Bantams in the flock?

[taprock]

I am new to bantams. I have 36 chickens of a variety of breeds. Only 3 are bantams. I have 2 roos and a hen. Will bantams fit in with a large fowl flock or will they get picked on? I love my little hen and don't want anything to happen to her. Is it true that the roos are more aggressive? I have a home for one of the roos but starting to reconsider having either as they are little but seem to like to pick fights. Should I get more

to keep my few company?

 

[Chiko]

My bantams fit in great with my Large Fowl. I have a Large Fowl cochin and a Bantam Cochin, I also have an Australorp that's good friends with my Japanese Bantams

They should be fine.

 

[Pele]

It depends on your flock, to be honest. Some mix fine, some flocks are more closed and would pick on your bantams (it also depends on the bantams personalities).

I personally have had miserable luck with it. I had a flock of 5 standard sized girls (Red SLs and an EE) that completely rejected two bantam cochins I tried to introduce to them. I spent 3 weeks trying to intergrate them, and tried all the tricks. Nothing worked; my standards were out for cochin blood. I eventually gave up because I was starting to feel cruel making the cochins endure all of that, and gave them to a neighbor who has a bunch of bantams herself. (she bought a straight run and ended up with 10 roos out of 14 birds). She was deeply grateful for the hens, and the cochins were probably deeply grateful not to be harrassed by giant monsters anymore.

Just do the usual steps for introduction, and your birds will let you know if it's going to work or not.

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

I have Bantams in with my MIL's RSLs and my 2 Jersey Giants! They all get along.. Although I tried putting my Serama in with them and they must have thought she was a rat or something an went after her an her being so small (I think she might be a Micro Serama), I wasnt going to risk her getting hurt

 

[bt03]

I kept my bantam and LF separate for almost 6 months scared that they would get hurt.... Little did I know, the bantam are now at the top of the pecking order and can hold their own in any kind of scuffle. The larger ones will do whatever the bantams say and won't get in their way. I did give them all separate feeders and waterers just to keep the peace and to make sure no one was over crowded and the little ones don't get stepped on when they are in a hurry to get there at the same time for morning feedings. They can get along just fine but it's really just a matter of personalities that will tell you how they do.

 

[gryeyes]

My flock contains bantam breeds, standard sized breeds, and some Jersey Giants. Not a problem except when the JGs were adolescent and crazed with hormones; they went after any hen or pullet they could catch. Luckily, bantams are FAST and several of them can fly to escape the big boys' attentions.

No extra picking on 'em, and the banties can hold their own in the flock dynamics.

 

[AlienChick]

I think Pele is right . . . it depends on your particular flock.

I have LF (Australorps, BR's, RIR's, EE's) with my bantams (Silkies, Seramas, d'Uccles) and they all get along fine.

I had my flock of LF, and the bantams were all introduced at various times; I kept the newbies inside a large dog crate right along side the flock and they didn't seem to mind at all.

When you introduce the new ones, keep a close watch on what goes on.

 

[ChickiKat]

We have standards, we have bantams, we have it all and they all have their own place in the flock, we even have three roos and they all get along very well. Good luck!