Keeping Bantam Roosters with Full Size Roosters and Hens

[RanchHens]

Hello All,

For the first time on the ranch we got bantams, of course several were roosters, since almost everyone sells bantams as straight run.

We got a mix of silkies and assorted other breeds and my current plan is to keep a run of silkies and a run of the normal feathered bantam hens.

However, I have more roosters than I could keep locked up with the number of hens I have.

My question is, can I let those roosters free range with our older hens and roosters, or will they become aggressive, or be injured by our bigger flock?

We free range all of our other chickens, with five adult roosters and sixty plus adult hens. When this year's babies grow out we will have one more full-size too, a gorgeous polish roo, and about thirty more hens, not including the ones who will stay locked up for their safety.

 

[Den in Penn]

You will have the same problems with them as you would LF roosters in a free ranging setup. They will either rise in the pecking order or not. The other roosters will try to intimidate them of be intimidated by them and serious fighting might result. There is also the chance that they will cross breed with the LF. Do you really need the extra bantam roosters?

 

[RanchHens]

No.

But I would hate to re-home them if they wouldn't cause too many problems.

Cross-breeding isn't an issue as we don't hatch home-breds.

Do you have any experience using Bantam Roos with LF Hens, in place of LF Roos?

We do have issues with out LF Roos doing damage to our hens, would keeping smaller Roos still eliminate squabbling, but give them a break from the heavier Roos?

 

[Den in Penn]

The experience I have is when I was a kid the neighbors had free range bantams that would occasionally come over and mingle with our free ranging pullets. One of the pullets went broody and raise a brood of mixes, my grandfather had long before collected the cockerels that year. Small roosters can still squabble, some very much.