Roo questions: bantam roos/std hens

[Meesh]

Hi, I am planning to get some chicks this Spring. I would like to have a bantam pair, and ~8 standard size laying hens.

Will the bantam roo breed the standard hens? I guess it doesn't really matter as I will collect the eggs, I am just wondering if there will be any problems.

On behalf of my husband, who likes to sleep in - are bantam roos any quieter than standard roos? Is the volume scaled down any on bantams?

And last, can I make a special nesting box for my bantam that is small enough for her to get in, but the standards cannot? They will have their own larger boxes. I would like to let the bantam hen brood her eggs (hopefully I worded that correctly!).

Thanks!
Michelle

 

[Buster]

My experience is that my banty rooster pulled all of the neck feathers out of my standard hens because he wasn't really big enough to reach to do the job. Also, he had a big clear voice too so it wasn't scaled down, but when we were in our house we could never here either him or our standard rooster.

 

[okiechick57]

Hi Meesh..welcome to BYC

My bantams were a bit quieter,just due to size I think.........I had a small nest box for them....but you will find they will pick one or two they all like and the big ones will sqeeze into the little ones too....go figure...... My bantam roos did go after the big hens.......isn't that funny ! but they all "played" with eachothers hens........it was only hard on my little bantam hens..... I have them separated/rehomed now though.......... I am sticking with all standards is the only reason though......
Good Luck and glad to have you here..

 

[Meesh]

Thank you!

Sounds like I might be better off KISS and starting out with standards.

DH is a city boy, so I am trying to break him in gently...

We can probably add a bantam coop later, after he has decided chickens are OK after all.

Cheers,
Michelle

 

[ksacres]

My bantam cochin rooster breeds my Standard Leghorn hen, as evidenced by the growing eggs in my incubator

My silkie roo was (he died

) never a very aggressive breeder, and he prefered his own silkie hens. My Ameraucana bantam roo will occasionally go after other hens, but he likes his girl too.

 

[All my hens are roosters]

A rooster is a rooster, they don't care how much bigger the hens are... of course they aren't always that successful in their attempts, especially when facing the wrong way. As for noise, my smallest rooster (a silky) may not be the loudest, but he is the most persistent. I haven't noticed any volume difference between banties and regulation size roosters. They're all too loud at 6am!

 

[Churkenduse]

I am mom to a lovely half banty half standard.
She is absolutely the cutest little girl. She gives me a steady 4-5 eggs a week, they are about 51-58 grams. Not bad, my large Birds give me 64-68 grams to give you an idea.

She has become the top "dog" around here so her size means nothing to her or the other gals.

So you see they do mate together.