Raising Sultan chick alongside larger breeds

[coddledeggs]

Hello all,

I'm not certain that this is the right forum for this question, but I'm hoping some of you can let me know what you think. I will be getting my first day-old chicks this Spring. I plan on getting a Welsummer, a Barnevelder, an easter-egger, and a sex-link. I love the description of the White Sultan and would love to have one in my flock. Is a Sultan chick likely to be picked on by the other pullets? They are described as breeds that get along well with others, but I don't know if planning to raise the Sultan chick along with the others is asking for trouble. Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[azygous]

It's wise of you to research this before discovering you may have made a mistake.

Here's the thing about chickens - they will focus their attention on anything unique, and Sultans are certainly unique with their flamboyant crest. Also size does matter if there's one who is significantly smaller.

These forums frequently have postings asking for help with a Sultan or Polish or Silkie being singled out for bullying or having their crest yanked out by a flock of standard breeds.

If you wish to have any of these exotic breeds, the best thing to do is to get at least three or four, never just a single.

When there are multiples of anything, it diffuses the attention of the others in the flock. This goes for any object including other chickens.

Just to demonstrate this principle, when I first put pinless peepers on a troublesome hen, the rest of the flock ganged up on her, trying to snatch the peepers off her beak. I went back and got a dozen of the peepers and tossed them out on the ground in the run. That drew the attention away from the chicken wearing them, and ten minutes later, all the chickens had lost interest in the peepers, both on the ground and on the hen.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I have 3 Sultans. They are a very docile breed. I would not mix them with the other chicks. Sultans have feathers on their feet, legs, a beard and a lovely display of feathers on their head, all susceptible to picking from other chickens. You should just get several and have them in a separate pen, they are so sweet!

 

[coddledeggs]

Thank you so much for your replies. Not the answer I was hoping for, but much better to know before I make the mistake of trying to raise a Sultan chick alongside more normal (to a chicken, anyway) standard breeds.