Can I mix large and small chicken breeds?

[delaney48]

Hello everyone! I have a new flock of13 chickens that are 24 weeks old. 4 are wyandotte hens, 2 are Jersey giant hens, and 1 Plymouth rock hen. One lavender orpington rooster, one wyandotte rooster and 4 jersey giant roosters. I have a friend that needs to find a home for his 6 buff brahma bantams hens that are the about the same age as mine. Just wondering if the different breeds will mix ok together? Are my jerseys too big for them?

 

[junebuggena]

The Brahma bantams will be fine. They are a large 'bantam' breed than most. You will need to get rid of most of your roosters, though. That many cockerels can be a serious source of stress as they begin to mature.

 

[dekel18042]

The Brahma bantams will be fine. They are a large 'bantam' breed than most. You will need to get rid of most of your roosters, though. That many cockerels can be a serious source of stress as they begin to mature.

X2. In a flock, I think temperament is more important than size in getting along. Size wise, I have everything from Old English Game bantams (very tiny. I can scoop them up in one hand.) to half Jersey giants and various breeds in between. I do try to stay away from the more flighty Mediterranean breeds, but then I have never preferred them.

 

[Wyatt0224]

The brahmas will be fine but as everyone stated above, you should really try and rehome most of the roosters.

 

[delaney48]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes we are currently looking for homes for the roos! Any help would be great. ..but I live in ontario canada!

 

[Wyatt0224]

Here's the link to the Ontario thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/836344/ontario-canada

 

[delaney48]

Now I have another question. ...what is the best way to integrate them?

 

[Wyatt0224]

If you have enough room, you could build them a separate coop and run next to the one where your originals live so there's a barrier in between them. This gives everyone time and space to get to know each other. When you do finally group everyone together expect there to be a lot of fighting and pecking as the pecking order will be shifted around.

 

[delaney48]

Yes we have the room (2 acres) and I let my chicks free range %99 of the time....they are spoiled! But we did fence in a nice size area that attaches to the coop, for certain times we need them contained. I won't have the time before winter really sets in to build another coop for new ones. The people who have the hens that I want to purchase want them gone ASAP. Is there any other option?

 

[junebuggena]

When integrating two groups, it really is best to have a separate, temporary setup for the new birds. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just a dog crate and some temporary fencing will do the job. Chickens take their social order very seriously, and will attack newcomers. You have to give the two flocks time to get used to one another before you can expect them to coexist.