Best free range bantams

[donrae]

You're asking about bantams, so I assume you'd want a bantam version. Although I don't think the standards are especially large birds.

 

[sagealbright]

I have a few breeds of bantams. Belgium D'uccles, Serama, Game Bantams, Silkies, as well as a few mixed bantams.

None of them sleep in trees, and even if they did it would not be smart to leave them out all night. They're easy prey. You'll definitely need a coop for them at night.

My Belgium D'uccles are by far my favorite. They're the sweetest little things, cute, lay pretty well, and get along well with my standard size birds. They also listen well when our rooster sounds an alarm saying there is a hawk in the area. They immediately run for cover. I've still had one taken by a cat and one taken by another unknown predator.

My Seramas and Game bantams drive me nuts. They're so skittish and completely ignore my roosters warning sounds.

My poor Silkies are adorable but I'm not sure they have much of a brain. They always act so confused, and wander around aimlessly. Plus they can't see well with their "head fluff" so I've had quite a few of them taken by predators. Everyone has always told me how sweet silkies are but I've never had one that acts any different than my other breeds. They run away when I try to pick them up just like everyone else. Only Silkie I have that is an exceptional bird is my Silkie rooster. He's the best rooster we have ever had.

Hope you find what you're looking for but make sure you don't plan on having any breed of chicken sleeping in trees. My guineas sleep on top of the coop sometimes when they're being stubborn but they are exceptional flyers.

 

[copper2]

Can both bantams and standards fly well? I know someone who has standard

 

[sagealbright]

Can both bantams and standards fly well? I know someone who has standard

I have never had a chicken that could "fly". The farthest they have flown is on a branch that is about 5ft off the ground. And that was my Spitzenhauben. They're known to be good fliers. But she still can't exactly "fly". None of my bantams or standard chickens even try to fly unless it's on the roost at night.

 

[dekel18042]

Uh, I wanted a chicken that could fly well, I used to have silkie bantams but never got that experience, and they pecked each other. I did get the experience of broody chickens! What are the best flyers, that can naturally raise chicks and free range, with some grain?

I have some Old English Game Bantams. Very tame and great pets. They have been on the house roof (It is a ranch) and the chicken coop roofs, so while not good flyers compared to many birds, they are the best of the chickens I have, but I would NEVER in a million years leave them out to roost at night, They are safely locked away in their coop.
My California greys are the best of my large fowl fliers and would happily nest in the pine trees, but we make sure we call them down and get them into their pens at night, even bribing them with treats, if necessary.
A chicken roosting in a tree is a predator meal waiting to be served, IMHO.
With bantams you could have a small coop and let them range during the day. Yes, you will get eggs, but perhaps not as many and the size you would wish.

 

[Michael OShay]

Can both bantams and standards fly well? I know someone who has standard

Both standard and bantam Old English Games fly well. I would personally suggest going with the standard size as you will get larger eggs from them (although games in general go broody a lot and are not prolific layers) and the standard size birds will be slightly more difficult for predators to subdue. Brown Leghorns and Anconas both also fly well and are considerably better layers than game birds.

 

[copper2]

Has any one had experience with standard/ bantam crosses?

 

[Michael OShay]

Has any one had experience with standard/ bantam crosses?

I had some standard Golden Laced Polish cross with some Black Silkie bantams. The crosses were some of the prettiest chickens I've ever had.

 

[copper2]

I had some standard Golden Laced Polish cross with some Black Silkie bantams. The crosses were some of the prettiest chickens I've ever had.

How large where they?( bantam or standard?)

 

[Michael OShay]

How large where they?( bantam or standard?)

Somewhat between. They were a little smaller than the pure Polish, but somewhat larger than the Silkie bantams.