Bantam & Large Fowl Chicks together

[SusanPC]

I have 9 chicks with their adoptive Mama hen in a large grow-out pen. Of the 9, 3 are silkies and one is a Japanese Bantam. The other 5 are Golden Laced Wyandotte, Copper Marans, and Ameracauna. At two weeks old, the size difference has become quite noticeable. Will the small breeds be "safe" with the LF all the way to integration with my flock of 4 LF hens? I notice that the silkies spend more time under Mama, but haven't seen them get pushed around the food or water dishes... yet. Can anyone share your experience?

 

[sourland]

Bantams raised in conjunction with large fowl generally make out OK - some even rank high in the social order. They will become 'targets' when introduced to the established flock of 4 LF hens.

 

[SusanPC]

Well, it's good to know that they are "safe" for now. I do worry about integration later. I tried to let Mama and babies integrate with the other 4 hens a few days ago, but my alpha hen pecked one of the chicks (no injury) and I got too nervous to wait it out. I guess I'll deal with those other issues later and come back to the forum then! Thanks for your input sourland.