A Belgian Bantam is a miniature fowl, without any large counterpart, that was originated in the country Belgium, after which it is called. The time of their exact origin is lost in antiquity, but it is known that they have existed for many centuries.

       Belgian Bantams should be as small as possible. Various miniature fowl are known to have existed in parts of the Netherlands and Belgium for several centuries, although there are no written accounts prior to the early seventeenth century.

    In the seventeenth century the Dutch artist, Albert Cuyp, is acknowledged to have painted a hen with the distinctive Quail markings, which later became associated with the d'Anvers. Also, René Delin, a noted animal painter had in his possession a pamphlet edited in Paris in 1617, which depicted a bearded chicken from the Pays-Bas. Sailors from Malaya were also reported to have imported what was to become d'Anvers into Antwerp towards the end of the seventeenth century.

    It wasn't until a French book, "Le Poullailler", was published in the mid nineteenth century that a definite description of a Barbu d'Anvers can be found. There is also a good description of a Cuckoo Barbu d'Anvers in a book by La Perre de Roo, written in 1881. By the late nineteenth century the Antwerp Bearded Bantam (as the d'Anvers was then called) was becoming quite well established, with Cuckoo being the most common color, followed by Black.

    They became more popular in the 1890's when poultry shows were being staged regularly. One show in 1895 in Brussels saw fifty-one Barbu d'Anvers exhibited. Then at Liege in 1895 a large number, mainly cuckoos and blacks, were exhibited. Expert breeders around Brussels became associated with the "new" breed and the birds were culled more heavily. Many birds were bought and sold from the Sunday poultry auctions at the Great Market of Brussels.

    Michel van Gelder is credited with creating the excellent type and most of the colour varieties that we see today. He was a wealthy fancier from Brussels, Belgium.  He traveled to France, Holland, and Germany for bearded bantams in order to obtain excellent stock to establish the breed. In 1904 the "Club Aviucole du Barbu Nain" (Bearded Bantam Club) was founded in Brussels and soon afterwards the Antwerp Bearded Bantam (the Barbu d'Anvers) greatly increased in popularity and numbers, and became the national breed of Belgium.                            

    In 1905 a Standard for Barbu d'Anvers was officially recognized with the colors accepted being Black, Cuckoo and White. In 1909 there were 6,890 bantams exhibited by 961 breeders at poultry shows attended by the Club Avicole de Barbu Nain. The club had weekly meetings, with lectures given by specialists each month to an avid audience. In the city of Liege the Club had grown so quickly a full time paid secretary treasurer was required. Exports to other countries, particularly England, were organized, with prices for excellent birds being quite high. Then in 1910 Quail was officially added to the Standard.   

    In 1916 a Club for d'Anvers was established in Antwerp and two events held at about that time, the World Exhibition and Pluimreesalon (a large poultry show), greatly enhanced the breed's reputation, especially on an international level. Sadly, just at the height of popularity, the First World War broke out, which was to have a devastating effect on Europe, and the breed and numbers dropped dramatically. The breed recovered but never achieved its earlier dominance.  Further destruction in Belgium during the Second World War also took its toll and the breed almost disappeared. It was during this war that the best stock was gathered together in one place in order to preserve the principal strains. Feed was scarce so they were kept alive and safe mostly due to donations from fanciers.

There are five main types in Belgian Bantams:

    The Belgian Bearded d’Anvers are bearded, have a rose comb and are clean legged. They have a long, though imperfectly known, history and it is evident that they existed for several centuries in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. Louis Vander Snickt wrote that the Barbu d'Anvers were imported at the end of the seventeenth century by navigators from the Malayan Isles to the port of Antwerp. It is obvious that such birds would have been crossed with other breeds kept, but the character of the d'Anvers was never lost. Louis Vander Snickt said that the bantams were known in cuckoo, black and gold. The golden were the forerunners to quail. Charles Jacque, a French artist (1813-1894) in his book on poultry written in 1860, gives a description of the cuckoo variety. In 1890 poultry shows began to take place in Belgium and in 1895 at a show in Brussels, 51 d'Anvers were exhibited. In 1904 the "Bearded Bantam Club" was formed in Brussels and from then on the birds increased in popularity so much that by 1909 a total of 6890 d'Anvers were exhibited by 961 breeders. A standard for them had been recognized since 1905. Just when the Barbu d'Anvers were at the height of their popularity the first World War broke out and the breed dwindled in number.

    The Belgian Bantams have a tiny stature with a pert, upright carriage and whiskery owl-like faces. They are also unusual in that their plumage doesn't reach its full potential until after the first molt, and the quality is then maintained for many years.

In recent years they have become popular with many show exhibitors as the complex color varieties offer a special appeal. Breeding for exhibition quality is a challenge, not only with regard to plumage color, but also in maintaining the type.

Their small size and docile nature ensures easy handling and the d'Uccle’s feathered legs do very little damage if kept in a back yard or garden. There is a difference in temperament between the two main types, with the d'Anvers being a bit more active and mischievous, while the d'Uccles are more placid.

There are other types of Belgian bantams, click here to read more.

Quail	Black
Blue	Self Blue
Mottled	Mille Fleur
Cuckoo	Porcelain
White	Blue Quail
Buff	Columbian
Buff Columbian