The Nankin is one of the oldest true bantams, a tiny golden-buff fowl from Southeast Asia recorded in England as far back as the 1500s and later used to help create breeds like the Sebright. Roosters and hens alike sport rich buff plumage with black tails, and the flock is famously tight-knit — birds rarely stray far from one another as a defense against larger fowl. Prized above all as broody mothers, Nankins were long kept on game farms to hatch pheasant, quail and partridge eggs. Calm, historic and critically rare, they're a breed for preservationists and bantam lovers.
Beginner friendly
Quiet breed
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Broody
Egg colorWhite
Egg production80–100 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessFrequent
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeShow
Weight
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.2–1.4 lb
Rooster1.4–1.6 lb
How to spot it
CombSingleRose
Single comb is most common; a rose-comb form exists
Earlobes
Red
Legs & feet
Slate-blue legs, four toes
Plumage
Rich golden buff over the body with a black tail; both sexes the same buff
Look for
A very small buff bantam with slate legs and a contrasting black tail carried high
Single
Rose
