alexsampson Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hi Guys, I have heard a lot of stuff about mixing bantams with large fowl and I want to know...can you mix them or can you not?!? My neighbours near me have a great set out with a fenced off area and a coverted shed for a coop where their seven chickens run free and two of them are bantams. I love bantams and wanted to know if you can mix them or not as I have heard so much about if you can or can't in case the little things get bullied Thanks guys Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindafw Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have 2 buff orpingtons who are mixed with hybrids aracanas and tiny Polands...all is fine here...but they do have a large garden to free range in. t They all sleep together in the cube no problems.....apart from the dopey aracana who can't get in so roosts on the roof and gets put to bed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I would like to add some pekins or silkies or some frizzles, but understand that it isn't always successful. Polands being particularly difficult as they can't see very well and the others go for the long head feathers. It is more likely to be successful if they have plenty of room to free range and get away from each other. If you keep them in a run ,as I do during the week, then you should only really take them on if you are prepared to keep two flocks if they don't integrate successfully. I am not at the mo, so have to be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 If you can get them before they are about 18 weeks old you stand a far better chance of success as they are less likely to bully each other when they are young Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've got big hybrids and little wyandottes, pekin and orp. There is the odd chase occasionally but they have lots of things in the run to pop behind so its never been a problem and they all sleep together fine. I think you need to avoid overcrowding with a mixed bunch and take introductions really slowly by keeping them seperate until mature. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have a small flock of 19 girls they got from a teeny tiny pekin to a big orpington/wyandotte cross. I have no problems.... I have over cautious with my intros tho, I do them over many weeks, but it seems to work as my bantees have survived! Make sure you have room to keep them apart for as long as poss...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahato3 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 We have a flock of 17 birds which include 7 hybrids and 5 pekins. They all share a large run with plenty of space with no problems. The hybrids tend to sleep in the cube, the banties in the go plus we have a wooden coop but they have been known to switch around!! Some of the pekins we hatched out, others we bought as chicks but we have always taken our time with any intros which seems to have helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechickens Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have four biggies, one faverolle bantam, a silkie and three pekin bantams-i obtained the biggies first followed by two pekins then the others and have not had any problems at all. They all sleep snuggled together in my converted shed there is enough room for them to spread out but they like to all cram together! They are fine with each other and basically just go around in a big feathered gang! I did however do the intros by the book-kept newbies seperate for a couple of weeks but in a run along side the others so they could all see each other and it seemed to have worked. I have discovered that the pekins are extremely hardy and more than capable of standing up for themselves!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have two seperate runs, the little run is home to my tiny bantams, small pekins, minature silkies, two barbu d uccles and a nankin but they are all tiny. In my big wir I have three pekins, a bantam orp, a wyandotte bantam and two polish crosses. My big girls include a welsummer and a light sussex. I have had no bullying problems and they all get on really well, they are all pure breeds though not so sure it would work with hybrids. The biggest bully of my girls is my frizzle bantam Fifi, she is like the jack russell of the chicken world. As others have said you would have to take intos slowly although my pekins escaped into the big run after being in a smaller run in in just over 24 hours. They seemed fine so I left them to it but I think I just got lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I have a mixed flock of bantams (pekins and wyandottes) and LF hybrids and CLB - they all get on fine, just need to take introductions slowly Coco is right about not mixing the smallest bantams - pekins are quite feisty for their size - and maybe not crested bantams such as Polands Love this photo or Mr Meaty and Mabel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexsampson Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Thanks guys, and I love that picture!!! I guess sometimes the friendship works, and sometimes it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Love that picture too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Aww Mabel .....Mr M was hoooooge I have 2 WIRs.....originally one for bigguns one for littl'uns ......2 Orpingtons, 3 Marans, 5 hybrids in theory in the big run and 14 Pekins and an Araucana x Pekin in the little one, until the 4 newest hybrids decided they wanted a sleepover with the bantams and have never moved back ...sometimes an Orpie would rumble down out of the cube too of a morning I also got very fed up (after well over 2 years) with removing the feisty Pekins from the big girls run whenever I wanted to shut them in to go out....and the amusement of watching other members of the family trying to sort the flock into their proper homes was limited ....... as they seemed to like the mixed sleeping arrangements I decided to cut a human sized pophole between the runs & they all share the space with various climbing frames & hidey holes ....yes we get squabbles, but no blood has been shed & they sort themselves quickly....... I do have a Pekin cockerel in the mix, I don't know if this has helped......I still have the ability to close the pophole and segregate some of the flock if needs be and have several separate runs with houses attached should the need arise (and the hatching season starts again ) It can work, but be prepared if it doesn't.....all my integrations have been slow, careful and chook led, when they choose to sleepover, invariably they are ready to live together in my experience.....and as always, the more space they have to avoid each other when disagreements happen, the better. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I have a mixed flock of LF pure breeds, ex batts, hybrids and bantams.... They all live in harmony... I too like Chook and Boo Mum have 2 Walk in runs, and it was one for the bantams, one for the large fowl.... However, there have been a number of chook induced house moves, and so now some of the little ones live in the big run, and I have one ex batt that likes sleep overs in the little ones run as is really good friends with two of my Silkies I agree though that introductions need to be done slowly, carefully and led by the hens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodinparts Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 A very mixed flock here... Started with 3 hybrids in the , then Morehens struck so I bought the on ebay & moved the girls across...Last February I got 2 tinies (Belgian bantams d'anvers) who started off in the go...but after a few weeks of supervised FR together, they chose to move into the cube as well. This happened again when I introduced 2 pekins, Hope & Charity - the plan had been that they would stay in the go but after a few weeks they too decided to move in to the cube......as did Joy and Serena, whom Spacechick kindly sent my way. So, there we were with 10 mixed girls in the cube...Of course my chickens aren't in charge. Much! Only a matter of time before they decide to roost on the sofa..... A bit of adding (3 ex batts in the ) and subtracting (one of my hybrids was a victim of Reynard the fox, and Charity chicken died in her sleep a couple of weeks ago) but things were pretty stable.........til today, when the wind blew the door to the cube run shut, & I didn't notice. When I went out to put the girls to bed, I found Hope roosting on the gate to the hen run, and ALL the others...2 hybrids, 3 ex batts, 2 frizzles, 2 Belgian bantams....squished together in the It reminded me of the Tube in rush hour...they'd all crammed in somehow and were very cosy & quite cross when I returned them all to the proper places Which is a very long way of saying that big and small seem to get along just fine here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindafw Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 goodinparts your story is similar to mine my contains 1 buff orpington cockeral and his orpington hen, 1 polish cockerel and hen, 3 aracanas (one poss a bantie), a buff sussex, 2 dorkings, a blue ranger (bluebell), a light sussex ranger and an amber star...the all sleep together by choice in the ... is free to anyone who wants to use it. My buff boy lets them all in the and then sits in the doorway blocking entry and keeping them safe till I get there to close the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Oh I wish you would all stop with the success stories I had convinced myself that I dont want to run two separate flocks, so wasn't going to take the chance. I had also convinced myself that I would maintain flock size at around 5-7 girls over the long term. (Have just upped from 3-5 and going through intros), and mix hybrids and pure breeds for laying and longevity. But now you have me thinking a couple of little banties, frizzle pekins maybe, would just be a tiny addition that wouldn't really count, smaller girls smaller poos, just taken in for their good looks I am going to have to stop coming on this forum You are all a terrible influence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Yes, I'm tempted by this too, but in the opposite direction. I'd love to add a couple of biggies to my tiny team - something like a couple of humungous Orps would be nice. Still I reckon my current flock will need to go down a bit in overall numbers first so there is room in the coop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
