quail vs. bantam vs. serama?

[quailmama 82012]

so i have been having some bad luck with my quail since i started and i still want to go forward with them. but, if things continue to be too much of a challenge i think i might try chickens. my mom only let me get quail because of how tiny they were, so same applies with chickens, the smaller the better. i was wondering what are the smallest breeds of chicken?
my necessities in chickens are:
cold hardy,
small,
space efficient.
easy to get
my wants are:
broody,
friendly,
pretty feathering.


if we are getting chickens i will need to do research on coop design and feed, among-st other things. i wont have any roosters and my mother would only allow me to have three hens.

 

[Gray Farms]

Seramas are the smallest but they are not cold hardy. I'd recommend Old English Games bantams, Sebrights, or Silkies.

 

[Painted Calls]

Gray gives good recommendations.


However, Bantam Cochins were missing from that list.

 

[quailmama 82012]

thank you. i will keep these all in mind.

 

[quailmama 82012]

well, i think i am getting silkies. when i was gone on a camping trip my mom was watching the quail and she didn't do the double lock thingamajigger and a coon opened the door and got them all.
i am currently staying at my grandmas house for six months while we build our next house so i will also wait until then to get more birds because there is more wildlife here. but that's okay because it gives me plenty of time to do lots of research on silkies.
my plan so far is this: i will have 3 hens and they will stay in the dog run (which is big enough i think) while i am gone but when i am outside with them i will let them roam with me in our back yard. every night i will put them in there dog run, and inside their coop.
if they go broody i have a friend with roosters and lots of extra eggs that i will ask if i could hatch for her.
but i need to know a ton more before we move so anyone with experience please guide me!

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

Silkies are INCREDIBLY hard to sex. I'd take this into consideration. They also aren't good fliers, which could be a problem if your predator load is high.

I'd recommend bantam cochins or D'anvers, both of which I have. Both my D'anver and cochin went broody this summer, so I'm enjoying chicks!

 

[quailmama 82012]

i am not stuck on silkies YET, but those are good points. the next place i am going to live doesnt have many predators and there is houses all around us, so safer than where i am now because i have a forest surrounding me almost.
i also really like silkies because of how fluffy they are and i like the idea of a fluffy bird following me around the yard. its almost good that they arent good flyers because i dont want to loose one running away like i have had with quail. i know chickens can free range vs quail cant but having to chase down a runnaway chicken doesnt sound that great to me lol.
i am still thinking about wich type to get though and these are great ideas to help me choose.
EDIT: and your chickens are really cute