Bantams

[nickmancity]

Hi, im just about to buy some 4 week old bantams , i do want them as egg layers and kids friendly as i have 5 kids , ive been told Bantams are ideal for me , is this right ?.....and should i get 3 or 5 .....also if they dont lay too well can i mix them with any other breed ......thanks ,

 

[nickmancity]

should have said i live in Perth Oz so will the climate be good for them too.......also im a complete novice so any help /advice would be good , thanks

 

[nickmancity]

someone must know ,or are we all novices on here .......? ive also been offered 3 week old sussex cross chickens , can anyone tell me if these are a goos chicken to have for eggs and around children.......thanks

 

[opalwednesday]

I really like my speckled sussex. I have two and they are both very nice and lay large eggs. I have a few bantams, two are silkies (showgirls) and they are very nice, and lay lots of small eggs. They're both extremely broody. I also have an old english game bantam rooster, he's very kind also, but alot more flighty than my bigger roosters. I hope that helps. I think it comes down to coop sixe and desired omelet size. I have plenty of space so I have both large breeds and small.

 

[LeJeune1]

I have LF and Bantams together with few problems. I do have a spot that only Bantams can get into- so that helps ) I have Cornish Bantams, Phoenix and Dutch Bantams. My Dutch hens are very good layers and eggs are bigger than one would think such a small bird could lay.

 

[opalwednesday]

banties are ultra cute by the way. have you seen the new meyer catalog? ( http://meyerhatchery.com/catalog13.pdf )I'm thinking of expanding my game, all these tiny long legged chickens are making me swoon.

here's my newest pair, sunnie and cher.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Bantams are the 'mini' sized version of many popular standard sized chicken breeds. Bantams such as Silkies and Cochins make wonderful mothers and seem to go broody more often than some of the other standard breeds we have on our farm. They can be more easily handled due to smaller size which is perfect for children and easier for show purposes. The bantam requires about 1/3rd less food intake making them less expensive in feed consumption. They can be a good choice for those which have less space available for housing and free ranging. You might see a higher profit return investment in selling baby bantam chicks since they go broody more often thus allowing you to hatch more chicks early which will require less space.

I want to add how nice a bantam sized egg can make that perfect deviled egg!

Bottom line concerning bantams is if you want them as pets they make a great choice. The con to raising bantams is if you want chickens for eggs and meat this would not be the correct choice.

A great source for looking up various chicken breeds including their 'mini' counterpart is the Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[cluckcluckluke]

i have 2 pure bred RIR bantams and 1 pure bred Frizzle bantam and they get on great with my other 19 hens which include Pure Bred White Leghorns, Black and Red Sex-Links, Production Reds and some Pure Bred Australian Black Langshans.