[Elliej]

I bought 6 fertilized eggs - a mixture of 'big' hens and bantam breeds to put under my broody bantam hen.  3 big chicks hatched, one bantam died and the other one has been rejected and doesn't look good... Is it a bad idea to mix the the two sizes?
Is the broody going to think the bantam chicks are runts and reject them or is it just i've had bad luck? 
Help!
Ell

[in the hills]

Not sure, as I have only mixed sizes once .... this year.
 
My daughter put a selection of different eggs under a broody peekin. They all hatched and so far so good. One chick looks like a Rhodie cross Hyline. This chick is about 3 times the size of the smallest chick, which is a pure peekin.
 
They must be around 6 weeks now and mum seems to be keeping the big chick in order with several sharp pecks .... he is a cockerel and quite cheeky.
 
I suspect it is best for the eggs to be from breeds of a similar size but probably a bit of bad luck too.
 
 
 
 

[chrismahon]

Based on our experience of putting bantams in runs with large fowl is that the large fowl suffer as the little bantams are so fast and agressive.

[little blue]

we have all sorts here, and actually mix them up sometimes too (the hens live in side-by-side pens, so they are "neighbours" anyway!)

We have a bantam hen with three turkey poults - not quite as big as her yet but getting there!
And two large BC Marans with bantam chicks ... its all to do with broody timing

[plt102]

We have had our broodies hatch a mixture with no problems. It is very cute at month as our little silkie black mum has a 'daughter' who is a massive white hybrid. They are inseperable. I think as long as you can intervene if there are any bad squabbles, the rest of the time they are ok. Good luck