Standards and Bantams arriving next week!

[whillo]

Hi! I've been reading your forums for awhile now, and my long-awaited chicks will be here next week! We thought we would be in our new home on our property in the country by this time but this economy set us back a bit. Hopefully by the fall, we will be able to build that dream coop I made the plans for. In the meantime...I have these 4 standards (Orpington, Wyandotte, Cochin & Easter Egger) and 5 bantams (2 Silkies, Barred Plymouth, Easter Egger and Brahma) on the way.

Because of our housing setback, I'm thinking that maybe I should find another home for a couple of the girls. I don't think it will be hard, but I worry about the standard/bantam relationship if I have say 2 bantams and 3 (or 4?) standards left. Is there a chance that they can indeed live harmoniously together? I thought with the 5 bantams there would be enough of a crowd that they wouldn't be picked on by the bigger girls, but now if I lose a couple little ones, will there be a bigger chance that there could be a problem?

I'm pretty excited as well as scared silly about picking up the girls. I've read about all the wonderful moments but the problems that can arise are pretty nerve-wracking. I want to keep them all! It took me a long time to figure out who to order and until the last couple of weeks really thought I was on track with all the details worked out.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

If they were raised as chicks together, they wont pick on each other. Lots of people have bantams and standards together and they do great. Were did you get them from?

 

[calicokat]

I have a mixed flock like that and it hasn't been a problem. Mine weren't even raised together as chicks. I added a single year-old bantum to 6 standards. Then this last spring we added 4 bantum chicks. All is well, the banties are on the low rung of the pecking order, but they were some of the last added, so that would make sense anyway.


I bet you'll be just fine

 

[whillo]

Thank you so much for the replies! I ordered them from My Pet Chicken. Had no idea at the time that you could order chicks through the mail. Was going to start with eggs but heard scary stories about that too! I ordered them because around here, the feed stores stop selling chicks at the end of April and I knew that we wouldn't have our home built by then. Thought for sure it would be done by June

Now, just today I found a wonderful little place, Eugene Backyard Chicken Farmer!! He had Orpingtons and Barred Rock and others. If I had known about his store, I would never have gone this mail route. I'm so worried about them!

Thank you though. I'm going to try to keep them all as long as I can. Maybe something wonderful will happen and we'll be in our vineyard home sooner rather than later. I'm so thankful for this site. SO much great information Thank you to EVERYONE!