# Miniatures



## jim6767

Does anyone have any experience with Bantams? I've been told they are great, but I want confirmation before I buy.


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## Apyl

The only bantams I have right now are Silkies. Personally I am not thrilled with them, I prefer standard size fowl. BUT if space is limited , bantams would be a good choice.


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## furandfeathersfarm

It really depends on what you want them for. I have Seramas and they are pretty much worthless. They lay sporadically and lay tiny eggs. But, they are very cute and personable. I also have a cochin hen, who is forever broody, but once again, cute as a button and very sweet.


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## rob

i have 3 bantams. a silkie a clydach clocker and a light sussex. they only lay small eggs ( mine are not old enough yet) but are great fun. if you want chickens that are cute and funny then go for bantams. if you want them for eggs then dont.


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## power

Just about any breed of standard size chickens also have a bantam breed. 
They come in all colors and styles.
They are mostly for looks. Some will lay but not like the standard breeds and the eggs are small.
They are not meat birds as they are too small.


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## rob

i have them more as pets than for eggs or meat. i just enjoy having them around


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## UncleJoe

We had bantam's (see my avatar) for a couple years and decided against them. They weren't very friendly and a couple were downright aggressive. The one thing we DID like about them was they're commitment to their babies; very protective. Not only did they sit on their own eggs but also the eggs of any other bird that would lay in the boxes.


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## rob

i find my bantams are very friendly. especialy the clydach. and the silkie likes being handled.


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## missouri100

If you want them for pets and entertainment, you can't beat bantams. 

Unless you eat a lot of eggs, the bigger egg laying chickens can lay more than you can eat. Bantam eggs are small so a three egg omelet becomes a nine egg omelet.

The thing I find most interesting about raising the bantams is getting a wide variety and letting them hatch babies. If you leave the eggs in the nest they will set and raise chicks like crazy. Once the chicks start getting feathers you can see features of the other chickens in them. Specifically one rooster and one hen. It doesn't matter which chicken hatches the eggs, they all had a hand in laying the clutch. Hens typically use the same nest box so I go in and mix the eggs between the boxes. When they hatch you have the widest variety possible. The easiest way to watch a trait show up in the chicks is have a Salmon Faverolles or two in the flock. They have an extra toe so when a chick shows up with an extra toe you know a Sammy had some involvement.

Its not the only thing I do so my life is not totally boring!


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## Keith

Does anyone have a comparison photo of a Bantam egg vs. an easter egger or such.


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## Apyl

I found this pic on google images. It is not my pic but it is a good size comparison pic.


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## OldPathsFarm

We just recieved our Olandsk dwarfs from Greenfire Farms and they are awesome. We will be offering them in Spring 2013. I just started a Olandsk Dwarf group on here today called Olandsk Dwarf Society. I have had several bantams of other breeds in the past and to me they make great pets.


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## rob

OldPathsFarm said:


> We just recieved our Olandsk dwarfs from Greenfire Farms and they are awesome. We will be offering them in Spring 2013. I just started a Olandsk Dwarf group on here today called Olandsk Dwarf Society. I have had several bantams of other breeds in the past and to me they make great pets.


just googled them, wow great looking birds and pretty rare as well.


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## ChubbyChicken

I love my little cochin hens. Two were hand raised, and RUN to my husband when he goes in the yard. We have two Silkies as well, that we hatched from eggs. They are very friendly, but are not the smartest. I won't have silkies again because it rains so much here, and they should really be under a covered run on bad days. One thing to consider is that they really like jumping, and can jump fairly high, so a short tractor wouldn't be the best. This is Broody Judy, my smallest, and most beloved hen. My cochins have a better personality than my Marans.


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## ChubbyChicken

OldPathsFarm said:


> We just recieved our Olandsk dwarfs from Greenfire Farms and they are awesome. We will be offering them in Spring 2013. I just started a Olandsk Dwarf group on here today called Olandsk Dwarf Society. I have had several bantams of other breeds in the past and to me they make great pets.


I am totally jealous!


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## cogburn

Bantys are available in just about any breed you can imagine, I have 2 Red Cochin hens, they both lay daily, I save their eggs and every 2 weeks I pickle them. An extra treat for me ! Compared to my 3 EE hens eggs, one is just a bit bigger than the Bantys eggs, but the other 2 EE hens lay extra large green/blue eggs. My little red hens are super sweet, and a lot of fun. I also have 45 Banty babies from 2 weeks to 8 weeks old, in every color imaginable. I'll be looking to find homes for most of them before long, they were all free I just had to catch the little boogers, the mamas were really good looking hens, black Cochin, dominecker, old English game, and a laced fancy looking hen... But hey !! Free cant be beat..


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## ChubbyChicken

this blog has a good representation of egg size differences. it's always most obvious in the carton.

http://farmdreams-christy.blogspot.com/2010/03/midget-egg.html

I would also like to add that I do not condone the use of the word midget, it's little person.


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## grow_your_brew

I agree with the others, if you want eggs, don't go with bantams. If you're looking for a novelty then bantams are fine. I've had a bantam cochin, 2 bantam frizzled cochins (roosters), a seabright, a japanese (rooster) & a silkie.
The silkie I had was awesome. Very sweet. The seabright was so-so, japanese was horrible, frizzled cochins were really really great comic relief. I'm not sure if the same applies to female frizzled but both my roosters were a trip to watch!!

______________________
My cheap TOUGH chicken aprons/saddles for sale. $2.50 each. Made by us in the USA!


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## ChubbyChicken

Next spring I might try a layer bantam like a RIR or EE.


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## silkieboy123

I love silkies they are my life lol not really I have 4


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## rob

silkieboy123 said:


> I love silkies they are my life lol not really I have 4


i have a lovely white silkie.


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## cogburn

Here are some Banty eggs next to large eggs from RIR hens.


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## 513

*D'Uccle Eggs with a Cream Legbar in the Middle*

Here is a pic of my Cream Legbar Egg between two of my D'uccle eggs - hope this helps! (the pale blue cream legbar egg was the very first egg laid by her)


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## BuckeyeChickens

jim6767 said:


> Does anyone have any experience with Bantams? I've been told they are great, but I want confirmation before I buy.


Pros = Bantams are obviously smaller, they eat less, you can keep more of them than LF if space is an issue, kids love them because they are easier to handle than LF, many bantam breeds are excellent sitters, very broody, great mommas, too!

Cons = less meat, smaller eggs, hawks LOVE them especially the white or light colored ones! I keep some OEG bantams just to keep the flying predators from killing my LF....the hawks always go for something smaller if they can.


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## Lady_Alia

buckeyechickens said:


> pros = bantams are obviously smaller, they eat less, you can keep more of them than lf if space is an issue, kids love them because they are easier to handle than lf, many bantam breeds are excellent sitters, very broody, great mommas, too!
> 
> Cons = less meat, smaller eggs, hawks love them especially the white or light colored ones! I keep some oeg bantams just to keep the flying predators from killing my lf....the hawks always go for something smaller if they can.


lf? Oeg?


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## 513

Lf.......large fowl, don't know the other!


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## cogburn

Old English Game


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## Energyvet

I really like the little guys. I'm sad that they're just bait. :-(


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## ChickensSayMoo

I have a photo of Pekin egg (30 gram bantam egg) Vs a Barnevelder (50 gram chicken egg)


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## Lady_Alia

I can't wait for my Hawkie Belle (belgian bearded d'anver) to start laying!! Does anyone know about how long they wait?


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## 513

Anything from 5-6 months I think, although have been known to be even later!


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## Lady_Alia

Cescacharl said:


> Anything from 5-6 months I think, although have been known to be even later!


Well, we're at 6 months now, so hopefully she'll start laying soon!


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## Energyvet

I just read somewhere 6-8 months but do many here say 5. Hard to tell as season and stress levels play a part.


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## nakedneckmamma

I have several bantams : If they can survive winters here in Montana than no worries. It can get pretty cold here and sometimes like days that are minus 22 I have to use a heat lamp. I love my bantams I have 8 bantams so far  different breeds. I am going to get a breeding pair of Serama's before too soon...

I started out with large fowl but ended up hatching out some silky eggs that my friends sent me and fell in love with silky's. Growing up my mom had Cochins   .. I love feathered legs and clean legged bantams....


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## nakedneckmamma

here's one of my black tailed buff Japanese bantam eggs compared to my Naked Neck x Australorp hens.......


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## 513

Wow! Quite a difference!


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## seashellmtn

one of my two back yard hens is missing some feathers around her neck, shows when she lifts her head high. Is this a problem or normal molting?


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## fuzziebutt

Most bantams start laying at around 30 weeks. The longer they wait, the better for their health it will be.

seashellmtn, welcome to the forum! They may be starting in a molt. Maybe start a thread of this question, and it will get noticed more!


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## Lady_Alia

fuzziebutt said:


> Most bantams start laying at around 30 weeks. The longer they wait, the better for their health it will be.
> 
> Then my girl can wait as long as she needs!


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## domf

*Bantams*

I love my bantams. They are pretty and many are very friendly. You can have more of them in the same space you would keep larger chickens.

BUT, do not expect a lot of eggs. They get broody, but egg production is no where as large as standard fowl. They are great for hatching eggs of other birds. They are strickly pets and for show.


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## Juliematkin-55

I have always had bantams. They are lovely birds and lay really well. The eggs I get are medium sized. Good luck


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## BootedBantam

Love the Bantams!! I have a a Splash Bantam rooster, a blue splash hen, and a blue hen. I don't know how old the rooster is, but my bantam hens are like 4 months old. I am assuming they will give me eggs when ready. Maybe for christmas. They have great personalities in my opinion. I plan to get more Banties. Good luck!


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## rob

all of mine are bantams. though one is much bigger than the others.


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## bantylover

I have bantams and I LOVE them!! Of course they are just "pets", but they are so much fun! I also have regular sized chickens as well. Believe it or not, I have 4 bantam roosters and 2 regular sized roosters and they all get along well, once in awhile the little ones will chase the big ones but it's fun to watch. I lucked out with all the roosters getting along but would not recommend having that many roosters at one time. Other than that very pleased with the bantams!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Anyone here have Buckeye Bantams??? Looking for a good source for some of our ABC members.....


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## qcupoultry

I love bantams! I've just recently gotten into bantam cochins. They are just too adorable.


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## rob

great looking bantam. loving the feathered feet.


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## qcupoultry

Bantam cochin chicks are so cute! It looks like they are wearing pajamas. Even my husband likes them and he's not a chicken fan.


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## Lady_Alia

qcupoultry said:


> Bantam cochin chicks are so cute! It looks like they are wearing pajamas. Even my husband likes them and he's not a chicken fan.


I LOVE the eggs in ur profile pic!


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## qcupoultry

Lady_Alia said:


> I LOVE the eggs in ur profile pic!


Thank you! The marans eggs are pretty neat. I like a colorful egg basket. Those are out of my black tail buff girls.


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## Lady_Alia

qcupoultry said:


> Thank you! The marans eggs are pretty neat. I like a colorful egg basket. Those are out of my black tail buff girls.


I know what you mean about a pretty basket! lol I do too. I'm gonna try to get me a maran or two next spring. I sure don't want younguns going into winter time.


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## qcupoultry

Lady_Alia said:


> I know what you mean about a pretty basket! lol I do too. I'm gonna try to get me a maran or two next spring. I sure don't want younguns going into winter time.


Yes, well I have to get started on hatching soon so I have started pullets by the time spring comes, so.........it's winter babies for me. My husband said it was okay if I took over one of our small outbuildings. As soon as he gets power out there I'm going to turn it into baby chick world! Yeah! So much better than having them in bins in the garage. He's allergic to feathers and was getting tired of having to avoid the garage during chick season.


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## carolyn28

There are some spectacular bantams that are brilliantly feathered and exotic. I raise both standard and bantam and love both types for their merits. For show, nothing beats a bantam especially if you have kids. My bantamas lay small eggs but lay them prolifically and hatch very well. The only drawback of bantams is the inability to vaccinate them against mareks, a lethal chicken virus that has grown in strength and has spread everywhere.


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## BuckeyeChickens

still trying to find some Buckeye bantam breeders???? anybody out there???


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## BuckeyeChickens

carolyn28 said:


> There are some spectacular bantams that are brilliantly feathered and exotic. I raise both standard and bantam and love both types for their merits. For show, nothing beats a bantam especially if you have kids. My bantamas lay small eggs but lay them prolifically and hatch very well. *The only drawback of bantams is the inability to vaccinate them against mareks*, a lethal chicken virus that has grown in strength and has spread everywhere.


Can you explain why bantams can't be vaccinated???


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## littleredhen

hi there! he looks like a bantam cochin rooster. I am in need of a companion for my sweet little silverlaced cochin hen. would you be able to ship to Sheveport, La. please email me if this is something youre open to: [email protected]. thanks!


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## Reinerchick

I have 4 bantams (out of 7 chickens) and the bantams are definitely the friendliest! It's so cute because they love to cuddle, believe it or not. Like any other animal though, you have to handle them a lot in order for them to be like this. I handle all my chicks everyday, and my bantams are the best. I will not have anything other than bantams from now on. Hope you get a chance to enjoy these wonderful birds! And have a great day


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## anakonia

Depends on the breed and what you want them for. I keep Bantam Cochins and use them for sitters and pets and have a larger breed with little or no tendency to be broody for eggs. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a chicken.


Sent from my iPhone using Chicken Forum


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