Uses: Exhibition.
Eggs: 200 – 250 tinted / brown.
Origin: Belgium.
Weight: Cock: 680-790g max, Hen: 570-680g max.
Colours: Many colour varieties. The main ones are Porcelain, Millefleur Quail, Blue Quail, Silver Quail, Lavender Quail, Cuckoo, Black, Black Mottled, Blue, Lavender and White.
Useful to Know: A true bantam, so they have no large counterpart. Whilst not always difficult to keep or rear, varieties with feathered feet must be kept mud free which means covered runs and regular cleaning is usually required, especially during the winter months.
Photo: A Barbu d’Uccle Belgian Bantam.
The Bearded Belgian Bantam is a very old breed of true bantam. In Britain, there are 5 varieties standardised: Barbu d’Anvers, Barbu d’Uccle, Barbu de Watermael, Barbu d’Everberg and Barbu de Grubbe.
First arriving in England in 1911, fanciers from Belgium exhibited them at the Crystal Palace show where they attracted significant attention and it wasn’t long before fanciers took to the breed. Originating in different areas of Belgium, the translation of Barbu is “Bearded” so the breed names are “Bearded from…” Anvers, Uccle, Watermael, Everberg or Grubbe.
The Barbu d’Everberg is a Rumpless Barbu d’Uccle and the Barbu du Grubbe is a Rumpless Barbu d’Anvers. They follow the standard of the d’Uccle and the d’Anvers however they do not have a tail. The tail feathers should be covered with saddle feathers as the lower back. Barbu d’Uccle has feathered legs and has a single comb and the d’Anvers has clean legs and a rose comb.
The colour varieties available in Belgian Bantams are very different to other breeds with exotic names such as Porcelain, Millefleur and Quail. There are many different colour varieties available.
Breeding Hints
It can take over a year for Belgian Bantams to develop their true ‘type’.
Photos
Books
The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.
- Popular Poultry Breeds – D. Scrivener – P.29
- Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds – C. Ekarius – P.109
- British Poultry Standards – P.65
- American Standard of Perfection – P.269
Breed Clubs
These are the breed clubs for Belgian Bantams:
- UK: The British Belgium Bantam Club
- Australia: The Belgium Bantam Club of Australia
