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[gonetoearth]

Advice please.

 

We've been keeping hens for years now and love them all dearly. But that's a bit beside the point. My husband came home on Friday and said he'd seen a chicken on the road... we walked round, box (cat box) in hand to see if we could find it. We didn't so assumed that all was ok. On Sunday we went out for a walk and there sitting by a puddle on the grass track that leads to the back of our house was a tiny little bantam. We managed to pick her up and walked back around the track home. She was chatting the entire way. I think looking at various pictures that she is a little Pekin of some kind. Tiny, dark grey/light grey with feathered feet. We've not found anyone who has lost her... and there's nothing on the village noticeboard so at this point having completely fallen for her (she's gorgeous) I've decided she's now ours...

 

We have chickens... big chickens... Orpington, Barnvelders in a Cube and she is so teeny tiny. Currently she's on her own in what we call our Nursery Coop, which sits beside the Cube so she can see them, hear them, watch them etc. So far they don't seem to have noticed her despite her happy little clucks.

 

At some point I would like them all to be together so we understand that I'll have to get either another bantam or hen and then get them all together.

 

The question is ... looking at her lack of size and the cube would she be able to live in there? Get up into the roost at night? (We've already modified the ladder. It has a traditional looking solid wooden gang plank type of thing with rungs across with no gaps - I had a columbine that would keep falling through and straining her legs.... many vet visits. Definitely not good.)

[Daphne]

I see no reason why she wouldn't get on with the cube especially as you've already modified the ladder, many people on here have them as a combo I would think smaller birds are less problematic than the big heavies like an orp with the ladder, they can fly up and down so much more easily.

 

I would get her a bantam friend asap so you can introduce a pair. Its not the size differential so much which might be a problem, more the character of your existing girls. I sometimes look after a mixed flock of hybrids, a bantam orp, a pekin and an OEG cockeral. The hybrids rule, the bantams stay out of their way foodwise, but they travel about as a flock. There were a number of pekins, but only one is left. She is shy, but a dear little thing, and will gently groom the orp who is nearly twice her size If you give your new girl a friend (I'd get another pekin), I'm sure they will potter about together, within your existing group, but with a special companion.

[Ursula123]

My little bantam girls live in a cube with bigger girls. I have not modified the ladder and they manage it far better than the bigger girls.

[Minnie&Moose]

We have 2 pekins in with our large fowl in the cube - they're the most nimble of the lot of them, though one does tend to bypass the steps altogether and fly in and out I think your will manage just fine once she's used to it and her new flock mates.

[mullethunter]

I've replied on your other post, I just wanted to say that your description of finding her, her chatting to you and you falling in love with her has made me smile

 

She must be a Pekin - they have that effect on chicken people.

 

I always thought they were silly and that I wanted proper chicken shaped chickens. But then when I got back from picking up my Wyandotte bantams there were two ten week old Pekins in the box! No idea how they got there

[loumabel]

I keep two favorelle bantams and a Wyandotte in a cube with a special wooden ladder that we made. They mostly bypass the ladder and fly to the pop hole. Good luck with your newbie she sounds lovely!

[Dora+3others]

You finding her was meant to be. What a lovely story. I have 3 Pekins who live in a cube and the only modification made is that we have a large rock at the bottom as they found it a little high off the ground.

[Luvachicken]

I have 5 pekins in my cube and they seem fine in there, although they do have a modified ladder which they all walk up/down it - hardly any jumpers.

 

Pekins are the best btw

[mollyripkim]

What a lovely story, definitely meant to be. Another lover of pekins here, they are such dear chatty little girls, I have all bantams and they manage the ladder fine although also modified to fill in the gaps.

[The Dogmother]

I keep bantams in a cube with no problem. If you are integrating with regular sized hens, then you may have a problem with bullying due to the size difference though.