Can you mix all chicken breeds?

  • 6 Replies
  • 2529 Views
*

looe-looe-belle

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Location: looe in cornwall
  • 98
  • lohmann brown hybrids = eggs! eggs! eggs!! :)
Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« on: July 17, 2010, 11:07 »
Hello everyone  :)

One thought that just crossed my mind was...can you mix all chicken breeds?

What I mean is for me the novice, say if I go to a Poultry supplier and think...ok...I would like 2 cuckoo marans, 1 orpington buff, 1 light sussex, 1 polish bantam, ....and say 1 rhode island red or maybe 1 cream legbar?.....when I get home can I just put them all together in the run?...would they more or less all get on?...or should I put a few in at a time?

What I want to know is would these breeds mix well?...or is there something there which I have mentioned which wouldnt go?

Any information please would be welcomed!

Many thanks!
regards Patricia

*

Jeanette

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • 609
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2010, 12:00 »
Yes you can easily mix them. I have 2 cream legbars 2 blue bells 2 white sussex 1 cuckoo maran 1 black rock 4 ex bats all living together happily.

*

looe-looe-belle

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Location: looe in cornwall
  • 98
  • lohmann brown hybrids = eggs! eggs! eggs!! :)
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2010, 12:14 »
Hi Jeanette!

Thanks for your advice Phew!!! I am glad I can mix them then!

Just occured to me I had better ask the experts...just in case.


Many thanks again!

*

GrannieAnnie

  • Grandmother of the Forums
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Kent
  • 21104
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2010, 13:47 »
It's even easier Looe Looe if you can buy them all from the same place and they are already used to each other.

If they come from different places, it sometimes takes them a while to get used to 'strangers'!  But My layers have been added to over the past 3 years, and Joyfull just lets any new chickens straight into her garden and at the end of the day they usually just follow the others into one of the coops!

*

Pretty Chick

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: West Sussex
  • 692
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2010, 13:53 »
We have 8 pekin bantams, 4 orpingtons, 1 rhode island red, 1 seabright, 1 wyandotte and 5 black rhodes who happily live together  :).

looe- looe-belle, I'm sure they'll be fine all going in together at the same time  :).
All lives are precious.

*

tesni

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: SE Wales
  • 169
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2010, 18:13 »
Hi, just a word of caution!  Though we have a lovely & harmonious mix in our back garden we did have a few glitches when introducing some new ones once.  The established (quite feisty) 5 girls were not welcoming of the new 3 at all and although we had kept the two groups within sight of each other for two weeks and had gradually moved them closer and closer the initial mix was a mess with the 3 new girls beaten up good and proper.  We supervised the mix and intervened to break them up for a few days but on the 1st unsupervised day one had to be put down she got so badly pecked.  We obviously separated them again and did another long intro which worked and they live together v v happily now.  One theory is that the most bullied bird had a weakness we were unaware of but the chickens could detect it and refused to accept her.  Even our vet said it was unfortunate but chickens will be chickens and sometimes brutal.
hope your mix is successful! :)

*

Celtic Eagle

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Rochdale Lancashire
  • 1747
    • The Eagle's Nest
Re: Can you mix all chicken breeds?
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2010, 09:10 »
Yep works best if they are all introduced at the same time and have come from the same supplier. Also best if they are about the same age.  Really just need to keep an eye on them they will soon sort out their pecking order.
Blessed Be
Celtic Eagle

Everything grows green for a Celt

Mostly organic 'cept weedkiller and slugs



xx
Name my chicken breeds please

Started by chucky on The Hen House

16 Replies
4627 Views
Last post August 06, 2008, 16:00
by chooknewbie
xx
Chicken Breeds

Started by Ladyrose56 on The Hen House

6 Replies
2102 Views
Last post November 26, 2009, 17:55
by iowrooster
xx
Chicken breeds

Started by Sazzle on The Hen House

7 Replies
2249 Views
Last post April 02, 2008, 22:01
by Jellyhead
xx
Can you mix chicken breeds in one coop?????

Started by jennifer on The Hen House

5 Replies
4601 Views
Last post September 21, 2009, 21:08
by jennifer
 

Page created in 0.235 seconds with 38 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |