bantams can live with regular chickens right?

[naturababe]

my daughter is getting bantam chicks for her birthday. i just want to double check that at some point they can live with the rest of our chickens. i've read that you should wait until the younger chickens are about the size of the older chickens and then put them together but the bantams will never be "about the size" of our current ladies.

thanks guys!

 

[chickiedoo]

Mine does. I have a little bitty black silkie with my RIR and Black Sexlink and they do fine. I will say that my silkie is older by about 2 months than the other 2 but I dont think it would have been a problem either way.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

It depends on the breed of bantam, some are bigger then others. I had some Japanese bantams with the standards and they were fine, I tried Sebrights but they weren't getting enough to eat.

 

[NYRIR]

I don't personally have bantams but my friend does....she has quite a large flock of DP birds and she has 2 old english bantams mixed right in with them...well,all summer.In the winter she keeps them inside because they can't handle the cold.I've seen them and they look good...no pecking or anything.Hope that helps!

 

[naturababe]

thanks, although not handling the cold is going to be a problem. hmm. i need to go read up on the kind i ordered.

 

[gryeyes]

I have several bantam chickens as part of my flock with a slew of large fowl breeds. They're all perfectly fine, even the Sebrights. They all range freely in the yard together. I haven't added the Porcelain D'uccles or Hamburg chicks to the general population, yet. There are bantam cochins, bantam EEs, Sebrights, and a bantam Brahma. I brooded and "grew out" the bantams with LF birds, so there weren't JUST a set of bantam birds having to integrate into a LF flock; their brooder buddies possibly ran interference for 'em.

 

[ruby]

I adopted a flock of birds. The place they were didn't want to winter with them. It was a camp for kids. Other than some nutritional problems they have bounced back quite well. They all ate feathers, no protein in their diet! Any way these girls came with 5 bantams.
I kept 3 golden comets and one barred plymouth rock. They have all been introduced to the big flock, but I have not let the bantams in with the big girls. There is one roo in the bantams, the only roo in the pen et all..... I re-homed at least 12 other girls to a very good home, they are played with by two little girls and loving parents to boot..... I knew this family had the pens, they just hadn't had any birds for a couple of years. My question is introducing the bantams with my girls. They can see them, and the other golden comets hang around their pen. It's kinda cute the way they still know they belong together. I will integrate them in, but I'm still a little cautious with them. Should I wait till it's warmer? The bantams are comfortable now, just not able to roam with the big girls in the afternoon. I will leave their pen open to them as long as they use it. Any thoughts....?

 

[sourland]

If bantams are raised with standard fowl there is generally not too much of a problem. Introducing smaller birds to larger birds is generally a problem because of the nature of the beast. Depending on the breed of bantams (quickness, agility, ability to escape) and breed of standards (aggressive temperment) it may have a positive resolution. Crested bantams are at a distinct disadvanage with other fowl.

 

[grendel]

Bantam roos with large hens are fine,standard roos with bantam hens can be a problem.I have a La fleche roo in with a mille fluer hen and seven standard hens and it is working out.

 

[naturababe]

Ok. I'm getting standard chicks a couple weeks after the bantam chicks. I can raise them together and then introduce those twelve to the three older girls. I figure the numbers will work in my favor 12 to 3.