Can Bantam Roosters Breed with standard size Hens.

[Trekker]

I guess I'm not in a rush for an answer to my question, my little flock is only a week old today. I have 6 straight run bantams and 6 brown egg laying pullets. Next year if I get a rooster and pullets in the bantam flock I want to by a small incubator and try hatching some eggs. Because of the size difference in the birds I was wondering if it is possible for a bantam rooster to breed a standard size pullet. Has anyone had experience with this?

If you would like to see a short video and some photos of my little, flock, taken today, please follow this link:

 

[gritsar]

A banty rooster will try with all his might to mate a standard hen. Whether he can actually make the connection to fertilize eggs is a whole 'nother question.

 

[Blue]

Quote:
x2 My Old English Game Bantam rooster absolutely looooved my 2 Buff Orp hens (they were his favorites), but the fertility wasn't very good in those eggs. A couple of the bantam hens sat on about 6 of the Orp eggs, and none hatched. I've cracked some that have been fertile in the past, though, so the rooster CAN fertilize the eggs, just not reliably. My Buff girls are with a standard sized rooster now, so any eggs I get from them in the future should be fertile.

 

[ranchhand]

I know someone who has one of those little turken things, and he is breeding all of her big Brahma hens. Pretty amazing!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
And he's gonna get his neck wrung if he doesn't knock it off!

Impy the turken is a standard not a bantam, but he is still wayyyyy smaller than my brahma girls.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

I have a 4 month old "standard" Phoenix roo that I'm raising to hang with the big girls. Right now, he has googly eyes

for my 3 month old Light Sussex, who is 3x his size. I'm okay with him "trying" to fertilize the hens, as long as he's gentle, but I don't think I'll be hatching any weird Phoenix crosses.

I just want him for his protective tenacity, and his cute tail... LOL.

 

[Trekker]

Quote:
x2 My Old English Game Bantam rooster absolutely looooved my 2 Buff Orp hens (they were his favorites), but the fertility wasn't very good in those eggs. A couple of the bantam hens sat on about 6 of the Orp eggs, and none hatched. I've cracked some that have been fertile in the past, though, so the rooster CAN fertilize the eggs, just not reliably. My Buff girls are with a standard sized rooster now, so any eggs I get from them in the future should be fertile.

Thanks it might depend on the size of the breeds I guess. Buffs are very large. I don't know what breeds I have yet or if I have roosters so I guess time will tell.

 

[greenSearcher]

It is funny to watch my silkie roos "At the morning rooster races". The big girls (Speckled Sussex and not so big girls Blue Andalusians) run faster than the little guys so they rarely ever catch them in the am. But the Silkies will dance and flirt, and once in a while the SS will squat way down so the silkie can mount. The funny part is when she decides all done and starts walking away with the silkie on her back. When my first hatch is done, I'll know if they were successful or not.

 

[Trekker]

Quote:
Thank you, i will be interested to know how your hatch goes.

 

[Blue]

Quote:
x2 My Old English Game Bantam rooster absolutely looooved my 2 Buff Orp hens (they were his favorites), but the fertility wasn't very good in those eggs. A couple of the bantam hens sat on about 6 of the Orp eggs, and none hatched. I've cracked some that have been fertile in the past, though, so the rooster CAN fertilize the eggs, just not reliably. My Buff girls are with a standard sized rooster now, so any eggs I get from them in the future should be fertile.

Thanks it might depend on the size of the breeds I guess. Buffs are very large. I don't know what breeds I have yet or if I have roosters so I guess time will tell.

It was very funny when I first got my tiny OEGB rooster. He would catch one of the Buffs and then just stand up on her back looking all confused. He finally got a technique figured out, but apparently, it still needs some improvement. lol!