At a glance the quick version
UK standard maximums via Poultrykeeper: cock 680 g, hen 570 g. Backyard Chicken Coops gives 0.5 to 0.7 kg overall.
Looks how to spot one
Very profuse, soft feathering with fully feathered legs and feet
A round, ball-shaped little bird that tilts forward, with short legs almost hidden under a skirt of fluffy feathers that continue right down over the feet. It has a small single comb. Hens lay small white or cream eggs.134
Personality what they are like
Calm, gentle and easy to handle, which makes Pekins popular pets for families with children, especially when handled regularly from a young age.4
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Low to moderate. Pekins potter and forage gently rather than roaming far, and do well in a modest run.45
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Chickens keep their own feathers in order by preening and dust bathing, so the main jobs are a dry dust-bath area, clean dry bedding, daily flock checks and regular egg collection. Their feathered feet stay nicest on dry ground, and low perches suit their short-legged build. Give extra shelter in cold, wet weather. Hens lay small white or cream eggs; estimates range from about 50 to 160 a year.43
Home where they are happiest
A secure, dry, well-ventilated but draught-free coop with perches and nest boxes, plus a fenced run with a patch of dry soil for dust bathing. The RSPCA suggests about 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible. Low perches, dry flooring and a sheltered run suit this small, heavily feathered bantam.56
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A complete commercial poultry ration is the base: chick starter, then grower, then layer feed once hens begin laying. Provide insoluble grit, oyster shell as extra calcium for laying hens, and constant clean water.56
Company who they like around
Chickens are flock animals that forage, roost and dust bathe together, so keep at least three birds that get along.5
The story where it all began
Pekins descend from Chinese bantams that reached Britain in the mid-1800s. One story says the first buff birds were taken from the imperial palace gardens in Peking around 1860; another links them to birds given to Queen Victoria. Buffs came first, followed by blacks and cuckoos, and many more colours have since been standardised.132
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
The Pekin is a true bantam: it has no large fowl version, even though North Americans call it the Cochin Bantam.1
- 2
The breed is named after Peking, today's Beijing, where the first birds are said to have come from.2
- 3
The UK standard recognises twelve Pekin colours, from buff and lavender to mottled and silver partridge.1
- 4
Breeders select for short shanks, which gives the Pekin its characteristic forward-tilting, teapot-like stance.3
Recognised by the official bits
- The Poultry Club of Great Britain
- Standardised as a true bantam with no large fowl counterpart; twelve colours recognised.1
- American Poultry Association / Entente Européenne
- Treated as the bantam Cochin in North America and by the Entente Européenne.1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Pekin Bantam. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Egg collectevery day
- Coop spot cleanevery day
- Coop full cleanFresh bedding and nest boxesevery month
- Mite checkLook under the wings and around the ventevery 2 weeks
- Dust bath checkKeep a dry dust bath spotevery week
- Free rangeDaily time outside in a safe runevery day
- Vet check-upFind a vet who sees poultryevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Pekin bantam - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for origin stories, Cochin relation, recognition, colours
- Pekin - The Poultry Club of Great Britain poultryclub.orgused for true bantam status, name origin
- Pekin Bantams - Poultrykeeper poultrykeeper.comused for standard weights, egg numbers and colour, colours, stance, history
- Pekin Chicken Breed Profile - Backyard Chicken Coops backyardchickencoops.com.auused for temperament, weight, height, egg numbers, care
- Keeping chickens as pets - RSPCA rspca.org.ukused for general chicken housing, social needs, feeding
- Care of the Backyard Chicken - Lafeber Vet lafeber.comused for general chicken space, perches, diet stages
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.