Best dual purpose breed by experience:

[Wehner Homestead]

I'm trying to decide what to add to my existing flock of layers, mostly Isa Browns. Any input is appreciated!

 

[adpad5]

Rir are most practical but brahma are my fav chooks by far they are amazing!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Rir are most practical but brahma are my fav chooks by far they are amazing!

Spill details!!!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

What is your goal?

Your title suggests "dual purpose" which means for meat and eggs. Typically eating the young roosters and using the hens for laying with possibility of stewing an older hen at retirement (although I'm not personally a fan of stewed older hens...too gamey for me).

If that is what you mean, then in my opinion the best dual purpose breed is the Buckeye.

Second would be the New Hampshire (good breeder quality).

Wyandottes would be my 3rd choice.

Buckeyes are my favorite as the young roosters come to table weight at approximately 5 pounds in about 16 to 18 weeks, depending upon how you feed them (specialized for meat...22% protein... or generalized 18% with other breeds). That means you don't waste feed on roosters you don't want, waiting for them to come to table. I even processed at 15 weeks (family event forced an earlier processing date) and still got a smaller but decent enough carcass. Good meat. Tender. Plenty of breast. A bit longer in the leg than what you see in the store.

If you get from good lines, Buckeye hens are decent layers. The breed is friendly and pleasant. They tend to blend well with other breeds. Not the bottom of the pecking order but not the top either. Very, very curious birds. They tend to be under foot when you are out in the yard trying to see what you are doing. I enjoyed having them, and actually was a bit sorry to process the roosters as they were so nice.

Buckeyes can be harder to locate if you are away from the Ohio area, but I've seen a number in the feed store. I bought hatching eggs online, so I had breeder quality rather than hatchery quality. (I would have stayed with Buckeyes if I remained dual, but I focused more on egg color, so went a different direction).

My second choice would be New Hampshires. Preferably from breeder as the hatchery is more of a Production Red rather than a true New Hampshire.

New Hampshires are also good dual purpose. They are more slow growing than the Buckeyes, so you will have to wait until at least 24 weeks before the roosters are ready to process. The hens lay well and tend to lay very large eggs. Again, if from a good line, they are very pleasant birds but some can be more aggressive.

My Wyandottes would have been good dual, though they too mature more slowly, which means you have to feed those roos longer. They lay decently. I don't find their feed conversion rate as economical as the Buckeye or New Hampshire though.

I'm not a fan of Buff Orpingtons, but I've only had several (three I think) different batches from the hatchery. They were fat, lazy, snotty. Didn't lay well. Ate a lot.
Large enough to eat at about average maturity (20 to 22 weeks) to even faster than average (though those batches were not heavier but more influenced by commercial laying lines). If they are more of the commercial laying type, they lay pretty well, though not as prolific as your ISAs. If they are more dual type, they lay sporadically. I was not happy with their feed conversion...ate too much for what they produced.

I've not had them yet, but I do know Brahmas are nice big birds, lay decently, but take a long time to mature. Consider 6 to 8 months before maturity. That means you've got a lot of feed before those roos are to table.

I'm not a fan of RIR's from hatcheries. Great laying machines. So so carcass. Nasty temperaments. Very, very noisy.

Barred Rocks, in my opinion, make for a better layer than meat, though you could get smaller carcasses. Hens lay well with good feed conversion. Roosters mature quickly but have not been my heavier carcasses.

Anytime you focus more on meat production, egg production will suffer. The goal is a bird that lays decently while producing a decent carcass without eating too much nor taking too long to get to table.

If you want eggs, prolifically, and don't care about meat, stick with the Red Stars/Sexlinks/ISA's.

If you want meat abundantly and quickly, stick with the Cornish Cross and focus on bringing them to table quickly. (I suggest separate pen from your layers).

Just my experiences.
LofMc

 

[sylviethecochin]

Production Reds is what you usually get when you order RIR. They lay very large eggs, and they have a ton of personality. I also free-range the hens and lock up the roosters, so the nastier personality traits (like aggression) are somewhat hindered. The roosters are noted for being very nasty. I've only ever had one production red rooster that I liked.

Australorps are heavier, more pleasant birds, and not aggressive, but they produce fewer and slightly smaller eggs than the production red. They're also very noisy, from personal experience.

Plymouth Rocks are bold and smaller than my other birds. Very good foragers, though a tendency to bully chicks. I'm told that the barred variety is more of a bully and smaller than the other varieties, but since barreds is all I ever had, I can't judge. Next year's rooster is a barred rock; he seems pleasant thus far, despite being in the midst of puberty.

Honestly, they get a lot of bad press, but I really like my Production red hens.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I'm looking for something along the lines of self-sufficiency. I'd like to be able to hatch eggs via incubator or broody and add pullets back to my flock and send Roos to freezer camp.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

We have three young kids and don't free range. Our dogs aren't chicken safe. We have large runs for our chickens so they aren't kept in the Coop all the time.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'm looking for something along the lines of self-sufficiency. I'd like to be able to hatch eggs via incubator or broody and add pullets back to my flock and send Roos to freezer camp.

I'd go with Wyandottes, then. I've only ever had crosses, but they're nice, slightly heavier birds and they have been known to go broody. Besides, they're beautiful. Or you could try getting a rooster of one breed/color and hens of another--sexlinks!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

What is your goal?

Your title suggests "dual purpose" which means for meat and eggs. Typically eating the young roosters and using the hens for laying with possibility of stewing an older hen at retirement (although I'm not personally a fan of stewed older hens...too gamey for me).

If that is what you mean, then in my opinion the best dual purpose breed is the Buckeye.

Second would be the New Hampshire (good breeder quality).

Wyandottes would be my 3rd choice.

Buckeyes are my favorite as the young roosters come to table weight at approximately 5 pounds in about 16 to 18 weeks, depending upon how you feed them (specialized for meat...22% protein... or generalized 18% with other breeds). That means you don't waste feed on roosters you don't want, waiting for them to come to table. I even processed at 15 weeks (family event forced an earlier processing date) and still got a smaller but decent enough carcass. Good meat. Tender. Plenty of breast. A bit longer in the leg than what you see in the store.

If you get from good lines, Buckeye hens are decent layers. The breed is friendly and pleasant. They tend to blend well with other breeds. Not the bottom of the pecking order but not the top either. Very, very curious birds. They tend to be under foot when you are out in the yard trying to see what you are doing. I enjoyed having them, and actually was a bit sorry to process the roosters as they were so nice.

Buckeyes can be harder to locate if you are away from the Ohio area, but I've seen a number in the feed store. I bought hatching eggs online, so I had breeder quality rather than hatchery quality. (I would have stayed with Buckeyes if I remained dual, but I focused more on egg color, so went a different direction).

My second choice would be New Hampshires. Preferably from breeder as the hatchery is more of a Production Red rather than a true New Hampshire.

New Hampshires are also good dual purpose. They are more slow growing than the Buckeyes, so you will have to wait until at least 24 weeks before the roosters are ready to process. The hens lay well and tend to lay very large eggs. Again, if from a good line, they are very pleasant birds but some can be more aggressive.

My Wyandottes would have been good dual, though they too mature more slowly, which means you have to feed those roos longer. They lay decently. I don't find their feed conversion rate as economical as the Buckeye or New Hampshire though.

I'm not a fan of Buff Orpingtons, but I've only had several (three I think) different batches from the hatchery. They were fat, lazy, snotty. Didn't lay well. Ate a lot.
Large enough to eat at about average maturity (20 to 22 weeks) to even faster than average (though those batches were not heavier but more influenced by commercial laying lines). If they are more of the commercial laying type, they lay pretty well, though not as prolific as your ISAs. If they are more dual type, they lay sporadically. I was not happy with their feed conversion...ate too much for what they produced.

I've not had them yet, but I do know Brahmas are nice big birds, lay decently, but take a long time to mature. Consider 6 to 8 months before maturity. That means you've got a lot of feed before those roos are to table.

I'm not a fan of RIR's from hatcheries. Great laying machines. So so carcass. Nasty temperaments. Very, very noisy.

Barred Rocks, in my opinion, make for a better layer than meat, though you could get smaller carcasses. Hens lay well with good feed conversion. Roosters mature quickly but have not been my heavier carcasses.

Anytime you focus more on meat production, egg production will suffer. The goal is a bird that lays decently while producing a decent carcass without eating too much nor taking too long to get to table.

If you want eggs, prolifically, and don't care about meat, stick with the Red Stars/Sexlinks/ISA's.

If you want meat abundantly and quickly, stick with the Cornish Cross and focus on bringing them to table quickly. (I suggest separate pen from your layers).

Just my experiences.
LofMc

What's your opinion on crossing some of these breeds for a dual purpose "breed" that stays on our farm?

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I'd go with Wyandottes, then. I've only ever had crosses, but they're nice, slightly heavier birds and they have been known to go broody. Besides, they're beautiful. Or you could try getting a rooster of one breed/color and hens of another--sexlinks!

I really think I'm leaning toward crossing some to get my own "breed" for here in the farm and adjust by bringing in roosters (or potentially some pullets) to introduce desired characteristics.