Hello, just wondering breeds.

buff goose guy

Songster
5 Years
Feb 9, 2014
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Mississippi Y'all
Ill get some better pictures later, but the story is that i went to tractor supply today for duck food and saw these two little guys and i saw the opportunity of having my eggs naturally incubated, so i got these two. How ever all i know is that they are bantams, and my questions are: What breed are they and at what age should i be able to tell if they are girls or boys?



 
Need better photos...are the legs feathered? Does the black one have fine, hair like feathers with dark skin and 5 toes?

As to some other implied assumptions....bantam does not equate brooder.

A bantam is simply the dwarf or miniature size. Almost all chicken breeds have a bantam version...so these could be almost anything.

Now within bantam sizing are the games and Cochins and Silkies...those breeds are known for being especially adept at brooding. (Note, however, that not all in those breeds are good brooders, simply those breeds are much more likely to produce a good broody).

So if you happened to get one of those bantam sized breeds, you may end up with some nice brooding hens...and once you begin to naturally brood with hens, you'll never want to go back to the artificial heat lamps and boxes again. (From personal experience).

As to when you'll know...depends upon the breed. Cochins and games typically telecast pretty early, so by 6 to 8 weeks, you often have an idea who the boys are as the combs will become noticeably large and rosey. Silkies are notoriously difficult to sex, and you may be guessing for a number of months. (But I don't think I see a Silkie in the chicks...but again need better photos).

Since it is a risk to raise from chickhood to broody hen, I personally advertised and purchased a known broody Silkie (two times over) with great success. I then also have gone to a breeder who was using her bantam Cochins to brood turkey eggs (of all things) and purchased 2 young pullets who were from an especially broody mother. Those bantam Cochins are okay at brooding, but my Silkies are superior.

You might consider getting a proven Silkie hen...you can often find one fairly cheaply by canvassing the Silkie breeders...they often have a spare hen or two that is annoyingly broody but who they do not want to breed forward.

My thoughts
LofMc
 
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Ok I got the pictures :)

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I hope these help.
 
I agree of the second photos, the dark with gold head is a Golden Sebright. They can go broody, and be good mothers, but they are so small that you can't really put much of anything under them by way of large fowl.

The second bird, the buff, I believe is a Bantam Buff Cochin...as I think I see a single comb in your first set of photos for that chick. If it is a single comb, you've got yourself a Bantam Cochin.

Now in the Bantam Cochins, the males will telecast early by comb development. You will strongly suspicion by 4 to 6 weeks and know by 8 to 10 weeks that you've got a male if that comb takes off and gets big, then rosey red.

Females will stay small and pale yellow maybe getting a bit peachy by 3 to 4 months.

If you've got a Bantam Cochin (which I think you have), and it is female, you've got yourself a good chance at a broody hen as Bantam Cochins overall make good broodies and mothers and are very sweet and docile. Since they are mop like fluffy, you can easily put 4 to 6 large fowl eggs under them with success (remember the gal I got my bantam Cochins from was using them to hatch turkey eggs!).

If you like working in smaller batches, a good bantam Cochin can brood 2 to 3 times a year. A good Silkie will brood 3 to 4 times a year.

I do recommend creating a separate brooding and grow out area for your little bantams to do their mothering business. Bantams often get no respect from a big flock, which can upset the mothering and endanger chicks. Plus, with Cochins and Silkies, the feathered feet can be a magnet for bumblefoot if they are tromping in muddy ground with the big girls.

I'll post a photo of my set up created from old shipping crates and set on top of an old grape arbor. We then strung up bird netting and chicken wire to create a secure run (I've got to get an updated photo as we have our really nice canvas tarp over the run now...what's in the photo was a temporary tarp).

Keeping my fingers crossed that you've got a girl and she's got good brooding genetics.
fl.gif


Inside the broody hutch...you can see the double ends which have 2 separate nests...I have a wire insert that can divide if I need to

Finishing the run...temporary tarp up to keep bantams drier (important for the feather footed types)

They'll even brood in winter for you (without heat)! Babies run around in their little down jackets then duck under momma for a warming hutch. They'll be out scratching at day 3 or so! (Blows your mind when you think how hard you worked to keep those heat lamps at just the right 96 to 98 degrees).

My most recent hatch produced just one chick...these Bantam Cochin sisters went broody together and I think exchanged eggs a little too frequently letting the eggs get cold at times (all were developed, but some stopped growing or developed fully but never hatched) as I found eggs in between the girls a number of times. Normally I separate brooding hens to prevent such stealing and leaving eggs on the fringes, but thought I'd experiment to see if these two could co-brood together as I already had the Silkie with her grow outs on the other side of the hutch.
 
I agree of the second photos, the dark with gold head is a Golden Sebright. They can go broody, and be good mothers, but they are so small that you can't really put much of anything under them by way of large fowl.

The second bird, the buff, I believe is a Bantam Buff Cochin...as I think I see a single comb in your first set of photos for that chick. If it is a single comb, you've got yourself a Bantam Cochin.

Now in the Bantam Cochins, the males will telecast early by comb development. You will strongly suspicion by 4 to 6 weeks and know by 8 to 10 weeks that you've got a male if that comb takes off and gets big, then rosey red.

Females will stay small and pale yellow maybe getting a bit peachy by 3 to 4 months.

If you've got a Bantam Cochin (which I think you have), and it is female, you've got yourself a good chance at a broody hen as Bantam Cochins overall make good broodies and mothers and are very sweet and docile. Since they are mop like fluffy, you can easily put 4 to 6 large fowl eggs under them with success (remember the gal I got my bantam Cochins from was using them to hatch turkey eggs!).

If you like working in smaller batches, a good bantam Cochin can brood 2 to 3 times a year. A good Silkie will brood 3 to 4 times a year.

I do recommend creating a separate brooding and grow out area for your little bantams to do their mothering business. Bantams often get no respect from a big flock, which can upset the mothering and endanger chicks. Plus, with Cochins and Silkies, the feathered feet can be a magnet for bumblefoot if they are tromping in muddy ground with the big girls.

I'll post a photo of my set up created from old shipping crates and set on top of an old grape arbor. We then strung up bird netting and chicken wire to create a secure run (I've got to get an updated photo as we have our really nice canvas tarp over the run now...what's in the photo was a temporary tarp).

Keeping my fingers crossed that you've got a girl and she's got good brooding genetics.
fl.gif


Inside the broody hutch...you can see the double ends which have 2 separate nests...I have a wire insert that can divide if I need to

Finishing the run...temporary tarp up to keep bantams drier (important for the feather footed types)

They'll even brood in winter for you (without heat)! Babies run around in their little down jackets then duck under momma for a warming hutch. They'll be out scratching at day 3 or so! (Blows your mind when you think how hard you worked to keep those heat lamps at just the right 96 to 98 degrees).

My most recent hatch produced just one chick...these Bantam Cochin sisters went broody together and I think exchanged eggs a little too frequently letting the eggs get cold at times (all were developed, but some stopped growing or developed fully but never hatched) as I found eggs in between the girls a number of times. Normally I separate brooding hens to prevent such stealing and leaving eggs on the fringes, but thought I'd experiment to see if these two could co-brood together as I already had the Silkie with her grow outs on the other side of the hutch.
Your birds are so beautiful and nice set up. Also i was not just going to put them outside when they were older i have a 78' long, 12' wide by 6 ft tall aviary with 5 call ducks and 2 mandarins, which is where they will live too. All my larger fowl brood their own eggs the call ducks and mandarins will not however which is why i wanted the chickens because both of those breeds are not easily artificially hatched.

here are some pictures of the aviary i do not have any plants or decorations in yet but you get the idea :)


The larger ducks stay out here, tell me if it's a good idea to let them free range out here during the day because then the chickens could stay more separated from the ducks.









 
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Since, as you are aware, the duck gestation is 28 days vs. 21 days for chickens, give the Buff Cochin a try and see if she stays the course (assuming a she and a good broody). Many Cochins are obsessive brooders, but they don't brood as diligently nor as frequently as a Silkie.

A good Silkie will stay the course until something hatches, even if it is a rock, which means you'll get that extra week of setting almost assuredly from a Silkie....so I'd seriously look at picking up a Silkie to keep the bantam Cochin company.

I doubt you'll get much help from the Sebright...while they can go broody...they are not prone to...and are so small I doubt will be of much help for duck eggs.

I've heard there are some duck breeds that are excellent broodies...and you wouldn't have the hen/duckling confusion. The hen will be very surprised and stressed the first time her little darlings take a dip in the water bowl....but chicken mothers have had good results with ducklings (although the opposite is not true as the duck will drown the chick unintentionally)...but the ducklings will outstrip the banties size to mother (you'll get something like the photo below).

Good luck with brooding...looks like you've got a great set up.

LofMc

The EE babies are really old enough to fledge, but Oma-San just can't quite cut those little apron strings yet.
 
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Ohh Call duck eggs/ mandarin eggs are smaller or just as small as bantam chicken eggs/ Call ducks and mandarins are the size of bantam chickens.

Thankyou so much for your help!
 
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