Tell me about Bantam egg laying, please

[Shabana]

Hey !
I own 10 bantams and 3 big girls. Bantams are not a breed and therefore some lay extremely well and others can be more ornamental. Mine are a mixture because I chose it that way. That doesn't make me worthless that makes me a lover of chickens. Some are broody at the moment and I just let them be themselves only making sure that they eat and drink sufficiently.

On average my bantams lay 4-6 eggs each day. My sablepoots eggs are tiny and my cream crested Legbars eggs are a good size. My hamburg lays every day.
To me they are pets. They all have names and they are loved. They are everything and more that I hoped for.

 

[matt1jsh]

I have several breeds of bantams. The black rose comb by far lays the least. She can't even hatch what she lays. It takes about 3 of her eggs to equal 1 large grade A egg.

I get approx 4 eggs from her a week. She lays decent in the Spring and then goes broody. Then she will lay again in the Summer. Not as well but she lays. Then stops in the Fall. No eggs from her at all during the Winter. She is generally the fist to stop and the last to start back.

I have some mutt bantams I picked up at Southern States. They lay generally every day. They have never went broody. They lay all year. They slow in the Winter but still lay.

With 2 egg loving sons I had to get something that would lay all year. I bought some white leghorns. They lay pretty much every day. I get about a dozen eggs per day from them. They slow down once in a blue moon for a molt. I keep my whole family in eggs and manage to sell a few dozen to pay for the feed.

If you want eggs get a chicken engineered to lay. And they will keep you in eggs.

At my house the bantams are pretty much pets and the white girls are the work horses. The bantams get spoiled. I have a general understanding with the white leghorns. They get food, water, treats and plenty of free time outside the coop. I get eggs. They leave me alone and I leave them alone. I think they hate me and I could not care less as long as they keep laying eggs.

I would not suggest bantams for just egg production. And I would not suggest leghorns for pets.

Darin

I laughed so much reading this...

I have d'uccles, silkies and iza's... so i know how u feel...

 

[Penny Hen]

I was just reading that the bantam Golden Lakenvelders or Vorwerks lay about 180 to 200 eggs per year and they are not a super tiny egg but a medium.

 

[Freeholder]

Anybody who can tell us how well their White-faced Black Spanish, Wyandottes, or Partridge Rock Bantams lay?

Kathleen

 

[brandoncakes]

I get about 4-5 eggs a week from each of my bantam cochins. I have a Gold Laced that lays 5-6 eggs a week. They go broody very easily, so remove the eggs daily. However, keep a wooden egg(I found them at a craft store) in each nest box to remind them where to lay. If you keep removing the egg and leave an empty nest, they tend to move around and find other places to lay.

I don't mind the small eggs too much. eggcartons.com finally brought in bantam egg cartons. They're pretty expensive, but I thought they were cute. The yolks are really dark, and they taste great! I think it's mostly because of their diet and full-access to an enormous yard full of bugs and grasses. The eggs are also really great for baking. Yolks are what keeps the cakes moist, and since bantam eggs are mostly yolk, they're perfect! Try hard boiling a bantam and a standard egg, then cut it in half. You'll find that most of the egg is yolk.

My bantams are spoiled rotten!! I buy them two types of feed. I have an all-purpose crumble and a mix called Bantam Mix that my local feed store sells. It looks like a mix between Pigeon and Gamecock mix. It's got dried peas, cracked corn, red millet, black millet, and other uncracked seeds. It's a nice mix to keep them busy in the morning. I also spoil them with dried mealworms. I mix them into their morning Bantam mix...they go nuts!! They also get lots of table scraps. Cornbread, cake(no frosting or chocolate), bread crusts, boiled or scrambled eggs, noodles, macaroni, overcooked rice, vegetables, grapes, boiled potato and carrot skins, strawberry tops, even some meats(including chicken).

I bought the bantams for their personalities, and mostly to show off to the neighbors and friends who come over. I had no intention to have a full egg basket...that was just a plus. I love bantams, but I agree with an earlier poster that mentioned that they aren't the type you want for egg or meat production. If you want lots of eggs(REGULAR-SIZED eggs), get a Barred Rock or Rhode Island Red. If you want an egg a day, get a sex-link or Leghorn. The later two tend to burn out quickly, and decrease greatly in egg production after 2 years.

** I also want to add that this post was created over 4 years ago, and Al has already apologized for the remark made about bantam owners. Apology accepted )

 

[Penny Hen]

I am getting a dozen bantam Welsummers to hatch soon. They supposedly lay as well as their big version just in smaller packages. Wish me well in hatching.

 

[brandoncakes]

Good Luck! I was hoping for some dark egg laying bantams. Wellies were an option for me, but I heard their egg color ranges from tinted to a normal brown egg. Let us know what color your eggs are when you get them )

 

[Penny Hen]

I like the specked ones. Medium brown with dark brown speckles. Would like to get some bantam Ameraucanas too and make some bantam Olive Eggers.

 

[beccaboo254]

I just weighed my bantam cornish's egg: 1.57, technically a size small. Not bad for how tiny she is!

 

[GD91]

My Pekin bantam just laid her first 2 eggs in 3 days & they are 2/3 the size of a normal egg & oh, so tasty!

The EE's are still waiting to catch up

I'll bet the Pekin goes broody soon, hopefully

I've got the bug for more chickens,,,,