Large fowl bantam cross

[Kbantams]

I have a large fowl olive egger that has been mating my silkies and bantam easter eggers. He’s never hurt them and they seem okay with it, so I’ve kept him around. The rooster is not massive, he’s ameraucana/maran crossed to Silverudd, pretty slim and maybe double the size of my bantam EEs. I’m wanting to hatch some eggs from this cross but was curious if this is even possible before I get my hopes up. Then hens are all bantams so the eggs are small, would the genetics from the rooster make the chicks bigger than the egg can hold or would they be bantam sized bc they are in a bantam egg?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have a large fowl olive egger that has been mating my silkies and bantam easter eggers. He’s never hurt them and they seem okay with it, so I’ve kept him around. The rooster is not massive, he’s ameraucana/maran crossed to Silverudd, pretty slim and maybe double the size of my bantam EEs.

When they mate the hen squats. This gets her body on the ground so the rooster's weight goes through her entire body, not just her legs. The more difference in weight there is the higher the risk but it is usually not as high as many people believe.

I’m wanting to hatch some eggs from this cross but was curious if this is even possible before I get my hopes up. Then hens are all bantams so the eggs are small, would the genetics from the rooster make the chicks bigger than the egg can hold or would they be bantam sized bc they are in a bantam egg?

The rooster has no effect on what size egg that bantam lays. He will have an effect on what size egg his daughters lay.

An egg only holds a certain amount of nutrients so it controls the size of the chick that hatches from that egg. I would not worry about the chick growing too big to hatch. After it hatches it will probably grow to a size in between its genetic parents.

 

[Kbug125]

I have a large fowl olive egger that has been mating my silkies and bantam easter eggers. He’s never hurt them and they seem okay with it, so I’ve kept him around. The rooster is not massive, he’s ameraucana/maran crossed to Silverudd, pretty slim and maybe double the size of my bantam EEs. I’m wanting to hatch some eggs from this cross but was curious if this is even possible before I get my hopes up. Then hens are all bantams so the eggs are small, would the genetics from the rooster make the chicks bigger than the egg can hold or would they be bantam sized bc they are in a bantam egg?

It’s possible to hatch eggs from the cross between your large fowl rooster and bantam hens. While the rooster's genetics might produce larger chicks, the egg size will limit how big the chicks can be. The bantam eggs will still accommodate the development of slightly larger chicks without causing problems. The chicks will likely be a bit larger than typical bantam chicks but should remain within bantam size. Expect some variation in chick size based on genetics, but they’ll generally be within the range of bantam-sized birds.

 

[Kbantams]

It’s possible to hatch eggs from the cross between your large fowl rooster and bantam hens. While the rooster's genetics might produce larger chicks, the egg size will limit how big the chicks can be. The bantam eggs will still accommodate the development of slightly larger chicks without causing problems. The chicks will likely be a bit larger than typical bantam chicks but should remain within bantam size. Expect some variation in chick size based on genetics, but they’ll generally be within the range of bantam-sized birds.

Thank you for the reply! I did end up hatching a few. Can’t wait to see them grow.

 

[Kbug125]

Thank you for the reply! I did end up hatching a few. Can’t wait to see them grow.

Awww their so cute