What type of chicken to live with pekin bantams?

Pony Girl

Pony Girl

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Can anyone recommend a breed of chicken that is generally quiet and won't bully pekin bantams?

We have 3 pekins at the moment but one shrieks all the time so have taken the decision that I will sadly have to try and rehome her. I would really like to get another hen to live with the other two and would like to get a good layer as the pekins are rather erratic layers, but most importantly one that is quiet as our garden is surrounded by houses on all sides.

Any info /advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have 6 hens, but the quietest is the Barnevelder, I've never heard her make any noise at all, not even when she's laid an egg! All the others come out and tell everyone what they have done, but not her! But, having said that, none of them are what I would call noisy. The only time you hear them at all is when they've laid and that's only for about 30 seconds!
 
Hi Ponygirl, We have 6 wyandotte bantams. They are quite laid back and not noisy unless they have laid an egg, then they tell everyone for about 30 seconds. They do however go broody a lot. Still love em to bits though! ;)
May I suggest you add two more hens, not one, as one will probably have a rough time on her own when you integrate with the others.
 
i used to have a brahma who loved the bantams. always strange to see massive brahma with a tiny dutch between her feet, the 2 i have now wont sit as nice but the orpington does but not the best layers but not to bad either
iv a mix of breeds and sizes they never fight a fue tiny bickers
 
My buff orpingtons always seemed to get on with my pekins
 
Normally I would recomend another bantam breed,but,pekins are very good at sticking up for themselves, so if you buy young,pol large fowl you will probably be ok.
I do have large fowl running with my bantams,and don't have any problems.I've also got a few odd cockerels running around in my mixed flock.
I'm a bit surprised your pekins are erratic layers,mine all lay daily.If you do want good layers,that lay daily you might prefer a hybrid,speckledy's and bluebelle's will lay daily and are very pretty to look at.
I think introducing 2,as suggested by bantiekeeper would be better,and,you may find that by introducing 2 new girls,once they've all settled down together your noisy pekin is quieter.I'd certainly give it a go before you re-home her.
 
Thanks all for your replies. My pekins are terrible layers - they came into lay for just one month in March before all 3 of them went broody. Last year they did the same and were broody until September! Mabel has surprised me because she actually started laying again a couple of weeks ago but she is so noisy, and screams all of the time. It's driving us nuts!!

The other two are really quiet but seem to be permanently broody, bless them! It'd be nice to have another hen that will not be aggressive with them, that doesn't go broody as frequently but won't shout the place down.

I don't think I'd have room for another 2 hens. We have one nest box, which all 3 tend pack into to sleep in at night, although Flo and Phantom are in there most of the day as well and Mabel is still able to lay round them. There's obviously a perching area where they could roost but do you think that would be enough space?
 
Well,your 2 who go broody frequently are quiet because of being broody,if they were noisy they would attract predators if they were not in a domestic situation.
Mabel(if she is the noisy 1)is probably noisy because she gets bored on her own,she's probably shouting to the other 2 to stop being broody and come outside :D .
How about 2 Booted bantams(sometimes called Sablepoots)they are a similar size to pekins,just slimmer,not as round,and there laying cycle seems to be 18 hrs.
 
I think Mabel probably is a bit bored of her companions! However, even when the others aren't being broody they're still much quieter than she is. She's the only one who makes the shrieking noise - it's quite ear piercing and can sound like she's stuck in a loop! I guess it's just her character.

Ooh, I will look up Sablepoots, thank you. Are they quiet?
 
Mine are,they love human company and chatter to you,but don't shriek.My pekins come up to me because they want food,my booted's come to me for company and to socialise.
 
Well, quite a lot has happened here since the weekend! On Friday I took the cat to the vet's for her booster jab and ended up chicken swapping!! It turns out our vet is a chicken lover and breeder and was very happy to give Mabel (the noisy one) a new home. So the next morning after deciding it was for the best I took her to the surgery to give to the vet. I told her I was interested in getting another hen, and it turns out she also breeds favorelle bantams, and would we like to do a swap?

So I'm now the proud new owner of Bella (aka Big Bird). In the afternoon I went to collect her and see how Mabel was settling in to her new home. The vet said she was a nice example of a cuckoo pekin and was really pleased with her.

She also said she'd never heard a hen make such a noise in her life!! Apparently whilst she was at the surgery they'd had an emergency dog brought in, and when she heard screaming she rushed out to the kennels thinking it was the dog, and it was Mabel! So I guess we were just very unlucky. Mabel is now running with a cockerel and they haven't heard her scream yet so maybe she was just after a mate!?

So, happily it's thumbs up all round. Bella appears to be settling in well. We introduced her to the other two at night and all was quiet. We peeped in and they were all piled on top of one another peacefully sleeping. It's clear that Bella will rule the roost but while we've had a few feathers fly it's so far been relatively peaceful (we'll run them adjacent to each other for a few more days), but best of all quiet!!
 
Hi PG,

Our Sablepoot is far from quiet. She was the one who taught our pint sized belgium d'anver to use her voice, and become the garden lookout chicken- then shrieking!! She was recently re-homed. The poot has quietened down a lot since Florrie went, and she is a little calmer generally being her second year. The poot, is extremely agile, very curious. I wouldnt have a poot again, purely because they never stop, always on the go......I think we will stick to pekins, having had 3 now and one is brooding on some mottled pekin eggs as we speak. I know that every bird has its own personality trait but pekins do appear to stick together no matter what.......
 
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