What breed(s) of bantams are you looking for? There are definitely breeders in northern MA and southern NH, but it depends on what your priorities are. If you want to show, you're better off getting birds at one of the shows. If you want egg production in a cute package but not necessarily show quality, Ideal's bantam specials are probably your best bet. If you want small numbers of decent purebreds or cute crossbreds/designers, and you want more personal support, then the swap-type breeders are great.
I have a bunch of bantams that I would characterize as tiny designer mixes - we did it on purpose because the health of Serama is so bad. The dads are purebred A and B Seramas and the moms are tiny Old English Games, Dutch, Japs, etc. They'll be around a pound and they should be vigorous layers in a ton of colors. I also have a pen that we put together based on shape - very round, soft, cute birds. Dads are a silkie and a barred cochin and moms are cochin mixes, silkie mixes, brahmas, wyandottes. That's what I'm personally likely to be selling this winter. People buy from me NOT because of show quality (obviously) but because my birds are so well cared for, we mix our own feed, we care a ton about health, and we offer lifetime support. I'm really happy with that, and don't want to get into the show world (I show my dogs and that's insane enough, trust me). So - define your goal and then find your breeder and you'll be happiest.
Not sure if BYC rules allows me to post their name and number on here- anyone know? You can also PM me for the info.
