Bantams for eggs?

[traceyleezle]

I was just wondering if any of you folks have bantams for egg layers. They are so wonderful and sweet, I was thinking how nice it would be to have a whole coop full...but we are getting chickens for eggs/pets.

 

[gryeyes]

I don't really have ANY of my chickens for egg layers, although they do lay eggs and I do enjoy them and sell them. My flock would never have to lay another egg and I'd still keep 'em and love 'em. They are pets with benefits.

But, back on topic, some of my bantam pullets/hens lay eggs not all that much smaller than the "small" eggs in stores. Only the Sebright eggs are REALLY small.

 

[Saltysteele]

i agree. my sussex lay medium sized eggs, and if it wasn't for the fact my banty's eggs are creamy (as opposed to light brown of the sussex), i wouldn't have realized the difference right away.

don't get me wrong, they are smaller, but not that much

 

[ironjerry]

I have silkies, americanas and cochins and the eggs are 2/3 the size of regular chickens but the bantams are 1/3 their size. Do the math it is a good deal. The eggs are a bonus as I would keep them if only for the entertainment value.

 

[stilldeb]

I have 16 chickens, all bantams, two are roos. We have Sebrights, Silkes, Cochin frizzles, Brahmas, D'Uccles, Polish, EE. Of them, the Brahmas and the Polish lay the largest eggs (the Polish was a surprise, as I didn't think they lay large eggs). My black Cochin frizzle lays a small, almost perfectly round egg, and the Silkies vary in size, some are small, some are larger. The rest are somewhere in between. None are 'robin eggs' like my father-in-law told me they would be. We use the eggs all time, give them to family and friends, etc. LOVE them. Yes, they are smaller, but we have plenty, and we just love our Bantys.

When you are cooking, 1/4 cup of egg equals one egg, so just crack them into a measuring cup until you have the right amount of egg, works for me. There are also tables you can find for measurements on egg yolks, egg whites, what equals what, etc.

Anyway, they are just the sweetest things, even the broodies, wouldn't trade them for large chickens. But they suit our needs and might not be everybody's cup of tea. (The D'Uccles are probably the sweetest, the Sebrights the most skittish, but very beautiful, if that helps.)

deb g
KY

 

[traceyleezle]

You are all just a bunch of enablers...you know that don't you.

 

[schellie69]

I have 3 bantam EE's and use 2 eggs for 1 standard egg. I just got 3 cochins to add to my flock. bantams are great for kids the eggs are the right size.

 

[stilldeb]

I couldn't help it - all this talk about Bantams, I just went to Purely Poultry and ordered five Sultans, because I love my Bantys and I think Sultans are just so neat...and, and, and...I want some! I can't even tell my husband we'll get more eggs, because on the whole, they are totally useless chickens...hardly ever lay eggs and are 'purely ornamental', but I don't care. They are just feeding my chicken addiction.

deb g
KY

 

[Fawkes]

Who cares about eggs, bantams are so, so sweet and adorable. They're my favorite chickens (silkies my favorite breed).

gryeyes- Pets with benefits- Thats what I say too. I always call eggs an added bonus

 

[GardeNerd]

My 5 bantams lay enough eggs for our family's needs. We have Cochins, and they are kept for pets and eggs.

I started out with large fowl (leghorn, black australorp, buff orpington, barred plymouth rock, easter eggers, etc.) specifically for eggs and never thought I would keep bantams. I had read at mypetchicken.com about the low production of bantams and small eggs, so I avoided them since we eat our fair share of eggs. After reading a bunch of cochin threads here at BYC, and then trying just a few, I am hooked on the breed and now keep them exclusively. I may never have Large Fowl again.

My bantam cochins lay 1.3 to 1.5 oz eggs, about 4 to 6 eggs a week each. They do go broody often, every 3 months or so. I normally use 3 bantam cochin eggs in recipes that call for 2 large eggs. Their eggs make the perfect egg for pickled or deviled eggs.

The best thing about bantam cochins, they are quiet, calm, do fine in the coop/run on the days I don't have time to let them out in the yard, and the kids love their easy going nature. They are the best breed of city chicken, in my opinion.