Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[christyrose12]

Can you keep bantams and large fowl together? I saw saw some lavender bantam orpingtons for sale. I told the lady I already had large orpingtons and she said you cant keep them together. Would the larger girls pick on the smaller ones?

[coco]

I keep bantams and LF together in a large WIR. I have about 9 LF girls one of which is a buff orp the rest are bantams of various breeds. I have a gold laced bantam orp and three wyandotte bantams as well as others that all live happily together. As long as they have enough space and intros are done properly they should be ok.

[Patricia W]

I keep them separately, as the bantam breed I have ( Polands) are easily bullied by LF.

[christyrose12]

Are bantam orps that much smaller than the large orps? The lady said they were a quarter of the size of the large ones. Didnt think they were that much smaller....

[coco]

My bantam is about half the size of my Lf orp. Both are fairly easy going, the bantam more so, she wouldn't say boo to a goose but is never bullied just potters about minding her own business.

[Plum]

I have a mixed flock and they are fine but I'd advise you to provide obstacles in the run for the new ones to dash behind. I have piles of bricks, a bench, and various perches and gymnasium blocking the way of any attack. I did slow introductions which I think helps

[Luvachicken]

I did have 2 wyandotte bantams and 4 pekin bantams in my run together to start with.

The 2 wyandottes are about twice the weight of my pekin bantams.

2 of the pekins got very badly pecked all the time no matter what I did. They had no head and neck feathers at all. The bullying was non stop and I think because there was such a difference in size the pekins had no chance. Maybe if I had a huge garden and they could free range there might not have been a problem, but I don't. In the end I separated them and got the wyandottes a Classic. Harmony reigns and Queenie and Suzie nearly have their feathers back, but it's taken forever for them to grow back.

[newcountrygirl]

I have two Wyandotte bantams and two Pekin bantams in together with a Pekin bantam cockerel They all seem to get on together. At one time I had a Polish Frizzle bantam in with them but even though they got on fine at first, suddenly they started pecking her and I ended up separating her and getting her another Frizzle as a pal. The Wyandotte bantams are quite a bit bigger than the Pekin girls and are definately more bolshy!