Pekin Bantams

[NutterlyUts]

I've decided on Pekin bantams for my first chickens, and so shall be looking for eggs/breeders as soon as my chicken house is done.
I have a few questions (again!)

Can anyone point me in the direction of a site or two that outlines pekin genetics?

Pekins aren't known to be good layers as I understand. Would 6 Pekin girls lay enough eggs for a family of 5 as a rule? We currently use approx 12 eggs a week.

Can pekins live well with other breeds? Any in particular? I'd quite like a silky or two.. would this work?

I've read that they do best on woodchip with access to grass so their feet don't gunk up?

In a house that is 4ft x 6ft and run that is 6ft x 11.5ft, how many Pekins could happily live in there? How high up do I need to put the roosting bars? What size nest boxes do they prefer? What size pen would I need to make for grass time? (they can be freeranged some of the time, but as I don't live on site, they'll be penned when someone can't watch them.

Pekins lay tiny eggs, you'd need two pekin eggs for each normal size egg you'd eat. I have a pekin living with a faverolle, a silkie, a scots grey and an SLW and they're all perfectly amiable.

Pekins are great. My dd has lavender ones

Agree with the 2 eggs to one big one, and also with the mostly an egg a day.

We have a couple of old brown hens, and they are all ok together

Ours have shavings in their hut and grass outside in the run, which we move regularly.

We were told that pekins should perch on a bar, as it deforms their breast bones so we don't have perches, but they huddle down quite happily at night

hth

i have two partridge coloured pekins, during weekdays they live in an 8foot x 6foot run with two ordinary sized chickens (a ross lohmann and a merrydale crested) and they all free range together happily evenings and weekends..

they are 7 and a half months old and STILL not laying, so i would not sing their praises as reliable layers!

they are very cute though and friendly though, whereabouts are you located?

Do you think pekins and cochins could live together safely?

I'm in Jersey, C.I so I'll be hatching my own

we had pekins for our first chooks and tehy were lovely, teh last one (aged 8) died recently - eaten by the savage fox. do get them - we are a family of 5 and started with 4 bantams and they were ok the first year but we needed more chooks afterwards (roughly each year we have added/replaced). Bantams don't lay that many at all after year 2 or so , the oldest one laid about one a year!! our pekins got very used to being cuddled and sang to and seemed to quite like the climbing frame!

Aw

I'm thinking I might have pekin bantams and two cochins to get a more regular supply of eggs. The plan is to hatch em as the same age so hopefully we'll have no fights.

Incidently, the man at The Incubator Shop is wonderfully helpful if anyone ever needs an incubator, and he's one of the cheaper places around.

I have just got two pekin Bantams, had they just over a week now they are about 8months old. They have not yet laid an egg between them is this normal? I know they are not great layers was hoping for one or two eggs from them a week. They have the run of the garden and happy enough. Anyone got any ideas?

Kristylou, give them a few weeks. Many hens suffer with stress when first moved, and it affects their laying. Once they're settled in they should start laying for you I have 6 pekins, and they are by far my favourite breed. Wonderful, feisty little characters.

Thank you chsm, I will wait and see. I agree pekins are great, they are so funny and make us giggle everyday, they look like plump little old ladies waddling about the garden.

I have some in incubator now. Ready in three weeks. Pure show breeding free range beautys.xx

I have 5 eggs everyday. All fertile. Gens are sitting n some incubated. Will be two layers later and some fertile eggs. Normans a fertile Cockerell. All fertile so far. Xx