I need some advice on adding Bantam hens to my existing flock of standard size

[ErnieBerley]

Just some thoughts:
What are youre plans with you're rooster? Do you have him for breeding? Protecting the flock? If you can sell/give away the rooster there is no problem anymore with the hens. A smaller adult rooster could work too. But for now I would keep him apart from you're hens until they are fine. And consider adding larger hens if you want to keep him. There are mille fleurs in some larger breeds too. But maybe difficult to get hold on?

I understand you really like these bantams in the mille fleur colour. I have some too. Nantes de Tournaisis. They are a breed from Belgium. They come only in this multi-colour but I don't even know if you can buy this breed in the USA. The bantams you like to buy are probably a mix breed.

Did you ask about diseases and vaccinations.? Eg. If yours are vaccinated for marek and these bantams are not, you can not breed you're own chicks without risk. Think about quarantine too.

all my chickens including the rooster are just for pets.... I don't eat or sell any of them, and i'm not planning to really expand within my own flock - well, maybe i'll try my hand at raising chicks from eggs, but not right now ! I will keep the bantams apart for a while, but I will need them to sleep in my coop with all the others. I think it will work if i'm diligent and keep close contact on them - i work from home so that helps THANK you for your help

 

[aart]

But I will tag @aart as they’re far more knowledgable than me and may be able to help you more or tag someone else that does.

I don't know squat about bantams......but lots of red comb at 6-8 weeks is usually a male.
@ErnieBerley post pics of birds here for more advice:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/what-breed-or-gender-is-this.15/

 

[ErnieBerley]

When you keep everything as pets, and won't sell or cull any of them, you can wind up in a mess of misery. Not all birds get along. A lot depends on your space and how your coop/run is set up, but most of us at one time or another will wind up with a bird or birds that do not work in the flock we have.

Chicken math gets most of us, and I can certainly understand wanting to pick up those pretty birds, but chicken math really has to work both ways, as most often the coop/run do NOT change size. If you can't subtract birds, be wary of adding birds.

I keep a flock, but the birds in the flock change. I can admit that some birds I like better than others. I keep those birds, and let others go. A happy flock can only be arranged by controlling who is in the flock. Wishing they would all be nice won't work.

SO measure your coop, count your birds, and go into this knowing, if I take these birds, I might have to get rid of others, or just keep the birds you have.

Mrs K

best advice i've gotten thank you - right now, besides the "aggressive mating" everything works well. the 2 roosters (large ameraucana and small silkie) get along well and no fighting. the hens dont seem to mind the breeding, and it has slowed down as january has become brrrr cold. i think i should at least wait until Spring to expand my flock, i do need a few more hens for sure, but maybe these cute little bantams would be better for someone that has a separate run for them. thanks again ....!!

 

[ErnieBerley]

Is the run 100 feet long or 100 square feet? IMO 100 square feet is a run size for 6 calm and really small bantams (done that)
Nice coop (looks). Prefab coops are often too small for the numbers /chickens the shop says the coop is build for. Sometimes the numbers are right for only bantam chickens.
If you put very different breeds together you often need more space then with similar chickens.

Roosters, especially young roosters are often too horny for just 2 girls. (Can I say that?) Better give youre big rooster 4 or 5 ladies to mount and give your flock more (hiding) space. And please first give the hens a little peace if they are damaged. It is wise to isolate the rooster until the injuries are healed.

IMHO: Better search for solutions for you're flock problem and not just follow you’re heart into getting more problems.

it's over 100 feet LONG and about 30 feet wide....huge run. with trees, shade, cover, bamboo, play area, a chicken's dream. I understand what you're saying and thanks....

 

[geno 9129]

GET RID OF YOUR BIG ROOSTER .HE DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD ,I RECOMMEND A COCHIN BANTY ROOSTER,I HAVE ONE AND HE IS A GENTLEMAN CALLS THEM ALL OVER WHEN HE FINDS FOOD ,NEVER SEEN HIM RAPE ANY OF THE HENS,THEY ALL LOVE HIM ,I JUST BOUGHT TWO MORE COCHIN HENS ,I JUST PUT TEM RIGHT IN WITH ALL THE OTHERS ABOUT TWO WEKS AND NOW THEY ACCEPTED THE NEW HENS ,,GOOD LUCK TAKE MY SUGGESTION GET RID OF THE BIG MEAN ROOSTER,GIVE HIM AWAY YOUR HENS WILL THANKS YOU GENO'S CLASSIC HENS

 

[elmo]

Are the bantams feather footed? With feather muffs, and no wattles? They look like Belgian d'Uccles.
I have two of those in my flock. Our other bantams are mutts, mixes of Old English Game bantam and Serama. One of our hens is half Serama, half Belgian d'Uccles.

I will say this about our d'Uccles: they've never quite fit in with the other chickens in our flock. They're clumsier and not as good fliers. When they were younger, they were always getting pecked gallumping up next to the older and higher ranking hens to roost. They'd get the daylights pecked out of them and back off, only to do the same thing the next night.

They're bigger and quite a bit heavier than the other hens, so as they grew older, they started bullying the smaller hens. It got so bad I had to start a separate "mean girls" pen just for the d'Uccles.

It may be interesting for us in theory to have a mixed breed flock, but I think it might actually be better to stick with one breed of chicken. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

 

[Lela Marie Jones]

I’ve had mixed flock and my banti could take care of herself, but she was part of the original flock. And it all depends on the Roo. It sounds risky with the current situation. Integration is tough enough for full size breeds with a rooster involved. I don’t have a Roo now. No desire. Everyone is calmer and living happily together. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[ErnieBerley]

Are the bantams feather footed? With feather muffs, and no wattles? They look like Belgian d'Uccles.
I have two of those in my flock. Our other bantams are mutts, mixes of Old English Game bantam and Serama. One of our hens is half Serama, half Belgian d'Uccles.

I will say this about our d'Uccles: they've never quite fit in with the other chickens in our flock. They're clumsier and not as good fliers. When they were younger, they were always getting pecked gallumping up next to the older and higher ranking hens to roost. They'd get the daylights pecked out of them and back off, only to do the same thing the next night.

They're bigger and quite a bit heavier than the other hens, so as they grew older, they started bullying the smaller hens. It got so bad I had to start a separate "mean girls" pen just for the d'Uccles.

It may be interesting for us in theory to have a mixed breed flock, but I think it might actually be better to stick with one breed of chicken. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

they are feather footed and feather muffs..... actually i already got 2 and have had no problems with the big rooster at all, he's chilled out now, thank goodness. So I think i'm good so far....

 

[Double Yolked]

I have 4 Ameraucana (3 hens, 1 rooster), 2 polish hens and a splash silkie rooster (he runs the flock...lol) . Mine all get along great now, but my Ameraucana roo is really big - he has 2 of my Am. hens almost bare on their hind quarters from aggressive mating.

Question - a local person has Mille fluer hens and I've wanted to add some of these for a long time, they are so beautiful!! do you all think these bantams will mix well with the flock? I dont' know anything about generalized Mille Fluer behavior. i will have them isolated for sure for the first week or 2, a run within my large run with the flock. thankx

Every time I've tried to mix sizes in my flocks I've ended up with some badly beat up hens and once, a dead one. Hens are rather ruthless with their behaviors sometimes. They cull themselves to ensure that the strongest and best are in their flock and to a chicken small = weak. I'd be very hesitant in bringing in a smaller breed of hen.

 

[ErnieBerley]

All is well so far !!