What is a Small Chicken Called?

Chickens come in all shapes and sizes, from massive broiler chickens raised for meat to petite bantams perfect as pets So what are the names for tiny chickens? Let’s take a look at some common terms for small chicken breeds

Bantam Chickens

The most general term for a small chicken is a bantam. Bantams are miniaturized chickens that are about one quarter to one third the size of regular chickens.

Most standard chicken breeds have a bantam counterpart that has been selectively bred to be tiny. For example, there are bantam versions of popular breeds like Cochins, Silkies, and Polish. Bantams weigh just 1-2 pounds on average compared to the 5-10 pound weight of full sized chickens.

The name bantam comes from the port of Bantam in Indonesia where European sailors first encountered these pint-sized chickens in the 1500s. Fanciers started breeding them in earnest in the 1800s. Today bantams are kept as pets and show birds.

True Bantams vs Miniatures

There are two types of bantams – true bantams and miniatures. True bantams are naturally small breeds like the Dutch, Japanese, and Sebright. Miniatures are mini versions of standard sized breeds. Miniatures tend to be a bit larger than true bantams, weighing 1.5-2.5 pounds.

Other Terms for Small Chickens

Poussin

A poussin is the French term for a young chicken under 28 days old Commercial poussins are usually slaughtered at 21-28 days when they weigh just 14-16 oz, The term poussin isn’t used much for live chickens,

Cornish Game Hen

In North America, a Rock Cornish game hen is a specific hybrid breed of miniature chicken. It was developed in the 1950s by crossing a Cornish chicken and White Plymouth Rock chicken.

Rock Cornish game hens weigh 1.5-2 pounds and are slaughtered at 4-6 weeks old. This makes them larger than the typical European poussin.

Spring Chicken

Traditionally, a spring chicken referred to a chicken that was less than one year old at slaughter. The term spring chicken is still used sometimes to refer to a chicken under 1 year old.

Nowadays though, spring chicken is more commonly used to refer to chickens weighing 26-30 oz, making them slightly larger than a poussin but smaller than a Cornish game hen.

Broiler

A broiler or fryer chicken is a young meat chicken. Most broilers are a cross between the Cornish and Rock breeds. They are slaughtered between 5-10 weeks when they reach 4-5 pounds.

So broilers are larger than a poussin or Cornish game hen but still on the small side compared to a mature chicken. The terms broiler and fryer are used mainly in the commercial meat industry rather than for live chickens.

Why Keep Small Chickens?

So why would you want tiny chickens when you could have full sized hens? Here are some advantages of small breeds like bantams:

• They are cute! With their petite size and fluffy feathers, bantams make great backyard pets. Kids and adults alike will enjoy their antics.

• They are quiet. The smaller size of bantams means they have a softer, gentler crow and quieter vocalizations than bigger roosters. Your neighbors will appreciate it.

• They eat less. Since bantams are smaller, they need less feed. A flock of bantams costs much less to feed than standard chickens.

• They fit in small spaces. A bantam’s tiny size – about 1/4 that of a regular hen – makes them perfect for urban and suburban yards with limited space.

• They lay smaller eggs. Bantam hens lay eggs that are about 1/3 the size of large chicken eggs. The small eggs are so cute and fit perfect for a snack or child’s portion.

So whether you call them bantams, poussins, or spring chickens, small chickens make wonderful pets and producers of bite-sized eggs. Just be sure you have the proper space and care to meet their needs. Then you’ll be rewarded with years of enjoyment from your mini flock.

Small chickens are commonly called bantams or Cornish game hens.