OwenLdn Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hey guys, Sorry I haven’t been around for a while- im fine and so are the hens- hope you are too! Am going through a broody moment- with 2 possibly 3 (depending on her mood) of the 4 hens being broody at the moment. I think Hermione (the Bluelaced Wyandotte) has been broody for about a month now! Cilla the Plymouth Rock hasn't gone broody but doesn't want to be left out so tend to stay up in the house too with the others even though she isn’t broody! Its like a ghost town out there! I read the post about the Battery hens needing homes- and wondered if I could mix 2 Rhode Islands in with my 4 Bantams? Im just wondering about the temperament of larger fowl when mixed with smaller Bantams. Are Rhode Islands much bigger than Bantams?- ive never seen one in the flesh so to speak so cant really compare them. Obviously they would be separated for a while to let the girls recover and make sure they are healthy before introducing them. I really want to help but want to think about it carefully before offering a permanent home. Thanks Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 People seem to have mixed experiences of mixing LF and Bantams - personally I wouldn't as the size difference is huge - but others will tell you about their experiences. There are always exceptions to any rule. Worst case scenario is that you would end up with 2 flocks - could you cope with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwenLdn Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hey Patricia, Thank for your reply- i did worry about the size difference- but was hoping it wouldnt be too bad. Unfortunately I dont have the space for 2 separate runs- and was planning to just build a bigger run for the house ive got. Its just the thought of leaving the girls behind that makes me feel like I should be doing everything I can even to save a couple of hens out of the 10,000. But really should think of my girls first. Thanks again Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dame egna Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Ah - that's interesting because I was going to re-home 3 ish ex batts from Norwich, with the intention of eventually introducing them in with my existing hens. I didn't even think about the size difference - in fact, more to the point, I didn't know there was one I don't have anywhere to keep them seperate permanently either. Will keep my eye on this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I think you'll find mixed views - with some people having successful experiences and some telling of tragic cases where LF attacked bantams. I also have a further problem in that my bantams are Polands - and they are liable to be bullied by other bantams! So whilst I would love to have ex-batts I don't think I can. So I'm buying the ex-bat food by Allen and Page instead as a donation goes to BHWT. Chicken keeping is very complex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwenLdn Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Dame Egna- you should be fine looking at the hens you have in your sign off. They all look like normal size hens- i only have Bantams myself- so had always wondered about mixing the different sizes together. As Patricia says the worst case woul be to have to keep the girls in separate flocks- i really dont have the space to do this so ahve to think carefully before adding any new girls to the flock- i wouldnt want to deter you from helping though. Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
