Wanting a de fleur bantam and need advice.

[Blackroses126]

So I wasn't for one of these before, but I can not get over the beautiful pattern of these girls. So I have a few questions for anyone that may be able to answer.

One, they have a lot of leg feathers. We live in a colder climate. Northern New Hampshire and I'm worried about their legs/feet. We do have a large coop that stays dry and on nights that are below 10 add a heat source for them to go by if they want.

And two, we have only larger chickens and some of them can be pretty mean to each other, so I worry about that too. How are they mixed with larger chickens?

Any help in these questions and further advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Picture is one of our two month olds for attention.

 

[HappyClucker7]

By "de fleur bantam", do you mean Mille Fleur D'Uccle?

 

[EEforMe]

Yes that’s what I’m wondering

 

[Blackroses126]

Millie Fleur D'Unccle. I asked the question on my phone at work and it autocorrected to that and I didn't notice.

 

[EEforMe]

Millie Fleur D'Unccle. I asked the question on my phone at work and it autocorrected to that and I didn't notice.

Oh haha!

 

[HappyClucker7]

Millie Fleur D'Unccle. I asked the question on my phone at work and it autocorrected to that and I didn't notice.

Okay. So, there are couple things you need to know before you get them. The feathered feet will be a problem in heavy snow and mud. A little sprinkling of snow shouldn't be a huge concern, but if there's too much, it will get stuck to their feathers.
They don't really do great in very cold temperatures, so if the weather gets too cold, it would probably be a good idea to bring them inside.
Another important thing to think about is size. I think a lot of people don't realize exactly how small D'Uccles are, until they actually see one. D'Uccles are about the size of a dove. They are incredibly tiny. In some flocks this might not be an issue at all. But in others, especially where the standard birds are known to be bullies, it might not go so well for the D'Uccles.
I should also mention that if you are getting chicks, then they won't be sexed. There is only one hatchery that I know of that sells sexed bantams chicks (My Pet Chicken), but those are pretty expensive, and there's still a pretty big chance that you will end up with a rooster or two. So, you have to figure out if you can have a rooster where you live, and if you even want one. If not, then you'll have to find someone who will take any boys you end up with.

 

[Blackroses126]

Okay. So, there are couple things you need to know before you get them. The feathered feet will be a problem in heavy snow and mud. A little sprinkling of snow shouldn't be a huge concern, but if there's too much, it will get stuck to their feathers.
They don't really do great in very cold temperatures, so if the weather gets too cold, it would probably be a good idea to bring them inside.
Another important thing to think about is size. I think a lot of people don't realize exactly how small D'Uccles are, until they actually see one. D'Uccles are about the size of a dove. They are incredibly tiny. In some flocks this might not be an issue at all. But in others, especially where the standard birds are known to be bullies, it might not go so well for the D'Uccles.
I should also mention that if you are getting chicks, then they won't be sexed. There is only one hatchery that I know of that sells sexed bantams chicks (My Pet Chicken), but those are pretty expensive, and there's still a pretty big chance that you will end up with a rooster or two. So, you have to figure out if you can have a rooster where you live, and if you even want one. If not, then you'll have to find someone who will take any boys you end up with.

I have seen them in person. And we live in a pretty rural area and have a farm. We already have a few roosters. The snow is pretty up and down. But we generally don't let the chickens out before we have snow blowed their area. The coop stays around 35 on really cold nights because of body heat and the heat we add.

We do have the ability to separate chickens and have had to do so in the past when bullying has gone on.

I'll do more research and hopefully get more answers here about them.

Would love to know from people who have them mixed with larger chickens how it goes.

 

[kurby22]

I have seen them in person. And we live in a pretty rural area and have a farm. We already have a few roosters. The snow is pretty up and down. But we generally don't let the chickens out before we have snow blowed their area. The coop stays around 35 on really cold nights because of body heat and the heat we add.

We do have the ability to separate chickens and have had to do so in the past when bullying has gone on.

I'll do more research and hopefully get more answers here about them.

Would love to know from people who have them mixed with larger chickens how it goes.

I don’t have these specifically but I do have a runty bantam Cochin that lives in a mixed flock with a huge lavender Orpington rooster to mid sized marans and isbars, to small sized silkies. I would say a mixed flock will be fine as long as the personalities of your flock are pretty laid back. My rooster dwarfs my little silkies (pic for scale of my Silkie and rooster) and the Banty Cochins but he’s very very gentle with them. Any other type of personality of chicken could crush one of them without hardly trying. Make sure if you do have a mixed flock like this with small ones that you supervise them a LOT before leaving them alone and that they have lots of places to hide in the coop if needed. Also accommodating with lower nest boxes and roost bars or ladder roosts. I have one Wyandotte hen that can be a bit of a bag once in awhile and the roo gets after her, so it helps if there’s good order in the flock too! MF d’Uccles are so cute, someday I plan to get some too!

 

[HappyClucker7]

Would love to know from people who have them mixed with larger chickens how it goes.

I did have cochin bantams mixed in with standards for a while. My chickens have never been bullies, but they did peck and chase the cochins. Also, if you have a big standard rooster, then I definitely would not recommend adding bantams to the flock. In my experience, standard roosters are just too much for bantam hens. That's why I took the cochins out and made a separate bantam flock.

 

[Blackroses126]

Thanks for the replies. I think if I do get some I'll house a second flock and not integrate with the other chickens.