Banties and Standards together?

[redtailross]

Hello
My hubby has ordered two silkies as a Bday gift, I have 14 standard chickens,
eventually can they be kept together OR should they be seperated?

Never had banties before...so im very new to minature chickens...

thanks everyone!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You should not have any more problems with bantams than you would have introducing full sized chickens. Plenty of people keep them together.

 

[SimplyForties]

Banties tend to be tough little beggars. Sometimes you end up being sorry for the standards!

 

[grandmachicken]

I am raising 4 standards with 3 banties, got them at the same time at the same age and raised them together. Now, at about 12 weeks, the barred rocks and wyandottes are twice the size of the banties, but they are all great friends and take care of each other. It's hilarious watching them fight for their space on the roost at night! The banties scoot between the big ones to stay warm.

 

[EweSheep]

Yes my bantams love to sit between the big girls! No wonder they love it during the winter!

 

[embkm]

I've had banties mixed in with my standards with no problems. I did have a problem this time when I stupidly mixed my 3 meaties in the chick flock. They squashed one of my silkie babies flat. It was the only chick out of 26 that I lost, and that was at age 9 weeks old. But the regular standards have never been a problem. In fact, last year, my broody banty hatched raised some standard Barred Rock roosters.

 

[Lonomakana]

I do this and have no problems. The big hens are dominant over the bantam hens, but don't pick on them. The only roosters I have are bantams and they prefer the "big girls" which is just fine as far as the bantam hens are concerned.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i'm going to jump in and disagree with everyone. i think especially when you have Silkies, it is too much of a risk keeping them with larger breeds. Perhaps if they were all raised together and have never fought, it might be okay. But Silkies skulls are not closed on top which leaves there brains exposed. One peck from a big chicken could kill them. And if you are going to be introducing these little silkies to an existing standard size group of chickens, there will be a pecking order, and the Silkies will not win. i would absolutely not chance it if i were you.

 

[rhodeislandred18]

my big mean ol' rhode island red didn't let our buff brahma bantam eat... she's still pretty strict on other chickens eating "her" food, maybe its just her being agressive but i would keep an eye on them for awhile, just to make sure they're getting along ok

 

[cheraboo]

We've got two silkies with five or six standard pullets and a handful of other banties. The silkies rule the coop and keep the other birds in line. At first I figured it was because they were nearly six months older than the other birds but we introduced two hamburgs (year old) a couple of weeks ago and those silkies even go after them! I have always considered the silkies to be the bullies of the group. Though I have developed some sympathy for them since Joe, our faverolle rooster, has developed quite a thing for them ... hehe ...poor Boggart is loosing some of the feathers off her head.