Why Bantams? I don't get it....

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
Eat? Tiny eggs? Well there's your problem, you're only interested in 'using' chickens instead of loving them as pets.
Bantams are mostly sought after as pets -which you're obviously aware of- so I guess don't get bantams. For you I advise 'meat birds'.

I think that might be a bit of a leap of logic about someone's nature. I personally keep my hens as pets, but it is critical that they feed me as well, because my family and I are going through economic hardship.

To be honest, I kind of view bantams as a privilage pet. I personally couldn't afford my birds if they were bantams, because there is no market in my area for tiny eggs. As it stands now, my girls produce huge eggs almost daily, which feeds us, pays for their own feed, and helps me bake items to sell.

Maybe someday if our economic conditions improve we can afford less utilitarian birds, but it doesn't make us people who don't appreciate the pet aspect of our birds. Maybe that is the angle that ChickieBooBoo was coming from too.

I'm quite in the same boat. I enjoy animals, but they are animals and I draw the line at utility.

I swore off cats and dogs because I spent astronomical amounts of money on my cats, and for what? Two 10lb monsters who tear up my pantry, eat MY food when THEIR dishes are full, and stink up my house with their poop.

Chickens feed me breakfast and dinner, tolerate me holding them when I want to and don't care a lick when I don't, and do not set foot in my house (though they do PLENTY of pooping on my porch!). When all 6 are laying they will feed my household and hopefully pay for their own feed as Pele mentioned.

I enjoy them, but they are livestock because they serve a purpose to me and the community. In my situation and in my community, bantams do not serve a purpose. Perhaps it is more appropriate to label bantams as "pets" and large fowl as "livestock" (though LF can certainly have the personalities to fit their size, as any plymouth rock would be sure to tell you!).

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
I think that might be a bit of a leap of logic about someone's nature. I personally keep my hens as pets, but it is critical that they feed me as well, because my family and I are going through economic hardship.

To be honest, I kind of view bantams as a privilage pet. I personally couldn't afford my birds if they were bantams, because there is no market in my area for tiny eggs. As it stands now, my girls produce huge eggs almost daily, which feeds us, pays for their own feed, and helps me bake items to sell.

Maybe someday if our economic conditions improve we can afford less utilitarian birds, but it doesn't make us people who don't appreciate the pet aspect of our birds. Maybe that is the angle that ChickieBooBoo was coming from too.

I'm quite in the same boat. I enjoy animals, but they are animals and I draw the line at utility.

I swore off cats and dogs because I spent astronomical amounts of money on my cats, and for what? Two 10lb monsters who tear up my pantry, eat MY food when THEIR dishes are full, and stink up my house with their poop.

Chickens feed me breakfast and dinner, tolerate me holding them when I want to and don't care a lick when I don't, and do not set foot in my house (though they do PLENTY of pooping on my porch!). When all 6 are laying they will feed my household and hopefully pay for their own feed as Pele mentioned.

I enjoy them, but they are livestock because they serve a purpose to me and the community. In my situation and in my community, bantams do not serve a purpose. Perhaps it is more appropriate to label bantams as "pets" and large fowl as "livestock" (though LF can certainly have the personalities to fit their size, as any plymouth rock would be sure to tell you!).

I am going to have to speak up here. Bantams do have utilitarian purposes. As I stated above, I have some that are very good layers, in particular my D'uccles, and they eat very little, so although the eggs are smaller, the amount of feed is less. I think they are probably comparable to standards in that respect. Second, I make money off my bantams. I sell eggs, chicks, birds to breeders, fanciers, 4-Hrs and FFA kids. In that way, they contribute to the bottom line. I would argue that I make more $ off my bantams than any of my food gobbling LF. As some others have said, they are edible, too. Smaller, its true. But it took a lot less feed to get them there. I think the appeal of bantams is largely that they are cute and make good pets, and that they are economical. Perhaps bantams are not right for you if you are not interested in selling eggs, chicks, etc. or if your bantam breed is one of the poorer layers - but there are plenty of large fowl that also are poor layers or slow growers. Still, this site is full of LF fanciers who loyally keep them, even if they are not very good meat or egg producers or are costly to keep.

 

[BlazeJester]

To that point, I suppose that location is also a large factor. Here in rural SC, few people care about what kind of birds you have - they're more interested in why you have freakishly small eggs, or why in the h-e-double-hockeysticks your little birds aren't game fowl.

There are also far more significant economic issues in the rural south than many areas of the country, and people who keep chickens need them to be dual-purpose in the "old sense" of the word. Many people around here don't have the luxury to keep birds because they feel like it. A glut of people with the exact same idea of selling eggs and chicks, also, decreases the value of doing so until you can hardly give chickens away, which happens on my CraigsList ALL THE TIME. People ask too much money, refuse to come down in price, there's a glut of birds available... you get the point. Supply and demand. Supply in some areas far, far exceeds demand.

My lawn-mowing large fowl don't eat much chicken feed, as they're free ranging much of the day and also get plenty of kitchen scraps. That's one inarguable point about ANY chickens - they make excellent vacuums!!!

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
I hate to tell you, but here in California the economy is tanked, also.

Its far worse here than you might imagine, and if you are poor in any way, god help you to find a place you can afford to live in. No jobs. Check out our unemployment rate. Sad really. I think things are really bad for everyone in the US, like never before. It takes a lot of work and determination to make $ off of any fowl nowadays.

 

[BlazeJester]

But I think we are all in agreement on one thing - putting eggs in the basket and dinner on the table is certainly one thing we needn't worry about!

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I like bantams becouse they are so cute

 

[BWchicken]

I get the best of both worlds. My bantams are not only productive I enjoy them as pets too, especially my little roo. He mates like a gentleman, feeds his girls by mouth (too cute), yet he is a FIERCE protector because he thinks he's 10 ft tall. But he generally likes people and with me, he's more like a puppy. He even knows his name and comes when you call him. He'd sit in your lap all day if you rub his chest. How could I not fall in love with this little guy?

 

[dahlia333]

My three bantams lay great! Plenty of eggs for the two of us.

 

[chicken farmer 1997]

i love my bantams

 

[Jchantecler]

Quote:
Yea pretty much.............................. For some folks banty's fit for them for a few reasons, the house chicken people like their size, some people use the less feed excuse, less space to raise more, the ladies like them cause their cute and small makes them easy to handle. Some breeds in the Bantam size have a totally different look and some folks like that. there could be many other reasons. I have never seen the attraction myself I raise LF, but the banty's are very popular.

No. Bantams will lay an egg every two to three days. Many devoted fanciers raise them, and people who love chickens but don't have much space.