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what breed of bantam or chicken should I go for?

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Hi,

 

I posted a request for anyone with Pekin bantums for sale, but speaking to a few people about Pekins I'm not sure they're the breed for me.

 

I've been told that they go broody very easily and it's difficult to stop them and they're not very good layers.

 

I've had warrens before but having moved house we want to start again.

 

I really like bantums and need a breed that's friendly (I've got children who like to pick up the hens!) and doesn't mind living the majority of the time in the omlet cube with run.

 

I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on Pekins and other breeds.

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Do you definitely want bantams, or would you consider large breeds? You can fit up to 3 in an eglu + run and converter, 4 if you give them some freeranging time as well. The gingernuts/warrens are excellent with children, phenomenal laters and happy to stay in the run (providing you don't let them get used to freeranging in the first place!) :D

 

Edited to add: sorry, I've just reread that you have a cube - even better, up to 10 larger birds! (But do consider extending the run as much as possible if they will not be able to free range) :D

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Give us a list of chicken requirements.

 

Do you want them to lay a lot of eggs, or lay all year round, do you mind how much damage they do to the garden, are looks important, do you want them all the same breed or a selection that will all get on together, or like snowy says do you have to be bantams or are large breeds okay?

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My requirements are;

 

Don't mind being kept mostly in the cube and run.

 

Friendly for the children.

 

Would like eggs majority of year.

 

Would maybe like a mixture so I can have one pekin as I think they are gorgeous. Coud I mix them up. Really I only want 3/4 .

 

If it's possible hens that don't scratch much!!!

 

Thanks for your help.

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Your requirements pretty much match mine and I have a selection (check my sig). Hybrids do seem to wreak the most damage to the garden, I have 3 purely for the egg laying all year round. I then have the fun fluffy attractive ones just to look nice. and I have a mix of Bantams/minitures and large breeds. The gentle giants like the Brahama and Cochins are actually some of the most docile breeds and will get picked on my chooks half their size.

 

I did start of with a Pekin as well and she was fine with all the others, just she was a bit unwell so I took her back and swapped her. The cute fluffy bundles (particularly those with feathered legs) do least damage and generally dont require as much exercise.

 

Have a look on the breeds section of the site and make a list of those you like the look of and we can see whats likely to be compatable.

 

Size of chooks isnt an issue as your only wanting a few in a cube, so Orpintons, Cochins and Brahama would be lovely gentle giants.

And for minitures, Pekins, Polands, Japanise would all be friendly and do little damage. As would Silkies but they are very bad for going broody.

Most hybrids are very active and prefer to free range and wreck the place, but if your only keeping a few in the run you would be find with most. I would say my bluebelle is most suited of my hybrids for being enclosed. Avoid anything Leghorn derived as they like to run around lots and dont tend to like being handled. But Miran Curvies, Calder Rangers and Black Rocks whould also be fine, if your wanting no broody egg layers that lay all year.

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My bantams have the sweetest natures and the pekins have a big character, belying their tiny stature. None of them really do much damage int he garden, although I have fenced off the best plants.

 

Whereabouts are you located Holly? You're most welcome to come and see my girls if you need some help deciding. If you're out of the area, then contact barbara@omlet.co.uk as she has a list of people in most areas, who are happy to show their eglus and girls to interested people.

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I'm located in Gloucestershire so not that near Banbury but thank you for the offer.

 

I have looked at all the breeds but some aren't on the omlet website. I like anything fluffy, orpingtons are lovely but are quite big, wyndottes and pekins.

 

Do you have trouble with your pekins going broody and how many eggs do they lay for you?

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The pekins are good layers when they are in lay, but they go broody about twice each summer. I don't find it too much of a problem - it gives them a rest from laying and I give them a few days off, then bung them in the broody cage and they're back to normal in a few days and laying a week later.

 

Depending on where you are on glos, you could try the domestic fowl trust at Honeybourne - they have loads of breeds there.

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I have a minuture Orpington and Wyandotte.

 

The orp is perfect, doesnt scratch and damage, very easy to handle and very cute small so doesnt take up a lot of space either. The Wyandotte I have is also a Bantam, she is very high in the pecking order and can definatly hold her own dispite being the smallist and very pretty with her lacewing markings.

 

Those and the Pekin will all go fine together, mine all did. Plus you could pop in a hybrid for your egg laying and thats your group of 4. (this will soon increase BTW as your addiction to chicken keeping starts.

 

check out my blog and you will see pics of my girls.

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It's worth notingh that it can cause problems if you try to mix big hybrid chooks and miniatures and/or bantams - if you're lucky, it can be OK, but any introduction is potentially fraught with worries and theer have been quite a few reported tragedies on this forum.

 

I would recommend either an RIR or wyandotte miniature for their robustness and laying ability.

 

I have:

2 x pekin bantams

3 x wyandotte minis

1 x dutch bantam

1 x japanese bantam

1 x RIR mini

1 x poland/araucana cross

1 x Barnevelder mini

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I like the idea of having a two miniture buff orpingtons, a pekin and a hybrid.

 

The only problem now is finding somewhere to get the chickens from, not many people have chickens to sell at this time of year. I really need to get the chickens at the same time to prevent any fighting.

 

When you said you put them in the broody cage what exactly do you mean?

I'm still really keen on pekins.

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If they are the breeds you want, and you dont mind the travel you can get them from the same place as me, as I got all of those from the same breeder, most had already been socialising together so there was minimal squabling between them. They also have chooks avaliable all year round so you can still get them now and introduce them to their new home all together.

 

http://www.hen-house.co.uk/

 

I got the info for these people from Barbra @ Omlet as customer recomended, Its a really like place and I definatly recomend them.

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Claret how do you keep your girls safe from foxes during the day?

 

(fingers crossed) we don't seem to have daylight foxes around here. I was worried about it at first, but weighed up the pros and cons and decided that the chance of a fox attack was pretty remote and that the girls were so happy free ranging in the garden all day. They go out when it is daylight and are back in before it gets dusk. I pop home at lunchtime to check on them too.

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I have Pekins: I hatched 3 last summer that were all cockerels (!) so I have now got some hens to go with them. It seems to make a lot of difference that my cockerels are hand-reared - they are really tame and will follow me around and let me pick them up or sit on my shoulder. So far the new hens are much more wary about letting me approach them.

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