Do Japanese bantams make good pets?

Japanese bantams make good pets for the garden, they have a calm nature and tame easily. Most of mine are happy to be petted and sit on a knee or shoulder.

Almost without exception my Japanese bantams have been friendly chickens that enjoy human contact. While they are not big layers the eggs are quality with bright yolks and good shells.

A good temperament is one of the defining characteristics of the breed.

Below: You can see how close this Japanese bantam is to the camera and how inquisitive he is.

Being so small it makes the easy to handle making them a good choice to keep if you have children or have limited space to keep pets in .

Even the cockerels are friendly to humans. I have several and they do squabble with each other but have never shown any aggression to me or my family.

The Japanese bantam is a good flyer as far as chickens go so you will need to factor this into your planning.

Backyard or hatchery quality Japanese bantams can be bought quite cheaply and eat very little making them cheap.