Association for Promotion of Belgian Poultry Breeds

Very rare cuckoo Uccle bearded bantams

Origin : Although booted bantams are already known for centuries the selection of the Uccle bearded bantam started rather late. Around 1900 Michel van Gelder started with the creation. His aim was to create a booted bantam with a body shape with the same perfection as the Antwerp bearded bantam. To achieve this he collected a few bantams with feathered legs and crossed them with Antwerp bantams. After years of selection the new breed was born, an Antwerp bearded bantam with a single comb and feathered legs. In 1905 the first birds were entered at a poultry show as Uccle bearded bantams. The years that followed the breed was improved and new varieties were created.

Pair of porcelaine Uccle bearded bantams

Characteristics : This remarkable breed is very well suited for keeping on limited surface because of its very friendly and calm nature. In a very short time these bantams become very tame. It is possible to keep them free range in the garden where they will cause little or no harm. A famous nickname of this breed is in fact ‘the living flower of our gardens’. A nickname that can be interpreted almost literally in this case. The hens lay small white eggs and sit on them. They are very good mothers.

Appearance : The Uccle bearded bantam is a gracious and refined small bantam with a striking asymmetrical body shape. This means that, seen in profile, the front of the body is much heavier than the back. The breast is very large, carried rather high and forward, which gives this bantam a very alert and proud expression. A very well developed trilobed beard, well-developed leg feathering and vulture hocks are the most striking features of the Ukkel bearded bantam. The hackle is also very much developed. The comb is single, upright and not too large. The tail is almost carried vertically in the roosters and is rather poorly developed. 

With its refined body shape and magnificent plumage colors this thoroughbred bantam is undoubtfully one of the most striking breeds in the world. Unfortunately there are several foreign booted breeds that resemble the Uccle bantam and therefore a big international breakthrough like the Antwerp knew never came.

Varieties : This breed is recognized in a large number of varieties and regularly new ones are presented. The most typical is without any doubt the millefleur (in Dutch ‘thousand colors’, in French ‘thousand flowers’). Recognized varieties are : white, black, blue laced, lavender, buff, red, cuckoo, quail, blue quail, silver quail, blue silver quail, millefleur, porcelaine, ochre-white porcelaine, black mottled, blue mottled, lavender mottled, black-red, silver duckwing, columbian, columbian blue, buff columbian, buff columbian blue. There are also some varieties which haven’t been officially recognized yet, such white quail, lemon porcelaine, silver porcelaine and blue millefleur.

State : Rather rare. Is kept all over Belgium but in small numbers. The most common variety is millefleur but also quail is presented regularly. Porcelain is steadily going downhill and the other varieties are very rare. Outside Belgium they can be found in Holland and on the Internet one can also find them in the U.S. and Australia although the quality of these birds is very poor based on Belgian standards.