I'm still brooding over whether we should get some (two) chickens or not.
Now that I have seen some rat-proof feeders, the idea appeals very much
more.

Except now I'm wondering about bantams.

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

Keith

Bantams are lovely, especially if they have got fluffy feet! I keep
chickens myself but have kept bantams in the past. Apart from the
obvious egg size I would say there are no disadvantages with bantams -
its personal preference

On Mon, 8 Jan 2007 12:18:07 -0000, "Keith \(Dorset\)"
wrote:


I'm still brooding over whether we should get some (two) chickens or not.
Now that I have seen some rat-proof feeders, the idea appeals very much
more.

Except now I'm wondering about bantams.

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

Keith

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!


Yep, fraid so. Join the club.

Mike

chris thame wrote:
Bantams are lovely, especially if they have got fluffy feet! I keep
chickens myself but have kept bantams in the past. Apart from the
obvious egg size I would say there are no disadvantages with bantams -
its personal preference

On Mon, 8 Jan 2007 12:18:07 -0000, "Keith \(Dorset\)"
wrote:


I'm still brooding over whether we should get some (two) chickens or not.
Now that I have seen some rat-proof feeders, the idea appeals very much
more.

Except now I'm wondering about bantams.

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Two points about bantams, though: they haven't, in general, been bred
for maximum egg production, or to avoid the tendency to go broody. I'd
consult some breeders about the best breed for your purposes: it isn't
a simple question of "Let's have some white ones". I popped bantam
breeds into Ggl and found a couple of websites to start you off

http://freespace.virgin.net/donovan.hawley/bantams.htm
http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/...ders/index.php

--
Mike.

On 11/1/07 16:26, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


chris thame wrote:
snip

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Gosh. I'm glad my husband feels like that. ;-)
Years ago he had a bantam - sweet little thing. It used to fly at him,
spurs at the ready trying to attack every time he went near it. In the end
he had to carry a tennis racket with him and swat it to the other end of the
run before he could get the eggs!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Many thanks Mike.

I will definately heed your advice.

Best wishes,

Keith


"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

chris thame wrote:
Bantams are lovely, especially if they have got fluffy feet! I keep
chickens myself but have kept bantams in the past. Apart from the
obvious egg size I would say there are no disadvantages with bantams -
its personal preference

On Mon, 8 Jan 2007 12:18:07 -0000, "Keith \(Dorset\)"
wrote:


I'm still brooding over whether we should get some (two) chickens or
not.
Now that I have seen some rat-proof feeders, the idea appeals very much
more.

Except now I'm wondering about bantams.

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Two points about bantams, though: they haven't, in general, been bred
for maximum egg production, or to avoid the tendency to go broody. I'd
consult some breeders about the best breed for your purposes: it isn't
a simple question of "Let's have some white ones". I popped bantam
breeds into Ggl and found a couple of websites to start you off

http://freespace.virgin.net/donovan.hawley/bantams.htm
http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/...ders/index.php

--
Mike.

Sacha wrote:
On 11/1/07 16:26, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


chris thame wrote:
snip

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Gosh. I'm glad my husband feels like that. ;-)

My dear! How could you possibly imagine. . ?

Years ago he had a bantam - sweet little thing. It used to fly at him,
spurs at the ready trying to attack every time he went near it. In the end
he had to carry a tennis racket with him and swat it to the other end of the
run before he could get the eggs!

I still bear a small scar on the inside of my right knee from one such
friendly greeting by a bantam cock, over fifty years ago! I had no
tennis racquet, and, in my trusting way, only wanted to _talk_ to the
little *******!

--
Mike.

"Sacha" wrote in message

Years ago he had a bantam - sweet little thing. It used to fly at
him,
spurs at the ready trying to attack every time he went near it. In
the end
he had to carry a tennis racket with him and swat it to the other
end of the
run before he could get the eggs!

:-)) Years ago I had a rooster that did the same thing to me. I
called him Darryl after a swaggering but good looking fellow I worked
with who had a similar rooster-like focus on women.

I once had Darryl fly at me and rip my calf to shreds. Unfortunately
for Darryl there was piece of 4x2 lying next to me when he attacked
and I swung it and knocked poor old Darryl unconscious. I thought I'd
killed the poor thing but he came to and was as good (or is that as
bad?) as ever. I eventually had to do him in because he was so
dangerous but he got the final revenge as he was as tough as an old
boot.

On 11/1/07 22:27, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:
On 11/1/07 16:26, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


chris thame wrote:
snip

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Gosh. I'm glad my husband feels like that. ;-)

My dear! How could you possibly imagine. . ?

Possibly because I got another year older today and am filled with
self-pity. Actually, I'm not and never have been but it's worth a tug on
the old violin strings. ;-)

Years ago he had a bantam - sweet little thing. It used to fly at him,
spurs at the ready trying to attack every time he went near it. In the end
he had to carry a tennis racket with him and swat it to the other end of the
run before he could get the eggs!

I still bear a small scar on the inside of my right knee from one such
friendly greeting by a bantam cock, over fifty years ago! I had no
tennis racquet, and, in my trusting way, only wanted to _talk_ to the
little *******!

Perhaps he was frightened you were going to make him an offer he couldn't
refuse!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

On 11/1/07 22:43, in article
, "Farm1"
please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

"Sacha" wrote in message

Years ago he had a bantam - sweet little thing. It used to fly at
him,
spurs at the ready trying to attack every time he went near it. In
the end
he had to carry a tennis racket with him and swat it to the other
end of the
run before he could get the eggs!

:-)) Years ago I had a rooster that did the same thing to me. I
called him Darryl after a swaggering but good looking fellow I worked
with who had a similar rooster-like focus on women.

I once had Darryl fly at me and rip my calf to shreds. Unfortunately
for Darryl there was piece of 4x2 lying next to me when he attacked
and I swung it and knocked poor old Darryl unconscious. I thought I'd
killed the poor thing but he came to and was as good (or is that as
bad?) as ever. I eventually had to do him in because he was so
dangerous but he got the final revenge as he was as tough as an old
boot.


I wonder if the OP is still going to get some dear little bantams.....
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Sacha wrote:
On 11/1/07 22:27, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:
On 11/1/07 16:26, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


chris thame wrote:
snip

We love bantam eggs.

Are there any practical disadvanteges to choosing bantams instead of
chickens..

(My wife Catherine would like a white one... and she intends to call it
'poulet').

Are we sad or wot!

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Gosh. I'm glad my husband feels like that. ;-)

My dear! How could you possibly imagine. . ?

Possibly because I got another year older today and am filled with
self-pity. Actually, I'm not and never have been but it's worth a tug on
the old violin strings. ;-)
[...]

Hey! Life begins at . . [fill in as appropriate]. It was one of the
great vintages, and, like all the best ones, it won't be mature for at
_least_ another twenty years. Happy birthday! (My only real complaint
about birthdays is the cards people send one. Maybe I should start
worrying the year they all start sending _nice_ ones.)

--
Mike.

On 11/1/07 23:22, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:
snip

As MuddyMike implies, nothing wrong with being sad like that; but be
prepared to get surrounded with unproductive old birds you can't bring
yourself to kill!

Gosh. I'm glad my husband feels like that. ;-)

My dear! How could you possibly imagine. . ?

Possibly because I got another year older today and am filled with
self-pity. Actually, I'm not and never have been but it's worth a tug on
the old violin strings. ;-)
[...]

Hey! Life begins at . . [fill in as appropriate]. It was one of the
great vintages, and, like all the best ones, it won't be mature for at
_least_ another twenty years. Happy birthday! (My only real complaint
about birthdays is the cards people send one. Maybe I should start
worrying the year they all start sending _nice_ ones.)

Thank you, Mike. The vintage is 1946 but I can't imagine where the time has
gone! Luckily, I've never been one to worry about getting older and for me,
it has brought very rich rewards, not least of which is my two week old
grand daughter. I'm even dreaming in PINK!
One of the best cards I got was from my stepson and on the front it showed a
pic of a woman sitting in the Lotus position with a large glass of wine in
front of her and the caption "drink wine chilled". ;-)

Now - back to these bantams, are they always vicious little brutes or were
you and Ray just unlucky? I kept hens for a short while in a Jersey garden
and found that in a dozen of them, they always seemed to pick on one which
would get 'trodden' almost daily by the others (we had no cockerel) and who
was pecked and harried and left almost bald by the 'sisters'. It was a
really rather horrible business. I've always wanted a couple of donkeys,
too but again, Ray had nasty experiences of his when his children were
small. Apparently it was a stallion called Sampson and was an absolutely
vicious little brute!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote:

:-)) Years ago I had a rooster that did the same thing to me. I
called him Darryl after a swaggering but good looking fellow I
worked
with who had a similar rooster-like focus on women.

I once had Darryl fly at me and rip my calf to shreds.
Unfortunately
for Darryl there was piece of 4x2 lying next to me when he
attacked
and I swung it and knocked poor old Darryl unconscious. I thought
I'd
killed the poor thing but he came to and was as good (or is that
as
bad?) as ever. I eventually had to do him in because he was so
dangerous but he got the final revenge as he was as tough as an
old
boot.


I wonder if the OP is still going to get some dear little
bantams.....

Well if it's any consolation to him, Darryl was not a bantie :-)) The
foxes did for my banties (Chloe and Creswell) because the silly things
would roost in trees rather than go into the chook house at night.

Sacha wrote:
[...]

Now - back to these bantams, are they always vicious little brutes or were
you and Ray just unlucky? I kept hens for a short while in a Jersey garden
and found that in a dozen of them, they always seemed to pick on one which
would get 'trodden' almost daily by the others (we had no cockerel) and who
was pecked and harried and left almost bald by the 'sisters'. It was a
really rather horrible business.[...]

I don't know; but there are so many miniature breeds that I imagine
their character varies a lot. I'm guessing that the aggressive ones are
more closely related to the original East Indies bantams, or to the old
gamecocks, than to the tamer breeds.

--
Mike.

On 12/1/07 13:09, in article
, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:


Sacha wrote:
[...]

Now - back to these bantams, are they always vicious little brutes or were
you and Ray just unlucky? I kept hens for a short while in a Jersey garden
and found that in a dozen of them, they always seemed to pick on one which
would get 'trodden' almost daily by the others (we had no cockerel) and who
was pecked and harried and left almost bald by the 'sisters'. It was a
really rather horrible business.[...]

I don't know; but there are so many miniature breeds that I imagine
their character varies a lot. I'm guessing that the aggressive ones are
more closely related to the original East Indies bantams, or to the old
gamecocks, than to the tamer breeds.

Ah, that would make sense. We saw loads of chickens all over the place in
Kauaii and were told their coops had been destroyed in hurricane and they'd
escaped and were breeding wild. Apparently, they'd been kept for illegal
cock fighting.
Some of the breeds of chickens are very handsome to look at, though. They
have some at Buckland Abbey, near Tavistock, which are black and white, with
their feathers laid down in the most perfectly regular pattern, so as to
look almost as if they been painted on!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/