Bantams that lay well?

[Bantimna]

What about bantam Leghorns?

 

[chickenmeadow]

My Bantam Ameraucana/Faverolles crosses are all laying nearly every day right now. The chicken yard is off of our computer room, so we can see them outside from the window by our desk chair. Maybe you could have a yard off of her room or her favorite room, so she could enjoy seeing them from a window while sitting in a chair. Everyone enjoys watching chickens, they can be quite funny & always busy.

 

[Freeholder]

Hmm. Lots of ideas here! I've thought about getting quail before, but have some concerns about them. There isn't space inside this small house for a large cage, although I do have a (heavy, angle-iron framed) cage in the garage that I use for whoever needs to be isolated. But the garage, though it's attached, isn't heated or insulated, and it can get pretty cold here in the winter (Eastern Oregon). I wasn't sure domestic quail could take the cold? (There are wild quail in the area -- Gambel quail, I think.)

And I've been half in love with Faverolles for a long time -- I think they are so pretty! But I don't remember seeing bantams of them in any of the hatchery catalogs -- where would I find them? I AM concerned about any breed with heavily feathered feet, so I'm not sure about the d'Uccles. We have heavy clay soil and it's wet here in spring and fall. My two Silkie roosters are loose and seem to do fine, but they are hatchery stock and don't have really heavily feathered feet. Maybe I'll have to put a wooden floor in the 'aviary'.

My daughter is autistic and doesn't much like to pet things (though she will pet the cats with the back of her hand), so friendliness isn't really an issue. She just likes to watch the birds (she has goldfish in her room to watch). I can set up this 'aviary' outside of her bedroom window, or I could put it outside the sliding glass door at the back of the house where my grandmother could also watch them (Grandma is 96, DD is 29 and functions on the level of a three-year-old). I'll have to see what Grandma would like. When my large birds are in their tractors and positioned near the sliding glass door, I know she does watch them -- she has an easy chair near the door. Having re-read that, I must add that Grandma is still pretty active considering her age, she doesn't spend all her time sitting! But she is there a lot.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Kathleen

ETA: the cage in the garage is about four by four by four (it was originally meant to set on top of a pallet). How many bantams could comfortably live in that space? It has a shelf, which adds about two by four feet of extra floor space. And, I have another angle-iron-framed cage sitting outdoors that needs new wire on it (I had chicken wire on it, and last spring a dog tore a hole in it and killed my six Silkie hens). I could put the two cages together, and use the outside one, which is longer and lower, for a run. That would give more space. The outside one is about three feet wide by six or seven feet long, and close to three feet high.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have Silver penciled rock bantams & they are laying well so far. They started at 17 weeks & now at 23 weeks I'm getting 6 eggs a day and I'm sure not all 11 are laying. Finally got a 1 ounce egg instead of the normal 3/4 ounce eggs yesterday.

 

[1acrefarm]

I used to have an OEGB that foraged every drop of her food and layed daily as long as she was not broody.

 

[jimnjay]

Salmon Faverolles are great little layers. They don't seem to mind winter and are not obsessivly broody. Mine have all be 6-7 eggs per week layers for long streaches of time.

 

[lceh]

My DD has a mixed flock of banties (see my signature below for the breed breakdown), and her EEs are by far the best layers. They lay pretty green eggs, are quite friendly, and very reliable producers.

 

[Freeholder]

I have a friend who raises some OEG bantams (mostly blue, black and splash) and she's going to send me some eggs to hatch in the spring, so I guess we are getting OEGB's! Someday I do want Faverolles, though!

Kathleen

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have bantam wyandottes that lay pretty well but they seem to steer clear of me when i try to touch them, unless i am holding treats.

my bantam salmon faverolles seem to be laying very well these past few weeks since they have started (i have 3 girls in my flock). i figured out that each girl lays their egg about every 28-30 hours. (laying range is from every 20-36 hours depending on the breed)

i also have bantam buff brahma that lays about the same range as the favs. so each girl i probably get 4 eggs a week.

 

[rabbithaus]

Quote:
Do you have any pics of that cross? I had a dream the other night that I crossed a wheaten Ameraucana roo over Favs. Want to see if I dreamed them up right.