# are bantams worth anything as meat?



## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

The local school is hatching out a bunch of chicks (120, straight run) and they are coming our way shortly after they hatch. Some of those are bantams, which I'm wondering what the hay are we going to do with bantams?! I'm figuring our options are to find homes for them as soon as we can sex them, cull them right off the bat, or raise them for individual portion meat birds. Is it worth it to raise them to butcher at all? Or am I just wasting feed for a few meager bits of meat on bone? 

I'm told the bantam breeds include Ky specks and Lafleche. I'm hoping that's all. I know there's supposed to be some white leghorns in the mix and RIR too...those I'm much more looking forward to.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

you can eat them, if fed well they will plump up but still not be a full family meal, but put two in a pot and cook down with your choice of vegitables and seasoning you will have some of the best chicken soup ever, the hens will be decent layers and the roosters make good soup or dog food,


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

I'm also saddled with a couple bantams! LOL

I hatched out a lone survivor duckling from a broody exercise gone bad and my mother decided to gift me a couple chicks from the feed store to keep it company. 

My sister picked out "bantys" because they were "pretty" LOL!


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

cool, maybe we'll just raise them and when I pack them in the freezer I'll pack them in pairs.


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## kfrancisco92 (Mar 21, 2012)

they are pretty small, i have bought quite a few because the different types in the breeds are too cute. You can google bantam assorted and it will pull up bookoos amount of different bantys. you may get a silkie in there wich i have seen two of them cooked and made with garlic! Im sure you can eat any chicken, though they may be like a dove with the meat on some of them  good luck with the tiny things!


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

They are very slow to mature.
I have some that are about 4 months old now and still smaller than a quail.


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## volchitsa (Jul 18, 2011)

La Fleche are said to have very flavourful meat, unlike other breeds. They lay nicely too; medium white eggs. They won't mature as quickly as a Broiler or Cornish X or something, but I don't like the thought of eating something that is bred to die anyway.
La Fleche have pretty funny combs... they look like goat horns !

Not sure about the other breed.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

Speaking of bantams for meat, anyone had experience with eating silkies? I understand they have black meat, skin, and bones. What is the flavor like? Is the color that objectionable do you think?


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

thequeensblessing said:


> Speaking of bantams for meat, anyone had experience with eating silkies? I understand they have black meat, skin, and bones. What is the flavor like? Is the color that objectionable do you think?


A few years ago I gave away a bunch of silkie/polish crosses.
The people tied eating the roosters. After the first one they decided they didn't want to eat any more. According to them there wasn't any meat on them and they were the toughest chickens they had ever tried to eat.


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## 64102 (Sep 21, 2010)

:hrm:


thequeensblessing said:


> Speaking of bantams for meat, anyone had experience with eating silkies? I understand they have black meat, skin, and bones. What is the flavor like? Is the color that objectionable do you think?


I had 3 silkies that I bought at an auction two years ago. They were supposed to be females. They all started to crow, so I did them in. Well.. I did not know about black skin and bones:yuck:..... I thought they were diseased so I threw them in the garbage. :smack :shrug:


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