Talk to me about bantam roosters with standard hens!

[Noble Rooster]

We had to re-home our rooster several months ago because our flock was just too small and three of the ladies in particular were getting rather torn up. I don't regret moving him at all since his new home is Rooster Nirvana -- he has a flock of 30 ladies now -- but I do miss the protection and flock herding services he provided. I was wondering, would a bantam rooster guarding a flock of standard hens cause the same kind of physical damage during breeding as a standard rooster? (My guy was a huge SLW, and was easily twice as large as our hens.) This is assuming he is generally polite to them, well-mannered, etc. Whether the eggs end up being fertile doesn't matter to me. Thanks in advance!

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

I have kept a bantam roo with standard hens with no problem. They tend to be gentler (especially bantam cochins, which I highly recommend) and they do even get the eggs fertilized. As for protection, he won't be as capable as a standard, but will still do all he can.
I say try it, he should be much gentler with your girls. I've had no problems with the arrangement, and love my bantie boys very much, they're just much more gentle all the way round. And I'm sure your girls would like it better!

 

[uzisuzuki]

I've noticed that my little Sebright rooster has a bit of a tougher time mating with his standard Polish ladies and there is some damage to their crests when he's trying to... stay on, for lack of a better term. Overall, there isn't any bare spots or serious feather loss and he gets the eggs fertilized. He is very vigilant in guarding them and rounding them back up into their pen when he feels they've free ranged enough. Much like the above poster, I doubt he'd win in a fight against a predator, but that wouldn't stop him from going out swinging.

 

[pdirt]

We had our silkie rooster with silkie hens and large size hens for about a year before we got our Swedish Flower roo. The silkie roo has been a good guy, very gentle with the ladies (no missing feathers, etc.), was good at finding them food and treats. He was "okay" in terms of alerting for danger and protecting the crowd, but in case of an actual predator (a hawk for example), he would simply run for cover. Our Swedish roo is good/better on all fronts, except our flock is now rather weathered looking from his rough handling.

If you're interested in silkies, I would recommend a roo for your needs.

 

[Noble Rooster]

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts! I'm thinking this may be the way to go eventually -- plus bantams are so darn cute! And now I have a reason to start lobbying for a Cochin.

 

[Dracana]

I have 2 bantam Mottled Cochin roos and 1 bantam Easter Egger roo that I need to get rid of. I already have a very sweet and diligent LF roo. Too bad you didn't live near me as you could have one for free. I'm in Ohio.