The Deliciousness of Bantam Eggs

[Eggsakly]

I think my bantam eggs are much tastier than the big girl eggs. Is anyone else as sold on these not-so-little gourmet treats? Except for one woman I met who told me that if she had it to do over she would only have bantams, I never see or hear this subject discussed. I attribute the extra deliciousness to the greater yolk-to-white ratio of the eggs. There is, ounce for ounce, more yolk in the bantam eggs, and they are awesome.

My bantams are all Buff Brahmas who have only recently begun to lay, and the largest eggs are 1-1/2 oz. The smallest have been 1-1/8 oz., with the average being 1-3/8 oz. Most information I read states that the average LF "large" egg is 2 oz. I weighed a dozen from the store and they actually weighed slightly less than that on average, 1-7/8+ oz. I previously had other bantams, and the first one convinced me that bantam eggs are a very good deal.

 

[N F C]

That's an interesting observation, never heard that before. I've only raised large dual purpose girls so no bantam experience. It will be interesting to see what others have to say about the eggs.

 

[donrae]

Honestly, I don't notice any taste difference.

I do think some of my better laying bantams are more economical than most of my large fowl birds, though. I'd love to be in a better position to do a controlled study of weighing feed and weighing eggs. I know they wouldn't out perform my Leghorns or probably a sex link, but I wonder about the slightly lesser production breeds like Wyandottes or Sussex. It would be interesting to be able to do someday.

 

[Eggsakly]

Historically, bantams have been considered to be more economical, and people have relied on them more in times of scarcity. For cooking it is advised that three bantam eggs can be substituted for two LF eggs. That fits with the numbers I am seeing; my bantam eggs weigh an average 1-3/8 oz., and the LF eggs weigh an average 2 oz.; ergo, three times 1-3/8 oz. is 4-1/8 oz.

Cooking tips are also where I find the info about the bantam eggs' larger yolk-to-white ratio. The lower percentage of egg white can affect baked goods and there are caveats about using bantam eggs in some baking recipes. Since the flavor, along with the fat and nutrition is in the yolk, it stands to reason that the bantam eggs could be more flavorful, as I and my neighbor think. I could just be imagining it, too, but that's not like me, and at least one other person in the world came to the same conclusion.

My girls are less than 1/4 the size of the big girls, but they produce eggs that are about 70% the size of the big girls' eggs. I think that's tres cool. Their smaller size saves space, materials, supplies, and work (my favorite part). The down side is that they tend to go broody more frequently. Bantams are particularly economical for people who want chickens and eggs, but don't want chickens for eating.

A number of places selling Rhode Island Red bantams advertise that they are excellent layers, in keeping with the big girl chickens of the breed. If I could find Speckled Sussex bantams, I'd scoop them up. I may have to have some bantam Buff Orpingtons since I can't find a bantam SS.