I'm on a mission to produce the biggest best tasting dual purpose bird in tha south!!!

[AlvinsFinest]

If you have any ideas let me know!

Right now I have breed Delaware and new Hampshire for six generations now lookin to
Breed 100% Cornish not a cross! Then plan to breed to back to the delaware and new Hampshire cross! What do you think!?

 

[crankster76]

good luck with that. If ya want the biggest aand best tasting then ya need to get some JG,s...

 

[AlvinsFinest]

Jersey gaints aren't the best laying chicken I'm goin for a dual purpose chicken! But I do plan on breeding them in somewhere! I'm just now getting into domestic chickens I use to just be into game breeds!

 

[Illia]

From what studies I've seen going around I always here La Fleche, Dorkings, and Houdans have the best test and texture. And, they're a dual purpose bird supposedly with good production, however strain is always what it boils down to.


But finding good stock is very, very difficult. Especially with breeds like Houdans. You're bound to end up with undersized practically 4 toed Polish.

 

[AlvinsFinest]

Yea I guess I will just have to try all kinds of breeds and see whats best! I also need a chicken that will withstand Texas heat!

 

[Illia]

The best thing to do, provided you have the money and room, is try different breeds with a history of being well used for dual purpose or meat purposes. And most importantly, try different strains! Try a couple hatcheries, but also more importantly, try different breeders who do not have hatchery stock. That way you get a full feel of the breed. Because remember, the old stock that people actually used to live off of aren't the same as most hatchery stock. Hatcheries don't breed for dual purpose, they breed for production. Quantity. Money.

 

[ChickenPrnces]

I happen to be attempting that right now myself! I am experimenting with Black Australorp x New Hampshire and then a Black Australorp x Rhode Island! Got babies popping out of incubators all over the place! My three week olds from the BA x NH are already pretty good size so I think i'm on to something here!!

 

[Illia]

Big piece of advise - Get a good, accurate scale. Preferably a hanging one. Then you'll really know just how big and/or good your stock is.

Helps keep track of both growth rate and general weight of adults. Often people can overestimate a birds' weight, and the normal bathroom type scales just aren't very accurate with weights under 90 lbs.

 

[Bullitt]

If you have any ideas let me know!
Right now I have breed Delaware and new Hampshire for six generations now lookin to
Breed 100% Cornish not a cross! Then plan to breed to back to the delaware and new Hampshire cross! What do you think!?

The New Hampshire Red, which was selectively bred from Rhode Island Reds to produce more meat and fewer eggs, and the Delaware, which was created by crossing New Hampshire Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, are both good egg layers. They aren't great egg layers, though.

The Cornish is a little bit bigger and a lousy egg layer.

I think you are going to end up with a large-bodied chicken that may lay about 3 eggs a week on average for a year. This may meet the meat side of a dual-purpose chicken, but it falls short on the egg-laying side.

Rhode Island Reds and Australorps are both big-bodied chickens that lay about 5 eggs a week on average for a year. Both of these breeds are hardy in cold and hot weather. Australorps have white skin, and Rhode Island Reds have yellow skin, which has typically been more popular for meat birds.

Do you not like the taste of these chickens?

Or do you just want the satisfaction of creating a new dual-purpose breed?

I think mixing in the Cornish destroys any chance for a good dual-purpose chicken.

Maybe you could create a new dual-purpose breed by crossing Rhode Island Reds and Australorps.

Or maybe you could cross a Leghorn with its egg-laying ability with a large-bodied chicken that has good egg-laying ability, such as the Rhode Island Red or Australorp. I am pretty sure it would be a good egg-layer, and you could selectively breed for larger body size.

 

[AlvinsFinest]

The New Hampshire Red, which was selectively bred from Rhode Island Reds to produce more meat and fewer eggs, and the Delaware, which was created by crossing New Hampshire Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, are both good egg layers. They aren't great egg layers, though.

The Cornish is a little bit bigger and a lousy egg layer.

I think you are going to end up with a large-bodied chicken that may lay about 3 eggs a week on average for a year. This may meet the meat side of a dual-purpose chicken, but it falls short on the egg-laying side.

Rhode Island Reds and Australorps are both big-bodied chickens that lay about 5 eggs a week on average for a year. Both of these breeds are hardy in cold and hot weather. Australorps have white skin, and Rhode Island Reds have yellow skin, which has typically been more popular for meat birds.

Do you not like the taste of these chickens?

Or do you just want the satisfaction of creating a new dual-purpose breed?

I think mixing in the Cornish destroys any chance for a good dual-purpose chicken.

Maybe you could create a new dual-purpose breed by crossing Rhode Island Reds and Australorps.

Or maybe you could cross a Leghorn with its egg-laying ability with a large-bodied chicken that has good egg-laying ability, such as the Rhode Island Red or Australorp. I am pretty sure it would be a good egg-layer, and you could selectively breed for larger body size.

Actually my Delaware and new Hampshire reds produce alot of eggs sometimes I can't keep up With them but they lack the big broad chest that's why I want to breed cornish into them and then maybe back to rhode islands reds or something that puts the egg production back into them! I want to come up with a new breed to sale and also to eat for my self! Everybody knows in tha south everybody wants chicken! Has anybody done any serious breeding to get the perfect chicken in there eyes!?