Feed and treats for Japanese bantams.

Japanese bantams require a little extra care when it comes to feeding as they are so small. This means they lack the bodily reserves of larger chickens which can be a problem with the short days of winter.

Feeding Japanese bantams:

The Japanese bantam requires a balanced diet of pellets or mash, scratch grains and fresh greens to keep them healthy and happy. Pellets or mash should be at least 75% of the diet to make sure they get all the nutrients they need.

You can free range Japanese bantams, they are just as good as any other chicken at finding their own food and free ranging has nutritional and psychological benefits for chickens, allowing them to indulge in natural behaviours like scratching and dust bathing. 

Below: If you look carefully you can see 4 types of bantam in my mixed flock, including a pure white Japanese hiding in the middle.

I am a firm believer in free ranging and my flock has nearly 6 acres to forage in.

Clean fresh water is just as important as the feed.

Feeding Japanese bantam chicks:

Japanese bantam chicks are very small but can still manage the standard chick crumb with no problems. I always use a medicated crumb to help keep coccidiosis out of the brooder.

Below: The chicks are small but will manage just fine, even with large fowl chicks in the same brood.

Japanese bantams chicks should be fed a high quality chick crumb till they are 8 to 10 weeks of age.

This should be followed with a growers pellet until they reach 30 weeks of age then switch to a standard layers ration from 30 weeks.

Below: Here are some of my bantams eating sprouted canola or rapeseed. It adds variety to the diet and they are cheap and simple to produce.

Japanese bantams are not quick to mature so you should persevere with the crumb a little longer than would with large fowl chickens and the layers ration should not be fed until they are fully mature.

Do Japanese bantams need special food?

Japanese bantams do not need special food, I keep mine quite happily with the large fowl chickens and they eat the same pellets, get the same scratch and free range just as the big chickens do.

Below: My Japanese run with a large free range flock.

Treats for Japanese Bantams:

Treats for my Japanese bantams include shelled sunflower seeds and fresh corn kernels. They must be shelled as the husk is 40% of the seed and has no nutritional value.

Treats can include:

• Shelled sunflower seed,
• Fresh green peas or sweetcorn kernels,
• Home made seed and insect coconut peck blocks,
• Earthworms or woodlice,
• Sprouted grains or seeds.

Treats to avoid are those that contain added sugar or salt, those that have been overly processed or have too much fat or dairy. These can upset the digestive system.

The secret to keeping healthy chickens is not to overdo the treats, extras in the diet should never be more than 5 to 10% of what the birds eat.

Below: A mother hen and her chicks getting some fresh corn kernels as a treat.

I make up my own scratch and add hemp and safflower seeds for variety and extra nutrition.