Does anybody eat their Japanese bantams?

[Meara]

My best friend and her husband received a free flock of Japanese bantams that now live on their rural property. I just saw them for the first time and knew right away what breed they were. But to my friend they are......chickens. They are treated well and free range about like regular farm chickens. It's not a bad life, but they do eat the extra roos. I realize lots of people eat their roos, but with this breed it just seems kind of........well, they are just so small.
They look pretty funny running around the farm on their stubby little legs and just strike me as the antithesis of a barnyard chicken. I don't know how to recognize a show quality Japanese but some of them look pretty nice. I was curious if other people who breed tiny bantams still eat them? Is there a market for these birds, for instance if she sold them would they be worth more than just a meal? Or maybe she could sell hatching eggs? I guess I'm looking for opinions from people who know more about these sorts of things and about this breed.

 

[silkiechicken]

Chickens are chickens so you can eat them. Just takes more to make a meal. If they can be housed alone and not free ranged with other chickens, they could sell eggs, but most don't make much money from doing so, and roosters are generally a dime a dozen for just regular ol birds without a history.

 

[gallorojo]

My Grandfather raised Japanese bantams for many years. We ate all the culls. When you raise chickens, there is always some you don't need, and can't/won't sell. They taste just like any other chicken.

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

We have one japaneese- but she was a showbird and we'd never eat her =3 But we buy chicken from the store.. so yeha xD.

 

[greatergraceoffbg]

You can make them taste delicious, braise them till they are brown and use a lot of caramelized garlic, onions, a little sugar and balsamic vinegar in olive oil. After they are braised put them in a pan and wrap the birds loosely in tin foil and oven roast them at 375 for about an hour, surround them with any remaining garlic and onions in the tin foil wrap before placing in the oven. Serve with a side of rice with brown mushroom gravy and asparagus spears and a salad, a glass of wine can add a french touch or sweet tea will make it a southern dinner fit for a king!

Andy in Fredericksburg Texas

 

[Meara]

Yeah, I guess I'm being unrealistic. I've only had chickens for less than a year and so this is all new to me still. The little ones are so cute it's hard for me to think about eating them... They don't seem as much like chickens to me. But too many roosters is just that, TOO MANY.

 

[Redcatcher]

You would not get much in a drumstick...

 

[vintageozarks]

My chickens were Ornamental Bantams, which some said was the same as Japanese or Chinese bantams. We never ate one of them because we were too attached but I was told the bones were black and the meat was tangy or not that good to eat. Ours all laid eggs and eggs is all we wanted.

 

[robnms]

You won't know what it taste like untill you cook it and it might take a few times of cooking it to get the right method till it's good or get the right recipe, you can't use the excuse of it being too small. Do you eat shrimp??? I love dove, quail, teal and those pretty little wood ducks that make a great gumbo. I know a banty should be about the size of a cornish hen bought from your local supermarket. I like to marinate the cornish hens in olive oil, garlic, onions and Tony Chachere's http://www.tonychachere.com/ then inject some Cajun Injector Creole Butter http://www.cajuninjector.com/cajun-injector-marinades.html and then deep fry it. Add a little rice dressing and some Louisiana potato salad and you might be surprised that a good looking bird will make you wanna slap ya momma!!! If the slap ya momma comment offended you then you need to do a little research.

 

[ginormous chicken]

The Japanese Silkie, in many Asian countries, is considered to be a special chicken. But not the way we Americans do. (We love their looks and their purtee colors and I love how soft they are!) Anyways, The blue/purple meat is most notable used a soup base mix and is widely known for its healing properties. Many Asian countries stew the purple meat, put lotus root, dates, and even gin seng in it and drink it. It is suppose to cure a myriad of ailments. Think of it like a chicken soup on steriods. In Chinese the chicken is called an "Uguh" [Oo _ goo] Chicken. I have a black silkie that I named Uge for that reason. The meat in Japan, China, and Kora is quite prized. It is really not eaten. It is stewed, or steamed and the broth and oiled are dripped out. When my grandmother was dying in Asia, and I went back to visit her, they would take a Silikie and steam it and while it was steaming let the oils drip to a bottom pan and that would be considered a rich soup broth.

On a different note, my mother saw Uge and looked at me wide eyed and said, "ohhh... dinner!!!" I am not kidding.