Heritage Meat Birds

[Parront]

Chunky little things!

You can tell they like to eat! 5 days old in this pic, have not had time to get too meaty yet.
They are not supposed to be as large as a Barred Rock. Bigger than little Leghorn boys!

 

[TheRealCliffordWilliams]

I was just going to say this. Unless he's scrawny, you want to use the earlier ones for breeding if early size is your goal.

If you value early maturity you might want to keep the crower instead of one of his later-maturing brothers -- assuming his size and other factors are good.

His brothers are about the same size, all weighing around 4 lb @ 12 weeks. I want to take them to 16 weeks to get a little more meat on the bones, and I don't want them reaching sexual maturity before then as I don't want aggression between the roo's during wks 12-16. Once 16 weeks rolls around I will weigh each roo at night, and tag the heaviest to keep for breeding...The Delawares DO seem a lot chunkier than the orpingtons, but kinda subjective as the Orpingtons are two weeks younger.

Delaware rooster crossed with Orpington hen, and a barred rock hen? Could be fun...

 

[TheRealCliffordWilliams]

If you segregate Barred Rock hens after they're bred by a Buff Orpington (so you can mark their eggs), you can tell the sex of the chicks when they hatch (they're black sexlinks).

If you want to continue doing this, I highly recommend finding someone that is focusing on breeding with carcass quality in mind. My breeder birds dress out much nicer and larger than hatchery have.

So cool! Genetics are fascinating, sex linked traits are so cool. The sex linked color inheritance could be useful to sell hen chicks and keep roos for slaughter...Any idea if the Barred Rock hen bred with a Delaware roo would produce sexlink chicks??

I would love to find someone breeding with carcass quality in mind, and have gotten this advice many times before...Unfortunately _everyone I've ever met who raises meat birds raises Cornish Xs. I am keeping my eyes open for the opportunity but it seems that, at least in Western WA, raising heritage meat birds is a pretty niche thing.

 

[Parront]

His brothers are about the same size, all weighing around 4 lb @ 12 weeks. I want to take them to 16 weeks to get a little more meat on the bones, and I don't want them reaching sexual maturity before then as I don't want aggression between the roo's during wks 12-16. Once 16 weeks rolls around I will weigh each roo at night, and tag the heaviest...The Delawares DO seem a lot chunkier than the orpingtons, but kinda subjective as the Orpingtons are two weeks older. Delaware rooster crossed with Orpington hen, and a barred rock hen? Could be fun...

That is a pretty good weight for 12 weeks. I would quit feeding quite a few right then. They will be an nice tender 3 pounds or so fryer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any idea if the Barred Rock hen bred with a Delaware roo would produce sexlink chicks??

Will not work. The Delaware roo has silver so you cannot make a red sex link. Both the Delaware and Barred Rock have barring so you cannot make a black sex link.

 

[Parront]

His brothers are about the same size, all weighing around 4 lb @ 12 weeks. I want to take them to 16 weeks to get a little more meat on the bones, and I don't want them reaching sexual maturity before then as I don't want aggression between the roo's during wks 12-16. Once 16 weeks rolls around I will weigh each roo at night, and tag the heaviest to keep for breeding...The Delawares DO seem a lot chunkier than the orpingtons, but kinda subjective as the Orpingtons are two weeks younger.

Delaware rooster crossed with Orpington hen, and a barred rock hen? Could be fun...

So cool! Genetics are fascinating, sex linked traits are so cool. The sex linked color inheritance could be useful to sell hen chicks and keep roos for slaughter...Any idea if the Barred Rock hen bred with a Delaware roo would produce sexlink chicks??

I would love to find someone breeding with carcass quality in mind, and have gotten this advice many times before...Unfortunately _everyone I've ever met who raises meat birds raises Cornish Xs. I am keeping my eyes open for the opportunity but it seems that, at least in Western WA, raising heritage meat birds is a pretty niche thing.

Here is a good read about sex links. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sex-linked-information.261208/

 

[TheRealCliffordWilliams]

Here are a few pictures of the processing and finished carcass. It is in the fridge now, resting for the fryer on the fourth

Finished with a 2.7 lb carcass, and about a pound of neck, head, feet, liver, gizzard, and heart for the stockpot! Whole process took 30 minutes by myself
(4th bird in my life, 1st of the year) which is faster than going to the grocery store, and I'll only get quicker!

So exciting. Why don't more people do this???

 

[TheRealCliffordWilliams]

Here is a good read about sex links. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sex-linked-information.261208/

Thank you!

 

[TheRealCliffordWilliams]

Will not work. The Delaware roo has silver so you cannot make a red sex link. Both the Delaware and Barred Rock have barring so you cannot make a black sex link.

Thank you!

 

[Mosey2003]

Here are a few pictures of the processing and finished carcass. It is in the fridge now, resting for the fryer on the fourth

Finished with a 2.7 lb carcass, and about a pound of neck, head, feet, liver, gizzard, and heart for the stockpot! Whole process took 30 minutes by myself
(4th bird in my life, 1st of the year) which is faster than going to the grocery store, and I'll only get quicker!

So exciting. Why don't more people do this???

That was a good choice to butcher, because unless the pictures are misleading, it looks like he has a bit of a crooked keel.

That's one thing I always do, every time I pick a chick/growout up, I feel their keel. Good way to know early culls and get them off the feed bill.