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[Chic]

Hi

to anyone reading this, I am brand new to this site, posting messages that is, been reading messages for some time now.

 

I plan to have 3 chickens in my smallish backgarden that will spend time both in a coop run and free ranging when I am home to supervise. Since my garden is small and I want the chicks:

1.as pets

2. being able to provide enough eggs between them for two adults

3. not able to do too much damage to the garden

4. have enough space

 

The thing is I've decided that one Belgium Bantam and one Japanese Bantam would suit us, but I don't know which medium sized chick would mix well with the other two and give eggs of a regular size.

 

Any suggestions and advice would be gratefully received

[Lewis]

I have a pekin bantam called babs and I love her!

They are hilarious!

 

The only thing I would disagree with getting 3 bantams is that you might be waiting a while for eggs. She goes broody a lot and decides not to lay, so you may be better off with getting a smaller breed hybrid.

I have 2 Black Stars and they are great, but may be a bit too big to go with 2 bantams.

[Angels4]

Babs is a beauty. Watching her run/waddle up and down the garden must provide hours of amusment.

Edited June 7, 2008 by Guest

[Tina C]

Generally its thought best not to mix bantams with bigger girls although some people have done it successfully.

 

My bantams are serially broody - sometimes two at a time - and they drive me mad. As chickens do not lay eggs when they are broody you may find two hybrids would be a better choice.

[Chic]

Thanks everyone

 

I obviously need to think things through further, comments have been helpfull. I really enjoyed the Babs video, what a great little character she is, bet she's a fun pet.

[Guest]

there's a BHWT rehoming coordinator based in Haslingden, why not get 3 or 4 ex batts?

 

even if you kept them in the run, it would be 4 star luxury compared to what they've been used to.

[Stevie]

Conventional hens dont need much space.Even a small garden with minimal shrubs will be exceptionally intresting enough to hold their attention.

[The Bantam of the Opera]

i am one of the lucky ones who has mixed bantams with big girls sucessfully. might help that one of them is a cockerel though.

and id have to advise that if you want eggs for eating get at least 1 big girl because we have to use 2-3 bantam eggs to equal one normal size egg. although this might be because my bantam seems t be extra tiny.

 

my orpington bantams are very sweet and loving. brilliant pets and make such cute noises.

[superjules]

Our pekin is just the best - she's so loveable. She lays lovely little 36g eggs 5 days out of 6 during laying season, and will take on chooks twice her size. DD won't let anyone else eat her Yum-yum eggs! I wish I'd got more pekins when we got her, but she's now joint mum of 2 pekin chicks so fingers crossed they are girls so we can keep them.

 

You can mix bantams with hybrids - I've got 5 hybrids and 3 bantams. At the time, I had 3 hybrids, I got 3 bantams so the bantams weren't outnumbered. Give the bantams hiding places that the big girls can't get to so they can get away if they need to. My bantams don't have their wings clipped so they can get higher than the big girls - although that's only relevant because we've got a 6' high run, probably won't make any difference in an eglu run.

 

Bantams do go broody quite easily though so if you are not around during the day to remove the eggs this will be more of a problem for you.

[Chic]

Glad to hear that others have had success mixing the breeds. I'm keen to learn as much as I can from people who are obviously more experienced in this area than I am. Want to make the best choice I can.

 

My coop will be sited on concrete, any suggestions for the floor material best for hens? How would you keep it clean?

 

Thanks

[Chickens@61]

we have 2 pekin bantams in with two big hybrids and they are a very happy family was not the same story with the ex-batts though, they seem to have some very murderous feelings towards the little ones and have to be kept seperately!

 

the pekins are sooo cute and friendly, they are my daughters pets and we love them BUT they are over seven months old and still not laying , then taking into account broody spells, winter months and the fact that their eggs are tiny they are not exactly top producers! so if i was getting any more little hens i would get hybrids i think.

 

if your coop and run are on concrete, maybe you could put down a bedding the hens can scratch about in (auboise, easybed, etc.) and then periodically shovel it all out and hose down the concrete?

[Chic]

Thanks, at the moment it's looking like I need to be doing some research into hybrids. Ta for the info on the flooring and upkeep.

[chickenanne]

How many eggs per week do you use now? You might well find that you really don't need all the eggs you would get from 3 hybrids! we have 4 hens, 2 pure breeds, 2 hybrids, and get about 24 eggs per week minimum. This is way too many for us (2 adults). Possibly the smaller eggs a bantam would lay will be an advantage - even if you use 2 = 1 normal egg.

[Chic]

Yeah, that's a really good point about the actual number of eggs we'll need per week, there is only the two of us.

Daft question, but I'm new to this, when you say 'pure breed' are you referring to a full size breed or a pure bantam?

[chickenanne]

Both bantams and full sized hens have breeds which are pure or hybrids. The ones I have are all full-sized.

I think a lot of people are wary of pure breeds and see them as difficult, but most types are very hardy and easy to keep; certainly with mine the pure-breeds are much calmer and friendlier. Personally I'd strongly recommend pure-breeds over hybrids (large or bantam pure breeds), and then you also have the satisfaction of knowing you're helping preserve heritage strains, too.

[Chic]

Thanks again for your views, does seem to come down to personal opinion/experience/preference at the end of the day. I would definately prefer calm/more pet type natured birds as opposed to purely egg layers.

[cathybc]

I have a pekin bantam called babs and I love her!

They are hilarious!

 

I have just watched this - what a sweetheart ! I love her big feet !

[Chic]

I've watched the Babs video 4 times now, really makes me laugh, even got my husband to watch it !!

[family layer]

I really wanted Silver Laced Wyandottes or Light Sussex, but ended up with a Warren and two Rhode Island Reds, and have not looked back since!

 

I have only had mine less than a week and the oldest RIR is already sitting on my lap, falling asleep there quite happily! I knew that they were docile birds but never imagined this! If you want a good pet AND a good layer, you should definitely consider them.

 

Let us know want you decide to do, we would love to know!

 

Whatever you do, I wish you the best of luck with your new babes and much fun!

[chelsea]

I've watched the Babs video 4 times now, really makes me laugh, even got my husband to watch it !!

 

I know, even though i have clicked on it several times before., I just had to watch her waddling again!