I'm thinking about buying Banty babies. Thoughts on this smaller bird?

[chicamama03]

I'm thinking of going with some mini's. I was curious of your experience with the smaller breeds. They seem so darn cute. I'm a novice, on this breed/size.

I was curious about:

egg size
what's a good amount for a backyard coop.
Breeds within the Banties you like.
Are any particularly sweeter/calmer than others?

Thanks,

Sylvia

 

[ChooksChick]

I would encourage you to do this- it's wonderful to have a bunch of little bitties.

The ones with feathered legs will need ramps to get to low roosts. The ones without will want to fly to very high spots to roost, like rafters. Those without feathered legs have the ability to fly like birds, for 50 feet or more, and up high. It's important to consider this if you're in-town. They will want to fly into your neighbor's yard. Guaranteed.

The eggs vary from malted milk balls to very small eggs. You will want to get 3 birds for each egg you would buy at the store: If you eat a dozen eggs a week, you'll want to have 36 eggs laid per week from banties. Many of the banty breeds are still prone to broodiness, so if you get Cochins or Silkies, even Seramas, you can expect them to brood 2 or 3 times per year, so they'll be out of laying for 8 weeks or more.

All this being said, most stand their own with the big girls, are wonderful personalities, and I love all of mine dearly. I have Bantam Salmon Faverolles, d'Uccles, Banty Cochins, and Silkies. I adore all of mine and think they're just as wonderful as my giant breeds...and I have a dozen of breeds of those...

 

[dianaross77]

I just got 4 Seramas from a fellow BYCer and I have to say that they are quite a lot of fun so far. They are very personable. They are the smallest bantam, my hen is about the size of a pigeon. The roo is a little bigger, and quite a cuddler. We had a bantam hen when I was young and she was very sweet and a very good mother. This picture gives an idea of his size. My daughter is 4.

 

[gryeyes]

I have banties mixed in with my LF flock. I love 'em all, big and little. The little ones hold their own quite well. I even have 2 Cayugas, large ducks, and 4 call ducks, which are bantams of the duck world.

I have Silver Sebright roosters (2), a Silver Sebright hen, a Golden Sebright hen, both laying adorable eggs. Plus two bantam EEs, several bantam Cochins, some bantam other breeds (goodness, what ARE they?) and a slew of large fowl chickens.

Even the bantam Cochin (feather legged) roosters fly as high as a six foot fence to perch up there and crow. They're in the trees all the time. But they don't fly ACROSS the yard like the Sebrights do.

 

[chicamama03]

oh what a great picture with your 4 year old. HOW adorable they are. I had no idea they could fly/high. Thanks for the different types. I'm going to Google.

Looks like I'll need about 8-10 for eggs.

 

[HelenaJean]

i have some little silkie that i absolutely love!
they're so friendly, they all come over for a cuddle when i go in there for feed them.
Personally, i think they lay really yummy eggs, i'd rather eat one of their eggs than a laying birds one, they taste very buttery and sweet and are SO cute.
enjoy, whatever breed you choose, little chooks are a joy to have!

 

[pdsavage]

Cochins so cute and fluffy

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Rosecomb bantam egg next to EE egg:

Really not that much different. But I think way back to when stores sold eggs "small", "medium", "large" and "jumbo"; sometimes its great to have eggs that fit into the hole for "egg in toast", not too big. Also great for littler appetites, like recovering sick people, little people and old people.

Our Silkie hen lays the smallest egg, just right for the small gluten-free breads we have to buy. In our family we call it "moon over miami" but its' just an egg fried in toast with garlic butter.

 

[12henfun]

do they require care different to the standard chicks with regard to coop and warmth etc

 

[acid_chipmunk]

I love my bantams. If it weren't for the eggs that we sell, we wouldn't have LF birds. My bantams are so much calmer and sweeter than the LF. I can pick them up and cuddle them and they could care less. Big pluses for us too, they eat less and can house more in the same amount of space as LF. Mine don't require any different care than my LF. They all eat the same food, have the same coop designs (the LF are just a little taller). The eggs really aren't that much smaller than what my BLRW and my EE lay, so that isn't much of a problem for cooking.