Poultrymad© Pekin Bantam
The first Pekins are reputed to have been looted from the private collection
of the Emperor of China at Peking (as the Europeans called Beijing then) towards
the end of the Opium wars around 1860.
An alternative account states that an import of birds from China in
1830/1840 were given to Queen Victoria and assumed the name of 'Shanghais'.
These birds were bred with further imports and were developed into the breed we
know today as Cochins.
The Cochin miniature or bantam is now accepted as the Pekin Bantam
and was recognised as such at the Birmingham show in 1969.
However there is still disagreement by some poultry experts stating that the
Pekin Bantam is more closely related to Japanese Bantams, and being a true
bantam and not at all related to the larger Shanghais or Cochins.
Pekins are now a popular breed throughout the U.K. and the colours available
are Lavender, Blue, Silver Partridge, Red, Partridge, Blue Mottled, Columbian,
Cuckoo, Mottled, Buff, Black, White and Wheaten.
The Pekin Bantams lay small cream coloured eggs, do not require a lot of
room and their mild temperament makes training them for handling, very easy and
rewarding.
|