On the third day of Christmas

The famous Christmas carol celebrates "three French hens", but what if we gave the verse a smallholder's twist? Cara Wheeldon introduces three festive bantam breeds that bring sparkle, charm, and cheer to coops across Britain this winter.

- Cara Wheeldon

THE TALE OF THREE FRENCH HENS

The “three French hens” of The Twelve Days of Christmas carol may sound like a whimsical gift, but in the 18th century they would have represented real wealth. A trio of plump, reliable layers was a promise of food security, comfort, and abundance at the darkest time of year. Poultry has always carried symbolic weight in our festive traditions, from goose on the table to eggs symbolising new life.

But if we were to rewrite the carol for today’s smallholders, it would be less about large French table birds and more about something smaller, brighter, and endlessly more decorative: bantams. These little chickens have a way of brightening up coops even on the gloomiest winter’s morning. In fact, there are three breeds in particular that could easily take their place as the true “three hens of Christmas.” Round as puddings, glittering like tinsel, and dressed in feathered slippers, they bring joy far beyond their size.

So, on the third day of Christmas, let’s unwrap three bantam breeds, the Pekin, the Sebright, and the Barbu d’Uccle, and see why they’re the perfect festive companions.

FEATHERED PUDDINGS WITH PERSONALITY

If ever a chicken embodied the spirit of Christmas, it must be the Pekin. With their rounded shape and low-sweeping feathers, they look as though they’ve rolled straight out of the kitchen alongside a Christmas pudding.

HC Gutterage from east Cheshire, who keeps two Pekins, describes them perfectly: “They are festive because they are the shape of a slightly squashed Christmas pudding, he laughs. “And because they are millefleur, they look like one in colour, too.”