Looking for more info on bantams in general

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

The replies on this thread just go to show how variable people's experiences are.

I have kept many different bantam breeds for many years and now would never have LF again.

They lay pretty well! And their feed to egg ratio is way better than LF. They lay what you'd call store bought medium sized eggs, which is much bigger compared to body size than LF chickens laying large sized eggs (or medium in the case of LF Orpingtons ).

Some go broody, some don't. I can usually break them fairly easily if they do. This is down to the individual bird rather than the breeds. I also had LF go broody when I kept them (even hybrid layers) and I've had bantams who never did. It's a chicken thing, not a bantam thing IMO.

My Polish are excellent layers. 6 or 7 eggs a week for most of the year with a short winter break of a month or so. Little pooffy headed ditzy laying machines they are.

So this is where I get to character. Bantams have so much personality! Esp some breeds.

And space. This is the biggest bonus for me. I only have limited backyard space, not acres of land, and I can keep up to 20 bantams free ranging, where I would only fit 6 or 7 LF. They also don't rip up the ground so much, but do forage well on dirt floor and grass areas.

Some can fly pretty well. Most don't leave my fenced area even though they can get up to the 6ft fence. Some just fly up to get the grape vine leaves I have climbing the fence.

They can get along with a flock of all sizes. I had a tiny sebright once who was bossy as hell and ruled the coop. Assertiveness or passivity is mostly down to the bird not the breed.

For your needs, I would say avoid silkies and micro bantams like seramas, OEGB, etc as they are more for fun than eggs.

Wyandottes, Sussex, Polish, Barnevelders, Araucanas, Naked Necks, Welsummers and many more, all come in bantam form. Go to a breeder if you can, not a hatchery would be my advice. You'll get better quality longer lived healthier birds bred for the love of the breed, not for commercial profit on a large scale.

Thank you! Hmm, maybe just the fact that they can fly over a 6 ft fence is enough to say that bantams might not be for me right now. My fenced yard has a 4 ft fence. I was thinking about building a run, but I think the max height I've seen for chicken wire at the store was 6 ft so I was gonna do that, and clearly that's not tall enough for bantams. It's unfortunate because a lot of the other things you guys say about bantams sound perfect for me. Oh well. Maybe one day when my dream of having a small farm comes true...

Oh wait, I should ask, are they flying this high with wings clipped or without?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thank you! Hmm, maybe just the fact that they can fly over a 6 ft fence is enough to say that bantams might not be for me right now. My fenced yard has a 4 ft fence. I was thinking about building a run, but I think the max height I've seen for chicken wire at the store was 6 ft so I was gonna do that, and clearly that's not tall enough for bantams. It's unfortunate because a lot of the other things you guys say about bantams sound perfect for me. Oh well. Maybe one day when my dream of having a small farm comes true...

Oh wait, I should ask, are they flying this high with wings clipped or without?

Mine all are unclippee

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Mine all are unclippee

Hmm so I wonder how high they could fly with the wings clipped.

 

[Chicalina]

I have had micro bantams fly over my fence and one even flew onto the roof of the house next door! I've never clipped their wings.

Last week I caught my Welsummer on top of the fence helping herself to grapes!

But... my Wyandottes and Sussexes have never flown very high at all as they are heavier breeds, even at relative bantam size. And the Polish can fly but don't go vertically really because their vision is very limited and they don't seem to look upwards much or show any interest at all in exploring. They know their home area and are happy to stay within its environs. They often fly horizontally about 1 or 2 feet high to get to the food quickest though!

If you put a 6ft run in place, why don't you put a roof on it, or at least some netting to give you reassurance? Or stick to fatter lazier breeds of bantam?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I have had micro bantams fly over my fence and one even flew onto the roof of the house next door! I've never clipped their wings.

Last week I caught my Welsummer on top of the fence helping herself to grapes!

But... my Wyandottes and Sussexes have never flown very high at all as they are heavier breeds, even at relative bantam size. And the Polish can fly but don't go vertically really because their vision is very limited and they don't seem to look upwards much or show any interest at all in exploring. They know their home area and are happy to stay within its environs. They often fly horizontally about 1 or 2 feet high to get to the food quickest though!

If you put a 6ft run in place, why don't you put a roof on it, or at least some netting to give you reassurance? Or stick to fatter lazier breeds of bantam?

I guess it would just be tricky with how things are setup. The run would be under a large oak tree, so putting a roof wouldn't work. Maybe netting, but it would really be tough to figure out because there are some short juniper trees near one of the bordering fences that would be part of the run, and even my standard pullets go in those trees sometimes. It might just be more work than it's worth for two bantams. I may just have to put them on my list for my dream farm one day.

 

[Goldenwahintofboss]

The replies on this thread just go to show how variable people's experiences are.

I have kept many different bantam breeds for many years and now would never have LF again.

They lay pretty well! And their feed to egg ratio is way better than LF. They lay what you'd call store bought medium sized eggs, which is much bigger compared to body size than LF chickens laying large sized eggs (or medium in the case of LF Orpingtons ).

Some go broody, some don't. I can usually break them fairly easily if they do. This is down to the individual bird rather than the breeds. I also had LF go broody when I kept them (even hybrid layers) and I've had bantams who never did. It's a chicken thing, not a bantam thing IMO.

My Polish are excellent layers. 6 or 7 eggs a week for most of the year with a short winter break of a month or so. Little pooffy headed ditzy laying machines they are.

So this is where I get to character. Bantams have so much personality! Esp some breeds.

And space. This is the biggest bonus for me. I only have limited backyard space, not acres of land, and I can keep up to 20 bantams free ranging, where I would only fit 6 or 7 LF. They also don't rip up the ground so much, but do forage well on dirt floor and grass areas.

Some can fly pretty well. Most don't leave my fenced area even though they can get up to the 6ft fence. Some just fly up to get the grape vine leaves I have climbing the fence.

They can get along with a flock of all sizes. I had a tiny sebright once who was bossy as hell and ruled the coop. Assertiveness or passivity is mostly down to the bird not the breed.

For your needs, I would say avoid silkies and micro bantams like seramas, OEGB, etc as they are more for fun than eggs.

Wyandottes, Sussex, Polish, Barnevelders, Araucanas, Naked Necks, Welsummers and many more, all come in bantam form. Go to a breeder if you can, not a hatchery would be my advice. You'll get better quality longer lived healthier birds bred for the love of the breed, not for commercial profit on

 

[Goldenwahintofboss]

I have had micro bantams fly over my fence and one even flew onto the roof of the house next door! I've never clipped their wings.

Last week I caught my Welsummer on top of the fence helping herself to grapes!

But... my Wyandottes and Sussexes have never flown very high at all as they are heavier breeds, even at relative bantam size. And the Polish can fly but don't go vertically really because their vision is very limited and they don't seem to look upwards much or show any interest at all in exploring. They know their home area and are happy to stay within its environs. They often fly horizontally about 1 or 2 feet high to get to the food quickest though!

If you put a 6ft run in place, why don't you put a roof on it, or at least some netting to give you reassurance? Or stick to fatter lazier breeds of bantam?

Have u crossed polish and silkies?

 

[Chicalina]

Have u crossed polish and silkies?

yes

 

[Quail_]

I'm picking up some meat chickens from Meyer next month and I see they have some bantams available still. I'm thinking about snagging some, but I don't know a lot about them and can't seem to find some of the answers I'm looking for. We live in the city and are trying to be more economical with our chicken-raising, so my thought was that bantams might be a good addition. Below are some of my questions pertaining to all chickens considered "bantams", not just true bantams.

We only have a 4 ft fence. Can these little birds fly over that even with wings clipped?

How big, exactly, are bantams compared to standards? How much less feed do they eat?

Does anyone have experience with Green Queen and Sage Gem bantams from Meyer? We can't really afford to have more broody hens (talking about you Australorp, Salmon Faverolles, and Orpington!) since we don't have a rooster and Meyer claims these don't generally go broody. There aren't any reviews on their site that address this. They also claim they lay 4-6 eggs per week. Please comment if you have had these bantam breeds/hybrids.

We have 7 standards. Could we incorporate 2 bantams into that flock?

If we were to get a cockerel by accident, are they worth making into dinner?

Are there any other pros or cons I would need to know about?

I own a bantom hen. She is quite small, ive seen bantoms twice the size of her tho. Her eggs are small and personally i eat two large eggs, so four of her eggs would be worth it to me. I think for what your looking for i wouldn't get them. She is my first chicken so i would take my advice with a grain of salt. But it really is hard to say how big they get.

They do eat less since they are smaller. I havent clipped my bantoms wings since she is in an inclosed area so i really dont mind her flying around. But they are lighter then other chickens so they will go higher. She has almost escaped a 6'3 fence.

 

[Goldenwahintofboss]

yes

Do u have any photos I can see? I am also hatching naked necks which I will breed with both.