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[RRRisnewtochickens]

Hi all

 

Just wondering what the difference between banties and chickens eggs are? Is there a great size difference and do they taste any different?

 

Many thanks, Ria

[xScrunchee]

I have a sumatra hen who is about bantam size.

The eggs are smaller but we find that the yolk is not much smaller than a big egg-you just get less white.

 

As for the taste, I read somewhere that smaller eggs have more flavour and the best tasting omlette in the world is made from quail eggs-you just need more of them to make it

 

We have found that our small eggs (from our Sumatra hen) really do have more of an intense flavour. Other people who have tried them agree and are quite surprised but how tasty they are compared to when we had big hens. (Who's eggs tasted gorgeous and eggy compared to shop bought eggs).

 

The quail eggs really do have an intense flavour-pretty much like chicken eggs but stronger and more creamy so it seems that it's true-the smaller the egg-the better the taste.

 

Others might not agree but they are our personal findings

[Daphne]

Re size difference you'll find it depends on the breed - some bantams lay very small eggs (eg japs/dutch) whilst others lay relatively large eggs for the size of the bird (eg polands), but even so they are roughly 50% the size of a hybrids egg. Re taste, my family think my bantam polands' eggs are much tastier than my bantam and LF orps; but to my mind thats a breed thing rather than a size thing. And actually my LF orp eggs vary in size but they're hardly ever as big as a hybrid egg!

[Isabel]

Daphne, do you mind if I ask you a question please? Do you house your bantams and large fowl in the same henhouse? I'm researching breeds atm and would, ideally, like 2 large fowl and 2 Pekins. Thanks!

[Space Chick]

I have a Brahma Bantam, a LF Silkie and an Appenzeller all of which lay eggs typically around the 40g mark, so small. They make fantastic poached eggs, as the yolks are big and the whites small.

 

My bigger girls lay eggs varying between about 40g from a big Wyandotte to huge ones from Rose my hybrid white star at around 70g usually but had one at 93g , but typically I would say that my bigger girls eggs tend to be between 55g-65g with my hybrids laying larger eggs than my pure breeds.

 

I hope this helps

[Daphne]

Well I used to have a LF orp in with bantam polands - talk about little and large! However, it was an emergency measure and generally its not particularly recommended to mix bants and LF. Sometimes it works just fine, other times it doesn't and its distressing. For example, I failed to mix bantam orps with one strain of my LF orps - the big girls just picked on the smalls, but I've also had a single bant live happily with a different LF girl. As a rule I don't set out to mix sizes, I just find it easier keeping like with like.

 

Pekins are quite small fluffballs but I believe some pekins can be quite feisty and look after themselves so I might be tempted to try it - but have a back up plan B (ie separate accommodation and a long intro) just in case. Some breeds generally are more laid back than others so that would help, and you also increase your chances of success if you buy at the same time so everyone is a newbie and/or the same age (or maybe have the bantams a bit older so they are more self-assured) and/or you may be lucky and get some from a mixed flock to start with. There is a certain amount of luck involved, some strains/individual birds are just better mixers than others.

 

As it happens my bro has just emailed me to tell me he's bought a pekin rooster - which is being beaten up by his hybrid hen; so there you go!

[Isabel]

Thanks Daphne for your response. These are my first chickens so all will be bought at the same time ... I thought Pekin bantams would be a good size for the children to get to know! However, I've just got one henhouse (and my husband will divorce me if I order another ) so there isn't really a plan B. I had wondered whether they would mix if all brought home at the same time - although frm different breeders - and if the bantams were older. Maybe it's a risk not worth taking? Back to the drawing board I think. Thanks again.

 

Ria - sorry for hijacking!

[Space Chick]

I had a bullied bantam that I needed to separate for a while after an injury. After she recovered, I bought her 2 new large fowl friends to re-introduce her as a safety in numbers thing. The bantam was 28ish weeks, the hybrids were 17 weeks, she was a little smaller than the hybrids, but older so they were on an even keel pecking order wise, she was slightly the boss.

 

The approach worked a treat, and she and her new friends are now integrated with the rest of the flock. So having older bantams, younger hybrids does work

[Isabel]

Thanks Debs - that's reassuring to know. Although I'm kinda snookered as the LF are 40 miles in one direction, and the Pekins (closest I can find) are about 90 miles in the other direction. I know what DH is going to say - and that' s no Pekins as it's too far to go. But I don't know .....

[Redwing]

Where are you in the country? I know a few Pekin breeders

[Isabel]

Hi Tasha ... I'm in Northern Ireland - the north-west. I've discovered the Poultry.ie website and gone through the breeder's list there - one guy is about 30 miles away but doesn't sell them til they're 5-6 mths which will be July/August time; and the other is 90+ miles and sounds like he's got a great selection. If you did know anyone else in NI, it would be great!

 

Thanks

 

Isabel

[chicken bark]

Sorry I can't do a link, but on the second page of this section there is a topic 'Bantam egg size?' Tom123 has put a great photo showing the different egg sizes which I found very useful. I had been considering Bantams too. I've now gone down a different route but may end up with bantams in the future.

 

Hope the picture and other users info helps

 

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=61938

 

Edited to add link - Christian