Mixing Silkies in with other chickens

[sallywithchickens]

I just went to a swap this morning and purchased 6 Buff Orpingtons - 4/10 week olds, 2/6 week olds. that was my intention for going. then a nice Asian lady came up to me with two Silkies - one partridge, one white (that she said was an Angel Bird). They are feather footed and 3 and 4 mos. old. I am afraid that if I put them in with the other pullets they will be picked on. She had made pets out of these birds. I felt sorry for her because she really needed to sell them. They are beautiful and I don't want anything to happen to them.

Any suggestions?? or experience??

 

[LTygress]

I have bantams living with large fowl with no problem. The key is having enough space for them, enough hens for the roos, and giving them time to find their place in the pecking order.

My latest addition was a bantam frizzle roo. The pen he went into has a bantam roo, a large fowl roo, four bantam hens, and three large hens. That's actually NOT enough hens for the number of roosters, especially since ALL FOUR bantam hens went broody. Well it has taken about a week and a half, and they still chase him away now and then, but he'll probably be the next one with breeding rights on the bantam hens when they are ready again. And in the meantime, he didn't end up with any bare spots or a missing tail. The pen that all of these are in, is a 21-foot by 17-foot enclosure.

You usually would have to worry about baby chicks, because they are bad about picking on the smaller ones. But they are just old enough to know to run away if they are being picked on, or fluff up their feathers and stand their ground. So you WILL see them trying to pick on each other when you first put them together, but it won't last long. And most likely, serious damage won't be done.