What sort of bantam should I get?

[2seth2]

we want to recommend the best breed for you but to do so we really need to know what you are looking for in a breed. we can tell you all day about the many different personalities of bantams with each breed having its own unique qualities such as laying ability, personality, hardiness, ect ect

right now i would recommend getting one of the following due to my personal experience with them d'uccle, cochin, brahma, silkie, oegb, and rosecombs. all of mine are easy to handle and easy for the kids to show and handle. mine are currently not laying but do good at ranging in the yard.

of these for easy show prep i would choose rose combs, oegb, and d'anvers

 

[hdowden]

of these for easy show prep i would choose rose combs, oegb, and d'anvers

yes these would be the easiest, as feather legged breeds do need some extra care of their feathered legs and i find that deep litter works best for them and no free ranging of them as well. also with the feathered legged breeds those feathers are blood feathers and can bleed a lot if broken.

so if a lower maintenance type breed is something that you want then go with the clean legged bantams.

 

[Chloe77]

yes these would be the easiest, as feather legged breeds do need some extra care of their feathered legs and i find that deep litter works best for them and no free ranging of them as well. also with the feathered legged breeds those feathers are blood feathers and can bleed a lot if broken.

so if a lower maintenance type breed is something that you want then go with the clean legged bantams.

Oh dear. Then I shouldn't get Brahma bantams?

 

[hdowden]

Oh dear. Then I shouldn't get Brahma bantams?

yea the feathered legs can be a pain in the tush lol but i love my buff brahma. you can see almost all of my chickens in different albums which are made for each individual breed or mix that i have (they aren't currently updated yet i still have to do that). the only one i have gotten from a breeder thus far has been my porcelain d'uccle will be adding bantam RIR and bantam phoenix sometime next year. the phoenix will require special care because of their tail length. you might try also looking into sumatra bantams they get nice tails but not nearly as long as a phoenix or yokohama. they will however need a dry place to be kept so with them i recommend a coop and sheltered run, they don't need the deep litter as they don't have feathered legs.

now as i am suggesting some breeds to look into are you wanting strictly true bantams or can they have large fowl counter parts such as your barred rock which you can find in bantam sizes as well.

 

[Chloe77]

True bantams is what I'm looking into. I'm going to breed them, and sell.

I'm going to get Standard Buff Brahmas... Will that be a problem?

 

[hdowden]

True bantams is what I'm looking into. I'm going to breed them, and sell.

I'm going to get Standard Buff Brahmas... Will that be a problem?

maybe if they are kept together. some have stories of the bantams getting killed by the large breed roos others have gotten by just fine. i raise only bantams so i can't say for sure except what i would do and that would keep them separate. if you are going to breed you will need individual pens for each breed. some true bantams include d'uccle, sebright, d'anver, jap, booted bantams, dutch and serama.

 

[Chloe77]

maybe if they are kept together. some have stories of the bantams getting killed by the large breed roos others have gotten by just fine. i raise only bantams so i can't say for sure except what i would do and that would keep them separate. if you are going to breed you will need individual pens for each breed. some true bantams include d'uccle, sebright, d'anver, jap, booted bantams, dutch and serama.

I think I've pretty much decided what I'm going to get. Sebrights and d'uccle's later on. Thanks for giving me great advice. Any tips on breeding or selling?

 

[Smoochie]

I just want to give you the heads up that Sebrights tend to be low in fertility, as it is common among breeds bearing a rose comb. Chicks that do hatch are tiny and delicate, requiring extra care to raise, but once mature hardy birds. The hens are notorious poor layers and seldom brood. If you are a beginner these probably are not a good breed to start with.

 

[Chloe77]

Yes, I know they're rather delicate... But I'm good with animals, and people love sebrights as a breed. If I have enough sebrights, I'm convinced I can breed them. Also, I have other breeds of chicken to sit on the eggs. And if that doesn't work, incubator time...

 

[Smoochie]

Also, selling "true" breeds can be difficult as you need to be aware of the breed standards and quality can down quickly. If you want to make money (which is difficult) I would try the ones that seem rising in popularity and easy to sell.. Silkies, EE, etc... In my area the city now allows backyard chickens and people are looking for something different as they tend to be pets. Even cool looking mixed breeds I could easily get $25 each.