Can Bantams & Standard Heavy Hens Cohabitate in Same Coop & Run?

[WiredSimon]

We have 15 standard heavy breed chicks, 4-6 weeks old. Delaware, Speckled Sussex, Golden Buffs & Black Australorps, oh, and 2 EE x Phoenix crosses.

I just stopped at TSC to pick up pine shavings and they had a tub full of newly arrived bantam feather legged/footed chicks.

We have an indoor enclosure/coop that is 4' x 12' and the outdoor enclosure is about 40 feet long and varries from 20' to 15 feet wide.

Would adding some bantams to our new flock work? I of course wouldn't try to combine them until the bantams grew some, but as they reach full size can they cohabitate safely.

Thanks for any and all help with my question

 

[satay]

Yes they can. I had ducks first(muscoveys) and someone gave me a bantam and she lived quite happily with the ducks. Now I have lots of bantams and standard chickens togther with no problems.

 

[augustmomx2]

I posted something similar a few weeks ago, since I have decided to hatch a few of my own next Spring. I received several posts that advised against it. They stated that since my standard flock will already be established, it would be difficult to bring new chickens that are small & docile (I want silkies & bantam salmon faverolles).

Due to their advice, I will probably build them their own coop & run...something my dh is estatic about

My coop & run are comparable to yours in size...but I will have my dh build the banty coop smaller. I guess its worth a shot though...you never know

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Yes, I have done this before and Speckledhen has a tiny banty cochin hen named Shadow who lives with a huge flock of LF hens and a LF roo!

 

[JennsPeeps]

I've got a 2-pound banty cochin in with the resident thud-butts, a BSL and a RIR. Our "tweens" are a BO & australorp (both big birds), and the brooder has a big BR, standard cochin, 2 Polish & another australorp. The banty already has the tweens terrorized (and they're bigger than her).

They'll be fine. If you've got a roo, you shoudl keep him away from the banty, as he coudl injure her.

 

[kellylaurenhendy]

I just got a standard giant jersey chick to add to my two bantam chicks and they are fine. The standard is smaller however and they did pick at her for the first day. My feed store advised highly against it because they had a bantam pecked to a sad ending by their standards but I went to another feed store and they told me it should be fine.

 

[RescueHens]

I have all large birds but two. A little Bantam, and a rooster the size of a squirrel-lol. They are all fine together. I added Little Lady and the roo of it all last. I put a smaller cage in the chicken run with them in it for a week or so before I let them all in together. The big birds got quite used to the small ones. I have never had an issue. The big birds have their roo-that makes all the women happy. And Little Lady (the bantam) has all her large sisters. If I had just thrown them in-I am quite sure I would've had some feather pulling going on-but they adjusted to one anothers presence great through the cage.

 

[rachel]

Is it more of an issue when you're adding new bantams to an established standard sized flock? I would think that the other way around would go much easier.