4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[troyca]

What is the thing with mixing the sizes? Is it the little guys get bullied or is there more to it than that? Is it to be avoided?

[Janty]

Mine all live together and the only problems I have come from two of the bantams. They will insist on head butting the brahmas in the chest - stupid birds!

 

However, I did have bullying problems when I first started but that was due to my inexperience and me not taking the introductions slowly enough.

[CluckyBucks]

I introduced my two silkies to my one bantam, shes the boss

 

xx xx

[Tulip]

We have LF, standard legbars and a young male serama! Quite a mix

and they all hold their own!

[Redwing]

I put a mouthy stroppy Pekin bantam in with my big girls as she was too tough for the other bantams and was teaching them bad manners

 

I would say if the bantams are outgoing enough and you do the introductions well then do give it a try but be prepared for separate flocks and you wont be disapointed then

[Jools]

Yes they can, my tiny OEG bantam regularly sneaks in with my Rhode Big Uns and duffs them up if they go for the bit of food she wants!

[Saronne]

I recently got two Buff Sussex Bantams (yes, I know I need to update my signature )

 

and they recently broke up a squabble between two of my Pepperpots and my Legbar. That was 10 days after their introduction to the flock. They have the respect of the big girls .

 

Saronne x

[Woodcat]

hey

 

I currently have three pekins living with a Dorking and all of them free ranging everyday with 5 hybrids so yes. The intros have to be slow and i've always worked one the basis of letting them choose where to sleep and who to hang round with.

 

Beth

[jlegg]

I'm at the inroduction stage two hybrids ou original pair and have just bought a cream crested legbar and bantam who is still a chick, the legbar and bantam had been together at their old home so they lived in a closed in run together for the first 10 days with a medium sixed dog travel box as a home seems to work well !

I then let the hybrids freerange around the main run and allowed the new two out of the closed in section in to the main run for a few days. That seemed fine just getting them all in the right place at beditime was the 'fun ' part! we lost the legbar at bedtime once and found her roosting in the plum tree- silly really not to look up after all they are birds!

 

My problem now is the legbar is with the hybrids and thats okay no real squabbles the brown ISA who is the escapaologist thinks shes the boss and the silverlink want to 'get'the 'baby' bantam so I have left the baby safely in the enclosed run.

What I don't know is at what point should I let her in with the big girls? shes an OEG cross with an idunnoe! is rather pretty and is my sons pet as his chicken died recently the whole reason we got another one - or rather two because he couldnt make up his mind. She still cheeps don't know if all bantams chirp she doesnt do the chicken sounds though so wondered if that will change?.

[Jools]

If I've read this rightly, your bantam isn't fully grown yet? If so, then no I wouldn't put her with the others yet because she won't be mature enough to hold her own. Once she gets to POL she should be okay, particularly with the OEG in the mix! It's a good idea to keep her within sight of the others though, that way when you do introduce them properly, they're not complete strangers. Good luck.

[chickenNutter]

I have a welsummer and 2 bantams in an eglu, but I got them all at the same time, and they were similar ages. They get on fine, there isn't even any discernable pecking order - the Welsummer tends to get one over on the others tit bit-wise due to being taller, but no bullying so far (fingers crossed)

[jlegg]

No my bantam is still a chick but I will check to find out exactly how from POL she is, not owning one before I dont know what I'm looking for, Legbar ( Raisin) does act a bit like mum to her though, rather sweet. I had though I would keep her seperate with just the wire seperating them as a precaution, I dont think shes that young as she isnt much smaller than her Mum was.

[woffle]

if she's a chick then I wouldn't put her in with the others. I wouldn't worry too much about mixing large and small breeds if you've got enough room during the day.

[SAB]

As my signature shows, we have sizes ranging from pekin to turkey and all get on well - in fact the pekin bantam and the turkey hen are best friends - aaah!

[chelsea]

Our smallest two chickens are small enough to be bantams (but officially they are not), they were runts so are tiny and they live with my huge cochins and other girls.

 

If you are going to attempt it, I would advise a very very slow introduction with seperate living/run accommodation initially. It was about 12 weeks before our flock were fully combined in the cube.

[Guest]

Thanks to my last adoption I have a bantam and 2 little cream legbars. They have been here over a month now and are happily freeranging with the rest of the flock. As yet they havn't made the move to the big run but only because we havn't gotten around to moving the Eglu back in there - once they are in there I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they become Cube dwellers.