Will my bantams be able to live in my standard flock?

[DelawareQueen14]

Hi! I just got two new bantam chicks, and I was wondering if I would ever be able to integrate them into my regular flock. My flock right now is 9 standard hens and 1 standard RIR rooster. And I'm not completely positive on the breed of one of my bantam chicks, I know one of them is a silkie and I'm thinking the other one might be a welsummer or something along those lines. Thank you!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Those are cute babies!

My bantams lived just fine in my LF flock even around 60+ birds or so for a couple years.

However... once the rooster was added in, I chose to separate my bantams as the rooster does breed ALL the ladies and I wanted to prevent accidental injury. Some people have gentle roosters that mate their bantams fine, just standing behind them and not even mounting. Even though my boy is "pretty good", he does get over excited sometimes and I'm not willing to risk it.

One of my production red gals (always the pullets that are trouble makers) decided she would also mount my subordinate bantam girls. I WON'T have a hen balding another hen when I work hard to prevent over mating by my stags.

Each flock dynamics will be different. You can try and if it doesn't work out, switch it up. You've got a little while to decide how you feel about it.

I can't tell if those are fluffy cheeks or just standard chick fluff on your suspected Welsumer. Easter eggers also have the chipmunk stripe.

 

[Folly's place]

More bantams! You need more bantam chicks right now! Make a little grouping of them rather than just two. Silkies especially are fragile and often need their own coop.
I have standards and bantams, but no Silkies.
The little guys are a lot of fun, enjoy!
Mary

 

[AlleysChicks]

Your other looks like a old English Game bantam. I’d have a separate flock for the bantams. The bigger birds may pick on them (like mine do).

 

[DelawareQueen14]

Ok! Thanks for all the replies! I might just get them a seperate coop. We are thinking about building a bigger one and then my little bantams can have the small one all to themselves My standards are free range so they just roam around so maybe once my bantams are grown up I'll let them out too and just see how things go and figure out what I'll do from there.

 

[Folly's place]

Find out what breeds of bantams are in the group, and then look up pictures to figure out what you have. feathersite is a good resource for this.
I have Belgian d'Uccles and EE bantams, both nice birds. Their little eggs taste great and are cute.
Mary

 

[TheTwoRoos]

At own point I did this,but now they all have their separate coops.All free range together but I keep my bantam hens separated until they lay their eggs.I also have found out the lower bantams are on the orde the more anxiety they tend to have and may not be as friendly.Which is why I their separated,also because they were having trouble nesting,one wouldn’t even nest because she was gonna have to fight her way to just simply nest.Mine now sleep and nest in another coop but free range with the others.

 

[DelawareQueen14]

Find out what breeds of bantams are in the group, and then look up pictures to figure out what you have. feathersite is a good resource for this.
I have Belgian d'Uccles and EE bantams, both nice birds. Their little eggs taste great and are cute.
Mary

Okay! Will do thank you!

 

[DelawareQueen14]

At own point I did this,but now they all have their separate coops.All free range together but I keep my bantam hens separated until they lay their eggs.I also have found out the lower bantams are on the orde the more anxiety they tend to have and may not be as friendly.Which is why I their separated,also because they were having trouble nesting,one wouldn’t even nest because she was gonna have to fight her way to just simply nest.Mine now sleep and nest in another coop but free range with the others.

Yep! That is what I was thinking about doing, we'll see how it turns out. Thank you very much!