Bantams and standard hens in mixed flock

[ChickChic34]

Hello,
We are very new to raising chickens and only plan to keep 5 hens. We currently have 3 bantam hens (1 Golden Laced Sebright and 2 that appear to be Red Pyle Old English). My son wants to get a stand olive egger and a standard blue egger. Anyone know if that would work out okay? Or should we stick to all bantams?

Thanks!

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Hello,
We are very new to raising chickens and only plan to keep 5 hens. We currently have 3 bantam hens (1 Golden Laced Sebright and 2 that appear to be Red Pyle Old English). My son wants to get a stand olive egger and a standard blue egger. Anyone know if that would work out okay? Or should we stick to all bantams?

Thanks!

I have 13 chickens, 6 are bantams and 7 are standard. All of them get along great. My tiny Belgian D'Uccle is dominant to all of the standards!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I have bantams currently running around with my regular sized flock and there have been no issues. However, my bantams were brooded from day one in the barn separated by my brooder room with hardware cloth so everyone could see and hear them. My bigger hens could care less about the bantams, but everyone has a lot of space here. If it was close quarters or your coop/run is close to the minimum size requirements there might be a higher chance the little guys would get picked on.

 

[Sammi_0411]

I have 7 bantams and 5 standard size hens all get on well no issues xx

 

[Shadrach]

Hello,
We are very new to raising chickens and only plan to keep 5 hens. We currently have 3 bantam hens (1 Golden Laced Sebright and 2 that appear to be Red Pyle Old English). My son wants to get a stand olive egger and a standard blue egger. Anyone know if that would work out okay? Or should we stick to all bantams?

Thanks!

Stick to Bantams.
Should you decided to get a larger breed then I would house the bantams and larger breed seperately. I think this is the easiest way to avoid possible problems in the future.
I know the Bantams I looked after prefered to live with their own kind.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My son wants to get a stand olive egger and a standard blue egger. Anyone know if that would work out okay? Or should we stick to all bantams?

No one knows for sure. It may work out great. Even if you get all bantams it may be a disaster. Each chicken is an individual with its own personality. Each flock has its own dynamics. I assume you are talking about older chickens since it is so hard to sex bantams at hatch. Sexing standard sized is really hard too in most circumstances until they get to a certain age.

Your bantams may accept the new chickens as flock members, they may not. One of the new ones may want to be flock master and fight it out with your current dominant bantam, whether you get bantams or standards. I don't know who would win that fight or how much damage, if any, would occur.

In my opinion, if you are going to add two more girls, get what you want and make sure they are girls. Will it work out? I don't know, I just don't know. But I'd consider your odds as pretty good if you have enough room and go through a good integration.

 

[Ponyiqandhens2]

Stick to Bantams.
Should you decided to get a larger breed then I would house the bantams and larger breed seperately. I think this is the easiest way to avoid possible problems in the future.
I know the Bantams I looked after prefered to live with their own kind.

I have a very mixed flock, full size rooster( jubilee orpington) is completely dominated by my golden sebright cockerel

I have a second green queen youngster cockerel..

I have Andalusian, jubilee orpington, black australorps,light brahma, legbar, welsummer,several easter/olive eggers

Then i have oegb hen,green queen bantam, golden sebright and mille fleur d'uccle bantam hens