‘Mini chicken’: Quail and partridge hybrid latest pet craze in China where owners keep them in doll houses and only eat their eggs

A previously little-known crossbreed dubbed “the world’s smallest chicken” has fuelled a pet craze among animal lovers in China.

Rutin chickens, a hybrid between a quail and a partridge bred in recent years, have become the latest must-have companion for pet owners in the country where they are prized for their cute appearance and egg laying.