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I'm interested in adding to my Bantams. I have three black and white, and one 'wild' gray Bantam. They are friendly, clean, smart, easy keepers. Which Bantams would you suggest and why?? Any and all information will be sincerely appreciated.
If I had ample hens, could I have two Bantam roosters or would they fight??
What's "ample hens?" (I'm picturing really plump ones) How many do you mean? I think that any less than 8 hens per rooster is pretty rough on the hens. And the fighting will depend on both that ratio and on what your roosters' personalities are like. I think the bantie brahmas are very cute. You probably know this site, but it has great pics. http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chick...
Thanks, Zep!! I was thinking of ample like 'as many as required, maybe with one left over' - however, my three black and white banties are ample as in FAT, and they have no legs, or they are covered with feathers, all of which makes them look even fatter. Tomorrow, we pick up chicks, 6 or 8 girls, different 'brands', two 'wild', two that lay colored eggs, two with head feathers, and two wild cards. We cannot wait. Today, two of our big roosters went to their new home and the big chicken yard is finally calm. I know the three hens are grateful, tho they spent most of their time in the bantie side. Now, we have one big rooster, three big hens, and we have ordered more big hens. The banties provide about 6 eggs one day, and about 3 or 4 the next day, one day they had seven. I appreciate the site Zep and I'm off to check it out. Someone sent a hen house site and it is good too. I was delighted that without seeing it, and even tho we converted a dog house, that ours is very similar to some of those pictured there. Hey, do I wet the food for the babies? Could be they are old enough to eat regular food...
My great Aunt had Bantys. They are my favorites. We had banty eggs for breakfast and thought that was so special. I wanted so badly to pick up one of her chicks, but just try to catch one. Mama ran them thru the grass and you didn't get close. You are so lucky! Sorry I'm of no help.
Thank you CC!!! We are just crazy about them and love feeding and caring for them, they love people and have even tamed the cats who go right in the hen house with them, craw in nests just like the chickens do and snooze away. One night a cat was closed up with them by error, and apparently they got along just fine. I like a harmonious barnyard!!! Do you use 'hen scratch' or 'chicken scratch', a special blend from Purina?? Ours eat scraps and LOVE them but they love the hen scratch too and so do the babies, except for the big seeds, they leave all of them, neatly on one side. Who knew??
Actually I feed my birds Purina Flock raiser and Blue Seal Turkey grower pellets
I mix them together
The bantams get Purina Layena crumbles mixed with pellets
the Turkey grower is higher protien which show birds need for feather quality
The Blue Seal contains Probiotics which is very good for their digestion
I do mix scratch with the feed
they tend to ignore the oats though
(if you want them to eat oats feed them crimped oats(horse feed)
you can mix cracked corn with the crimped oats and thats basically scratch
I find I have a lot less waste of the feed with the pellets
I glad you are enjoying your birds
it become an addiction like plants...LOL
CC, is your chicken above a Silkie or Sultan or other?? I have two silkie hens, 5 weeks old, and I have two Sultans ordered. Our babies are getting their tail feathers, like big girls, and they are soooooo cute. I think, when it dries up, tomorrow, we are going to let them outta their pen, on to the ground for a while. I have a bantie, who is sitting on 8 eggs, she means business this time - they have all acted like they wanted to sit on their eggs, but after a while they stop, which is why I ordered babies. If these hatch we will have 15 new babies, instead of 6, whew!! Hope you have a fun weekend, we had a wonderful drenching rain, now everything looks great and the weather is perfecto!!
Its a bearded white polish...
the difference between the white polish and the sultans is
sultans have 5 toes
polish have 4
sultans have leg feathers
polish are clean legged
Thanks, CC!!! I don't mind about the toes and I do love the leg feathers, our favs have the leg feathers. Good grief, ours are so cute/sweet, we just go out and hug them. I was just out feeding and Chicken Little, the Bantam rooster, really fussed at me, and so did Big Biddy and I couldn't imagine why they weren't jumping on their dinner - then, I saw what happened. The wind blew their ladder off and when that happened, the door to the hen house closed and Big Biddy wanted to sit on her eggs. The minute I opened the door, she trundled in and hopped on the eggs. I just hope they hatch for her - sometimes they are not warm to the touch, and, today, she laid another egg, making 9. We have no idea when/if they will hatch because she is still laying eggs. She is young and this might be her first real effort. BTW, my new chicks are growing by the day, and have their tail feathers - are they too young to put on the grown??? I'm going to build them a ladder next week...
