Bantam Breeds- Hard to raise?

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

I'll be the first to say I know little to none about bantams only that they're cute and mini versions of big chickens. lol

With that stated.
Are they hard to raise? Is there anything that needs to be done special for them?
Do's and don't's?

Our local TSC had some & they were really tempting today, not that I need anymore but lol the tiny size is very interesting to me. lol But I'd like to know more about them.

 

[Pyxis]

This will vary between breeds! For example, I raise Ko Shamos, and I love them. (You're not going to find them at TSC, so I'm using them just as an example). They are great little birds, but because of their hard feathering, don't handle the cold well, so they have to be in my workshop during winter up here in the Northeast.

Now, contrast that to a bantam brahma, which is just a small version of a large fowl brahma. They are very hardy little birds, no issues with cold. Bantam cochins also usually have no issues, and I've found d'uccles do fine too.

I've had little OEGBs before and they handle the cold just fine and are hardy, easy to raise little birds. Seramas, though, everyone who keeps them up here says they need to be indoor birds.

So really it does vary between breeds. On the whole, they're really just as easy to raise as large fowl chickens, with the bonus that they of course eat less. Their size can also make them easier to handle and transport, which makes them great for showing (which is why I have mine). But, smaller size does mean that they are easier targets for predators, and some breeds can be less hardy.

 

[Addicted To Chickens]

Hey, Hello! Bantams are great! The only con I can think of is that they can get easily picked on my the bigger hens and cannot defend themselves that well since they're really small.

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

This will vary between breeds! For example, I raise Ko Shamos, and I love them. (You're not going to find them at TSC, so I'm using them just as an example). They are great little birds, but because of their hard feathering, don't handle the cold well, so they have to be in my workshop during winter up here in the Northeast.

Now, contrast that to a bantam brahma, which is just a small version of a large fowl brahma. They are very hardy little birds, no issues with cold. Bantam cochins also usually have no issues, and I've found d'uccles do fine too.

I've had little OEGBs before and they handle the cold just fine and are hardy, easy to raise little birds. Seramas, though, everyone who keeps them up here says they need to be indoor birds.

So really it does vary between breeds. On the whole, they're really just as easy to raise as large fowl chickens, with the bonus that they of course eat less. Their size can also make them easier to handle and transport, which makes them great for showing (which is why I have mine). But, smaller size does mean that they are easier targets for predators, and some breeds can be less hardy.

Thank you for the help.

The bin was a complete mix of assorted bantams. So who knows what I would have ended up with. lol We don't get cold winters as much as intense heat. Our standard cochins, get hot fast. So need lighter feathered birds for us.

 

[Pyxis]

Thank you for the help.

The bin was a complete mix of assorted bantams. So who knows what I would have ended up with. lol We don't get cold winters as much as intense heat. Our standard cochins, get hot fast. So need lighter feathered birds for us.

Generally those mixtures at TSC contain silkies, cochins, d'uccles, OEGBs, and sebrights. Sometimes, but more rarely, Dutch and Japanese. Or at least those are the ones that come in to my store, haha. So if you asked for birds that were clean-legged, you'd very likely be ending up with sebrights or OEGBs, which I imagine would do well for you

 

[NatJ]

I'll be the first to say I know little to none about bantams only that they're cute and mini versions of big chickens. lol

With that stated.
Are they hard to raise? Is there anything that needs to be done special for them?
Do's and don't's?

I've had some bantams, with no trouble. Mine included Easter Egger bantams, Cornish bantams, Old English Game bantams, Plymouth Rock Bantams, and maybe a few others that I've forgotten.

I have avoided Silkies, because they do have some special needs (can't see well with the crest, can't fly with the different feathers)

I have a personal preference for breeds with no crests and no feathers on the feet, so I have only had bantams that have clean legs and uncrested heads.

The bin was a complete mix of assorted bantams. So who knows what I would have ended up with. lol We don't get cold winters as much as intense heat. Our standard cochins, get hot fast. So need lighter feathered birds for us.

It's possible to recognize certain traits even in chicks. Sometimes that is enough to tell the breed, or at least make a good guess.

Chicks with fuzzy feet will grow up to have feathered feet. (Silkies, Cochins, Brahmas, d'Uccles, maybe a few others)

Chicks with a lump on top of their head will grow up to have a crest on the head (usually Silkies or maybe Polish.)

Chicks with black skin are usually Silkies.

If you look up comb types for various breeds, you can sometimes recognize those in the chicks. Rose combs are flat and are wider than most other combs (Sebrights, Wyandottes, d'Anvers). Single combs are skinny little things with serrated tops, that may stand up or may flop sideways (Old English Game, Japanese, Cochin, d'Uccle, occasionally appears from any of the rose comb types as well). Pea combs are in-between those two in width, and otherwise not too noticeable (Brahma, Cornish, many Easter Eggers).

Some chicks have distinctive coloring that can be recognized. Some others can easily be mistaken for each other (example: a plain yellow chick might grow up to be a White Cochin, a White Japanes, a White Old English Game, a white Easter Egger, or several other options.)

 

[JenandDave]

We’ve had RIR banties before and they were great! Easy to raise and the sweetest little hens ever. Also good egg layers of light brown eggs. Never had any other bantams so my experience is limited to three birds.

 

[kurby22]

I love my bantams, and definitely find them easier to raise than my large fowl birds. They get sick less often and get less affected by the weather changes. Plus they eat less, drink less, and poop less! And they take up way less space so you can have more of them in the same space. All good things when you’re a chickenaholic

I have bantam EEs, Ameraucanas, light and buff Brahmas, Wyandottes, Cochins, d’Uccles, d’Anvers, Watermaals, Olandsk Dwarfs, Swedish Hedemoras, and satins and silkies. They all live together and tolerate each other well. I even have them mixed in with a few super gentle LF birds, like my buff laced Polish and BLR Wyandotte, and sometimes my Russian Orloff flies over the fence to hang with them too. I love them all, some gentle, some sweet, and some very sassy. Lots of personality in their tiny bodies and so fun and colorful