short Romeo and tall Juliet

[cedarpondfarm]

I know it\'s possible to cross a bantam rooster with LF hens but I\'ve never tried it.  Is the fertility the same?  Do the eggs hatch as well?  Any secrets other than teeny tiny stilts?  

[Blue Egg Acres]

I\'m so glad you\'ve asked this question. I\'ve wondered to but it never occured to me to ask. Not that I have any bantams, just curious.

[Mike Gilbert]

Depending on the size difference, it may or may not work.
If the male is too small to reach the right spot there will be no fertility.   I have seen much better luck crossing large fowl males on bantam females.

[verycherry]

Last year I hatched several chicks out of blue eggs that had black skin and 5 toes!  I didn\'t think I had to worry about my little Silkie rooster running around with the hens, but he got the last laugh.  I caught him in the act after that  He would hop on the hens, bite them on the back of the neck, and then lean back so far it was comical!  Obviously those big girls liked his affections or they wouldn\'t have stood for it .....or rather squated for it!

[cedarpondfarm]

Does the large fowl rooster cause any physical damage to a bantam hen - toenail rakes, bare backs (sunburn), lots of missing feathers, back sprain?
Usually I prefer to do things as naturally as possible but my large fowl hens are beginning to show some wear and tear from running with the roosters all day so I am concerned about how much harder it would be for bantam hens.  
If I teach the rooster to hand mate a caged hen, would that be better for the lilttle hens?  My new hen house doesn\'t have electricity yet so would a rooster cover a hen after dark by flashlight?  

[Mike Gilbert]

Limited exposure will minimize the damage.   Also the male should have access to a number of hens from which to choose.   Consider leaving the bantam in with rooster for only a couple of hours once or twice a week.   Lock up the extra roosters - one at a time is enough.

[cedarpondfarm]

I\'ve sold half of the extra roosters and will give away whatever doesn\'t sell within a few more days - should have gotten rid of them sooner.  Except for one blue hen and one black rooster already penned, I\'m just now getting around to separating the rest of them for breeding pens.  

I\'m trying to track down a couple of large fowl blue sumatras but may have to settle for bantams.  That\'s why I was asking about crossing bantams and large fowl.