock.
Breeders are competitive but also friendly and helpful in my experience, with many fanciers having a lifelong love of the breed.
They do lay a goodly number of eggs but the breeding is more complicated than normal with breeders removing the tail feathers to enhance breeding or using artificial insemination.
You can get advice on this easily from breeders so don’t be daunted, be a good listener and ask questions.
As the breed is very feathery and not generally active, they can become overweight and care should be taken with feeding.
The birds I have had in the yard have been quite fine on grass as they weren’t show birds and they were great with kids, being soft and cuddly!
The Pekin are a beautiful bird and worth a look at your next show.
- Bruce Pattinson
This is a breed cultivated for centuries by the Chinese and with more than 20 colours they can certainly fill a niche in any yard or fanciers collection.
They are definitely a beautiful bird and well worth a look at your next show.
The breed has a large following and you will find the Australian National Pekin Club on their Facebook page.
They have an annual show and auction as well as a regular newsletter for members.
There is also a Pekin Bantam Club of Australia based in Armidale.
- Email: dashiel4@bigpond.com.
