Booted Bantam Society UK Inaugural Open Day

Booted Bantam Society UK Inaugural Open Day

- Paul Stringer

The Booted Bantam Society was established in 2015 to promote the breed and support breeders and judges. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength and now has almost 70 members around the UK and a few from even further afield. It has run two highly successful Club Shows at the PCGB National and hosted regional shows in all four countries of the UK. The club committee have always been keen, however, to promote the social side of the Fancy and to attract new members by providing enjoyable informative events and publications. With that in mind, it set about hosting its first public open day in Stowe-by-Chartley in Staffordshire in May this year.

So 25 club members along with friends family and assorted members of the public descended on the home of Jane and Jeff Hartnett, better known to some as Chartley Chucks.

Members travelled from far and wide to be in attendance including from Ireland (yes, Ireland!), Kent, Colchester and Preston to meet on what turned out to be lovely bright sunny day. The assembled masses gathered under the large gazebo for welcome and introductions. Jeff then gave us a presentation on the incubation and rearing programme he uses with Booteds and other breeds. Members were able to contrast and compare their hatching techniques and discuss which might yield the best results. Jeff explained how he keeps all hatching eggs at around 12 to 13 degrees celsius in a fridge modified specially for the purpose before they go into the incubator, usually setting around 60 to 80 eggs each week. At Chartley Chucks, all Booteds are incubated and hatched ‘dry’. Jeff never adds any water to the incubators. Following the interesting discussion, everyone took a detailed tour to look at the incubation, brooding and growing facilities. They then had the opportunity to visit each of the breeding pens and discuss how to match up breeding pairs and trios.