Should I add bantams or standards to help my flock?

[booksandcranies]

So I was going to get 6 bantam chicks, one of the hatches did work out and and so Meyer hatchery gave me a standard EE female chick to sub the one who didn’t hatch (since they had no bantam breeds left)

The sub ee as it turns out it looking very cockerel like, and he’s so far a very good rooster and I would like to keep him around if possible- but I’ve read a lot of mixed things about bantams and standard roosters Together. after talking with the Meyer rep I decided to give him a chance before being forced to rehome him.

So my questions is,

- should I get more bantam hens so there are more and he won’t have a chance to overbreed them as much, and with getting bantam chickens my coop wouldn’t be overly crowded

- should I get standard hens even though it might be a tight squeeze in the coop, the standard girls would help out by taking the heat off the bantams a bit from abrahen *the rooster* but I do think my coop and run would be hitting it’s limit with 3 standard girls

- or should I wait until I see if he even over breeds them before I get more? I just feel being proactive would be smarter than waiting to see if the girls start to loose feathers from overbreading but I just don’t know what the right move is, so I wanted to talk it out with people who might have had this happens before

Below is a picture of my coop *it’s being rewired that’s why I’m the photo it doesn’t have wire* so you can see how big it is. I will be letting them free range as often as I can but mostly under supervision* the chickens have a run attached to the coop and can also go under the coop for more secured space to hang out


I did seem to get heftier breads of bantams *all going to end up to be about 2 pounds* and my EE is going to be about 5 pounds at maturity. So let me know what you think!

 

[aart]

That coop is tiny.
I would get rid of the male and not add any more birds.

 

[booksandcranies]

That coop is tiny.
I would get rid of the male and not add any more birds.

I would like to keep him because quite frankly, we have hawks in the area, even at just 12 weeks he was able to round everyone up and get them inside without me doing anything. And it’s my first coop, we will be expanding it next spring

Edit: but thankfully it’s not so small that I can’t go In, I can go in and hang out with them if I want or let them out while I clean it without needing to duck or anything. But yes I will be expanding it bc I do want it to be bigger than it is

 

[NatJ]

Below is a picture of my coop *it’s being rewired that’s why I’m the photo it doesn’t have wire* so you can see how big it is.

How big is the coop? (Measurement of the length and width.) It can be hard to judge size in a photo.

 

[booksandcranies]

How big is the coop? (Measurement of the length and width.) It can be hard to judge size in a photo.

Lengthwise the run is 9 feet long, 3.6 feet wide, 5 foot 2 inches tall

And the coop is 6ft long, 2 ft tall, 3 feet wide!

I don’t know the exact square footage because honestly my math is not amazing

Edit: And I know it’s not the biggest so I will of course be making it bigger for them, they are more pets than anything, so I want them to be comfy

 

[NatJ]

Lengthwise the run is 9 feet long, 3.6 feet wide, 5 foot 2 inches tall

And the coop is 6ft long, 2 ft tall, 3 feet wide!

I don’t know the exact square footage because honestly my math is not amazing

Edit: And I know it’s not the biggest so I will of course be making it bigger for them, they are more pets than anything, so I want them to be comfy

For those dimensions, I would not add any more chickens than what you have.

If you want to keep the male, I would suggest you just keep an eye on things. If the females start seeming stressed or getting bald patches, remove the rooster (rehome him, or give the hens a break by putting him in a pen next to the current one so they can still socialize through the wire mesh but he can't actually mate with them.)

It is true that having more hens can spread out the attentions of the rooster. But it is also true that having crowded chickens can cause other problems. I think adding more chickens to that size coop is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

 

[booksandcranies]

For those dimensions, I would not add any more chickens than what you have.

If you want to keep the male, I would suggest you just keep an eye on things. If the females start seeming stressed or getting bald patches, remove the rooster (rehome him, or give the hens a break by putting him in a pen next to the current one so they can still socialize through the wire mesh but he can't actually mate with them.)

It is true that having more hens can spread out the attentions of the rooster. But it is also true that having crowded chickens can cause other problems. I think adding more chickens to that size coop is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

Thank you! I will keep an eye on things! I do have a coworkers who’s rooster disappeared and would be happy to take him if I can’t keep him. But I’m a sucker and I bond much to easily with animals, plus he still hasn’t technically been id’ed as a rooster yet, *the denial is strong with me*. still waiting for him to crow, so far I just squint at him and tell him if he’s going to crow then do it already

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! I will keep an eye on things! I do have a coworkers who’s rooster disappeared and would be happy to take him if I can’t keep him. But I’m a sucker and I bond much to easily with animals, plus he still hasn’t technically been id’ed as a rooster yet, *the denial is strong with me*. still waiting for him to crow, so far I just squint at him and tell him if he’s going to crow then do it already

That sounds good

 

[aart]

How big is the coop? (Measurement of the length and width.) It can be hard to judge size in a photo.

Especially if one doesn't realize the photo is sideways.
I had to copy it into a photo program and rotate it.....
...but still rather small, and I didn't see a run.

Don't count on a male chicken to protect the flock from predators.
They might just run away, or be first on the buffet.

 

[booksandcranies]

Especially if one doesn't realize the photo is sideways.
I had to copy it into a photo program and rotate it.....
...but still rather small, and I didn't see a run.

Don't count on a male chicken to protect the flock from predators.
They might just run away, or be first on the buffet.

I’m rather new to this it’s only my second post but I’ll keep that in mind for next time. I’m just trying to gather all the info I can for them- there is a run it’s actually taller than I am at about 5’2 and about 9 feet for the entire length- but I am pretty short