When a rooster mates with a hen, she squats down on the ground. This spreads the load out quite a bit. The pressure on her to support his weight is not as great as you would think. Chickens are not as frail as some people think. Most roosters are quite a bit larger than hens of the same breed. But with an Orpington rooster that will probably weigh about 10 to 11 pounds and a Silkie that may weigh 2 or 3 pounds that is a lot of difference. There is a risk. I can't argue that at all.
I don't keep bantams but if you read through this forum, you will see that many people keep bantams and full sized fowl together. The full sized roosters regularly breed with the bantam hens. I have seen a very few reports of problems with this, but usually I see that they get along OK. Sometimes I wonder if many of those reported problems are more in the perception of the person watching than from the perspective of the chickens. Some people seem to think that any rooster mating any hen is a horrible brutish act.
I think your biggest risk will be when the BO is an oversexed adolescent that the hens and pullets resist and his technique is not well developed. Some older roosters can be brutes and need to be severely dealt with, but many overactive young ones develop into good roosters. I cannot tell you what will happen, but I am not going to tell you that you are absolutely headed for disaster.
Good luck!
I don't keep bantams but if you read through this forum, you will see that many people keep bantams and full sized fowl together. The full sized roosters regularly breed with the bantam hens. I have seen a very few reports of problems with this, but usually I see that they get along OK. Sometimes I wonder if many of those reported problems are more in the perception of the person watching than from the perspective of the chickens. Some people seem to think that any rooster mating any hen is a horrible brutish act.
I think your biggest risk will be when the BO is an oversexed adolescent that the hens and pullets resist and his technique is not well developed. Some older roosters can be brutes and need to be severely dealt with, but many overactive young ones develop into good roosters. I cannot tell you what will happen, but I am not going to tell you that you are absolutely headed for disaster.
Good luck!
