Although it varies from flock to flock the short answer is yes; bantams, even true bantams and largefowl can be kept together.
First of all for those that don’t know bantams are a size variation of chickens that are smaller than a largefowl counterpart. For instance light sussex come in both small/bantam and large/largefowl sizes but are classed as the same breed. Then there are true bantams but unlike other bantams these breeds have no largefowl counter part such as the serama.
The bird pictured below is one we bred ourselves, a cross between a true bantam (serama) and a large fowl breed with no bantam counterpart (cream legbar) this May suggest how well bantams and largefowl can get on, a bit to much 💏.
Its a common question from novice chicken keepers. Certain breeds work well together. An aseel gamebird and a pekin bantam May not be a good combination as aseels are usually slightly aggressive towards other birds but then again a bantam chicken can become to big for its boots aswell so really it depends on the birds personality.
Space can also affect ones ability to keep both bantams and largefowl together. In a small area chickens can become bored quickly and soon will start to peck and bully each other. However, if you’ve got at least 1 meter to 1.5 square meters of space in your coop then you’ll be able to create lots of hiding spots, entertainment and boredom busters to break the ice between little chickens and big chickens.
Penultimately if you have raised the birds together from a young age they will usually accept each other when they’re older. My smallest chicken princess who is a true bantam serama was hatched with autumn and they get on like sisters but since autumn loves her food occasionally she’ll push princess out of the way to get to it.
Finally if you want a mixed flock you should have at least more than one of each size variation; that way if they are pushed out from the flock they’ll still have a friend to hang out with. And if anything does occur it’s important you take appropriate steps to stop it from happening again.
we’ve kept a mixed flock of bantams and largefowl chickens since early 2016 in an enclosed run and haven’t experienced any problems due to the two sizes together. We even, as you can see above, have a humongous Orpington which could easily be mistaken for a turkey and two seramas smaller than a pigeon living happily together.
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theurbanhens 