Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Hey all.

I have been debating the last couple of years about getting some bantam chickens. Up till now I have been ducks and coturnix. We have done meat chickens the last two years and will be doing them again this year. I want to branch out. I don't know why. I mean, I don't need them. Between the quail and the ducks, we have eggs pretty much all year. They just look very cool. I'm really digging the Dutch Bantams. I find myself pouring over bird forums, You Tube videos and Google search results. I think I need help. Does anyone here raise Dutch and what are your impressions? Apparently they lay around 150 eggs per year which I am okay with. Does this seem accurate from your experience?

I would be ordering from Performance. Has anyone bought Dutch from them? They have a decent selection of colours. I've read a lot about dutch lines being muddied with OEGs. I would like pure birds. The picture they have in their catalog looks good (white earlobe, slate legs, correct comb).

I'm curious what those of you with bantams with larger combs do for overwintering you chickens. I will have to either build a new coop/run or modify one of my pens.

Anyone out there with good Dutch birds with fertile eggs?

Anyway, I'm very new at the chicken thing. Any and all comments are appreciated....

Thanks, Chris.

No one has Dutch bantams, eh..? Hmmm. I don't know if that makes me more interested because they are not as common, or if it makes me want to get something else.

I raised the dutch for two years they were good layers. But alot of them have old engligh and leghorns. they were a calm breed. the reason I got out them was because they looked like a poor leghorn. A friend of mine has some black dutch. I vaseline the combs inthe winter so they wouldnt freeze.

Thanks. That's what I want to avoid. I would like pure dutch. I don't want to invest time and money into a cross. Performance states on their website that they offer pure breeds, not necessarily show quality, but purebreds. I guess I have some thinking to do.

How big were the eggs, coonhound?

I have not had any experience with the Dutch from PP at all, but from experience, their more unusual/rare offerings are generally quite good, true to type, etc.

Thanks WWW. That is nice to hear. I haven't decided yet. Kind of need to or get off the pot... If I do get them, or any other chickens, I will let you know.

Chris.

Damn bird math. I ordered light brown Dutch bantams and some friends for them. I also ordered bantam RIRs and bantam EEs. I think my wife is about to choke me.... Should be a fun summer.

You've heard of "The Call of the Wild"? Well, The Call of the Chickens is also a thing. Resistance is futile You may have to buy your wife something nice in her hobby of choice!

I raised Light Brown and Wheaten Dutch. Still have a Light Brown Cockerel that lives with the Big Birds. I keep him around because he is an excellent guard for the 12 week old + Buckeye Chicks when they are in grow out pens. He keeps the young Cockerels in line.

I loved the Dutch but I did not like the fact they were so broody. The hatched and hatched and hatched all the clutches I could not find.
Some people love broody birds....but, I am not one them. So I sold them all but "little man".

Oh, I didn't realize they were so broody, la-chicken. None of the material I read stated they were overly broody. I guess I will have to figure out how to break broody birds quickly. I also have to figure out what I am doing for a coop. Any suggestions, let me know. I think pick-up is April 21st.

Good suggestion, WWW.