Can you get a stardard roo for bantam hens?

[Cloverr39]

I'm starting to plan a breeding project for 2024 (bc this year I plan it and next year I start to gather some of the birds I will need). I already have 3 bantam hens (brahma, cochin and silkie/brahma mix). I might add some silkie growouts from my silkie breeding that don't quite fit my silkie plans. I need a rumpless araucana rooster for the project. I'll likely only be able to get a standard size one because bantams would be extremely difficult to find if anyone even has them here. Question is will my bantam girls be okay with a standard roo? I've only heard that standard hen + bantam roo would work, but I can't find anything of the opposite.

 

[DobieLover]

A full size rooster will mount bantam hens but he just can't hit the target. And if he isn't gentle about it he can hurt them.

 

[Iluveggers]

Might be better to get some Araucana hens & a bantam rooster…

 

[Adorae]

I guess with that set up you could try AI. I've read that rump-less araucana roosters have low fertility rates in general because they have a hard time balancing without a tail.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It's possible. Between the fertility of araucana males and the size difference though, it may not be a very high hatch rate at all.

 

[Cloverr39]

Might be better to get some Araucana hens & a bantam rooster…

I don't know how I hadn't thought of that. I feel so dumb lol. Then I could use one of my silkie roos for the project. That's good cause I always get way too attached to my cockerels. And then I could breed a smaller size rooster from the first generation to my bantam girls.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Question is will my bantam girls be okay with a standard roo?

This is a question where there is no clear answer. When they mate, the hen squats. That gets her body on the ground so the rooster's weight goes into the ground through her body and not just her legs. Most roosters are heavier than the hens of their breed. This is nature's way of protecting the hens. But the more weight difference the more likely injury. The rooster still stands on the hen's back.

Many people on this forum have bantam hens and full-sized roosters. Their bantam hens don't get hurt and the eggs are usually fertile. But you can read a few posts on here where the hen did get hurt or the eggs are not fertile.

Bantams come in different sizes. Roosters come in different sizes. I don't know how big rumpless Araucana roosters are in Latvia. Araucana often are not huge but each country has their own standards. I don't know how big the risk actually is.

I like Adorae's suggestion. You might investigate Artificial Insemination and see if you could do that. That could save you a year on your breeding program.

 

[dekel18042]

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I'm starting to plan a breeding project for 2024 (bc this year I plan it and next year I start to gather some of the birds I will need). I already have 3 bantam hens (brahma, cochin and silkie/brahma mix). I might add some silkie growouts from my silkie breeding that don't quite fit my silkie plans. I need a rumpless araucana rooster for the project. I'll likely only be able to get a standard size one because bantams would be extremely difficult to find if anyone even has them here. Question is will my bantam girls be okay with a standard roo? I've only heard that standard hen + bantam roo would work, but I can't find anything of the opposite.

Depends on the individual rooster. It would help if you did have some large fowl hens for him