New Place, Ready To Add More (Berryville, VA)

Hello. Been awhile since I've posted. I recently moved from Leesburg to Berryville, which has given me more space. I've already been able to setup a new coop and penn area for my 5 easter eggers to get us through the winter (almost 2 years old). Once spring rolls around, I intend to work on fortifying the penn area and open up to give them lots of space.

The inside of the coop is 6'x11'. I want to add a few more non-easter eggers to the mix. They just aren't regular enough layers for me, and they can't lay enough to keep up with my consumption.

Number 1, my wife believes we need a rooster. Is it possible a bantam rooster would be a good mix? I know it sounds like an odd question, but my wife really really wants to get some bantams, and she also thinks the bantam rooster might not be as loud as a full sized rooster.

Secondly, my easter eggers are very mild tempered and seem like they should get along well enough once I can add more girls to the mix. I'd like to get some different colors in my egg basket, starting with brown and white. Any issues in getting a single leghorn and a single road island red, or would they do better if I did at least 2 of each?

Hello, saw your post over in the VA thread.

Bantams are typically more flighty, and the roosters can pack a lot of attitude into that small frame.
I've got a Golden Sebright cock that just pesters the daylights out of my standard hens. They won't squat for him and he winds up just pulling feathers and making a ruckus.

Each addition to your flock will have a breaking in period while the pecking order gets reestablished, so if you can add the new birds at one time, they'd only have to go thru that once. Your local swaps would be a great place for picking up the individual hens you want to round out your egg basket.

Thanks for the info, I think that's enough to say a bantam rooster won't be a good fit. Do you think that some bantam hens would fit in okay?

I've got the space and means to separate them for a breaking in period, so I'll just work on finding what I want and get the next 3-4 hens at the same time.

re: bantams, depends on the breed 100%... my bantam Wyandottes and cochins are all pretty mellow, no attitudes at all. and if they've got girls their own size, then they don't tend to harass the big girls as bad either.

as for volume, I hear the higher registers more than I do the low, so my bantams are more noticeable than the big guys...

I agree with maggiesdad, adding the new birds all at once is much easier on the pecking order (and the new guys themselves) than singly where the new one will be picked on by everyone else who's been there for a while.

just remember each breed has a basic personality trait (tho not all follow it) so if you're looking for a particular egg color, I'd suggest looking at all the breeds that lay that color egg. IMO leghorns tend to be flighty and wouldn't be my first choice, but some of the more laid back breeds also aren't top producers... so it depends what you're looking for in a flock.

my own flock consists of Dorkings (dual purpose meat and eggs, very laid back, tends to be broody), Wyandottes (again dual purpose, nice brown eggs, pretty calm and friendly), Swedish Flower Hens (primarily egg breed, great foragers lightly tinted to pale brown eggs - EXTREMELY friendly), EE's (highly independent, calm consistent layers of blue-green eggs) and bantam cochins (very laid back, friendly, lays small to medium lightly tinted to light brown eggs, also tends to be very broody).

my own reasons for these breeds, I want a flock that can forage well, is friendly and easy to work with and gives me enough eggs to eat and hatch. the broodies can be annoying at times when I want more eggs and all they want to do is hatch them, but at the same time, they make up for it by being great mothers and saving me the work of raising the chicks myself... so it's a trade off.

I have a bantam too in my flock of all standard size hens. No problems at all! Doesn't bother the girls much at all. I have EE's, red sexlinks, blue rocks, a barred rock, one white leghorn, jersey giants and rir's. The rocks and both reds are my most consistent layers. The rocks are my most layed back. I don't think having more than one of a kind matters.

I'm taking it that you're lucky enough to not be in town limits?

I started a website about this issue: berryvillechickens.weebly.com

Well, that's a long story but I'm not limited on what I can have here.

ResidentCelt said:

I'm taking it that you're lucky enough to not be in town limits?

I started a website about this issue: berryvillechickens.weebly.com

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Not too many signatures, yet! I live outside of town limits, so I have no issues. I did sign the petition. I lived in Leesburg where I started my flock, and city ordinance allows it. I'm double shocked that Berryville disallows it!

I ended up with 3 buff orpingtons and 3 black sexlinks. Was told the sexlinks were astralorps, which I would have preferred, but will stick with the sexlinks since I've got them anyway!

manaze88 said:

Not too many signatures, yet! I live outside of town limits, so I have no issues. I did sign the petition. I lived in Leesburg where I started my flock, and city ordinance allows it. I'm double shocked that Berryville disallows it!

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As it turns out, it won't let me sign the petition, not sure why.

Did you put your email in? It makes you "log in" using your email. I guess that's how they attempt to prevent duplicate signers. There are no other restrictions I don't think. Yeah not too many signatures yet. I just created all that the day I posted it above.