Bantam with Big Eggs By Megg Miller, Euroa, Vic.
If fresh eggs and economics are priorities, try Leghorn bantams, they are highly efficient backyard layers. If you’re thinking about getting poultry, now may be the time to act. With the big supermarkets aiming to offer only free-range eggs in the foreseeable future, you can be sure there will be periods over winter when eggs are in short supply. Having a few fowls will be an asset as well as lots of fun. The rewards are greater if you can source purebred pullets because your support of breeders helps keep the range of sustainable breeds going. While you may not get the terrific first-up egg output that a Hy-Line or ISA can achieve, you can usually count on five years of reasonable egg output. That’s more than double what you may get from the commercial layers. One breed that should appeal is the Leghorn bantam. Don’t be put off by stories from the past of flighty pullets sailing over every fence and behaving excitably. Such behaviour suggests poorly managed birds that rarely saw a human. Leghorn bantams are very active, but they’re curious too and will want to know who you are and what you’re doing. They will respond to your presence and voice. They’re also very smart and are capable of soon working out that you’re good for treats. A reward works very well when interacting with and training these bantams. egg size
The Leghorn bantams are renowned for high egg lay and owners often exhibit the eggs in egg plate competitions at shows. There is an upper limit for bantam exhibitions eggs, 42.5g and eggs that are larger don’t usually get a look.
The svelte, feminine and economical White Leghorn.
Bantam Leghorn eggs don’t usually do well because they exceed the weight limit. This might not please the exhibitors, but it’s good news for those wanting a decent sized egg. It’s not unusual for the eggs to weight 50g, an impressive weight. Keep in mind that it’s only a few decades ago that a large standard egg was 58–60g, and produced by hens more than double the size of the bantam. There are other breeds that are good layers, Anconas, Australian Langshans and even some lines of bantam Light Sussex, but egg weight is usually lower. The Black Leghorn also has an G R A S S
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excellent reputation for laying and there are other attractive colour varieties like the Blue, Brown and Buff that are not far behind in productivity. Heat tolerance
One of the advantages of keeping a breed that originated in the Mediterranean area is its ability to cope with high temperatures. The name Leghorn was the English pronunciation given to local fowls from Livorno on the west side of Italy that were despatched to America in the 1830s. These fowls were named after the port from which they were loaded.
