Cross Breeding Old English Game LF and Bantams

[LandoB123]

I will be growing out a mixed group of Old English Game Standard Fowl and OEG Bantams. Just curious if the Standards and Bantams will be able to cross breed or if there is too much of a size difference for successful mating?

If I WANTED to try for the best fertility rates crossing the two, would Bantam Cock over Standard Hens work the best?

Thanks in advance and sorry if I missed a similar post somewhere.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Any bantam can breed with any standard.

Bantam males might miss the mark on large females, but large males may harm bantam females

 

[LandoB123]

I understand that genetically any bantam and standard are compatible to reproduce.

Your response of:

"Bantam males might miss the mark on large females, but large males may harm bantam females"

This is kind of the point of my question... Are OEG Standard and Bantams close enough in size for this to be a "more" successful pairing of Bantam and Standard?

I guess I'm trying to get to the point of how big/small is TOO big/small to attempt to cross between bantam and standard, and still get good fertility and hatch.

I assume a Large Buff Brahama and Bantam Sebright would not have much success at all.

 

[LandoB123]

The point of my question is this:

I purchased these birds as I want to eventually have a flock that is exclusively free range.

I know the Games are good options for free ranging. Issues I am seeing are that the OEG Bantams are quite small...which makes them quick and nimble, but I feel makes them pray to larger group of "would be" predators.

Large OEG are also athletic and good for free range, but as I build my free range flock, I fear the Roosters will begin fighting as they reach maturity and need to be separated and penned, which is not what I want to do.

My idea here was to cross the Standards and Bantams...in an attempt to decrease the gameness of the Standards...and slightly increase the size of the Bantam, while keeping the athleticism and predator weariness of Games.

Hoping this would eventually give me a good free range flock down the road that was somewhere in-between the bantams and standards in size, but would not start fighting each other constantly as they hit maturity.

Trying to come up with the best way to do that!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I understand that genetically any bantam and standard are compatible to reproduce.

Your response of:

"Bantam males might miss the mark on large females, but large males may harm bantam females"

This is kind of the point of my question... Are OEG Standard and Bantams close enough in size for this to be a "more" successful pairing of Bantam and Standard?

I guess I'm trying to get to the point of how big/small is TOO big/small to attempt to cross between bantam and standard, and still get good fertility and hatch.

I assume a Large Buff Brahama and Bantam Sebright would not have much success at all.

Ahh, okay. Some people don't think bantams and LF can breed at all, that's what I thought you thought too.

I'm not entirely sure how tall the standards are, but I think without them being the same size, I wouldn't expect super high fertility after they get 1/3 taller than the male if the female is the standard.

Standard males will have good fertility with bantam females, but again if they're too heavy they might hurt the female

 

[Chicken Heel]

While I have often placed Bantam roosters with large breed hens through the years, I have never placed Bantam hens with large breed roosters because of the potential risk of injuries to the hens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The point of my question is this:

I purchased these birds as I want to eventually have a flock that is exclusively free range.

I know the Games are good options for free ranging. Issues I am seeing are that the OEG Bantams are quite small...which makes them quick and nimble, but I feel makes them pray to larger group of "would be" predators.

Large OEG are also athletic and good for free range, but as I build my free range flock, I fear the Roosters will begin fighting as they reach maturity and need to be separated and penned, which is not what I want to do.

My idea here was to cross the Standards and Bantams...in an attempt to decrease the gameness of the Standards...and slightly increase the size of the Bantam, while keeping the athleticism and predator weariness of Games.

Hoping this would eventually give me a good free range flock down the road that was somewhere in-between the bantams and standards in size, but would not start fighting each other constantly as they hit maturity.

Trying to come up with the best way to do that!

Not sure why you think the bantam males would be less likely to fight

 

[LandoB123]

Not sure why you think the bantam males would be less likely to fight

I have had OEG bantams in the past and never had an issue with the males fighting. Normal hierarchy squabbles here and there yes.. but nothing like I have seen standard games fight with no intent of ever stopping.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have had OEG bantams in the past and never had an issue with the males fighting. Normal hierarchy squabbles here and there yes.. but nothing like I have seen standard games fight with no intent of ever stopping.

Huh, interesting. I was just curious on that part

 

[Chicken Heel]

I have had OEG bantams in the past and never had an issue with the males fighting. Normal hierarchy squabbles here and there yes.. but nothing like I have seen standard games fight with no intent of ever stopping.

In all my years of having OEGB roosters, I only had one that wanted to fight every other rooster in sight. Unfortunately for him, my Lakenvelder rooster at the time grew weary of his antics one day and killed him. All my other OEGB roosters have used their energies loving the ladies.