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The Old Dutch bantam is a very old breed. It was kept by peasants to provide them with small eggs, as the law stated that all large eggs were to go to the Lord of the Manor. Bantams were first introduced into Holland by Dutch seamen through trading of the East India Company from islands near Indonesia in the seventeenth century. At the time, Bantam Island in the Dutch East Indies was a meeting point for the trade routes between Asia and the western world. The native fowl of the regions were used by the sailors as a source of meat and eggs during their voyages. At the time it was common to call any small birds “bantams” regardless of whether they originated from the Bantam islands or not. The Dutch Poultry Club first standardized the Dutch bantam in 1906, and today their standard recognizes over twenty varieties of the Dutch breed. Today the Dutch bantam is one of the most popular breeds in Holland, and is also a very popular breed in England. Indications are that Dutch birds were first imported into this country shortly following World War II. Dutch bantams were again imported into this country in 1969 and 1970 into the Wisconsin area, and again in the 1980’s into the Tennessee region. These importations are most certainly the ancestral lineage of the lines of Dutch presently being bred in both the United States and Canada. These are among the smallest bantams: cocks weigh 21 oz., hens 19 oz., cockerels 20 oz. and pullets 18 oz
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