Meat birds - best breed next to Cornish Cross?

[Mommysongbird]

I am looking for other, easier to care for birds that are good for meat birds.

We had 4 Cornish Cross, but lost one today at 3 weeks old. I want to find something that is easy. I have too much other stuff going on to have to watch over them so much. We don't know what happen to the one today. Could have been too hot in the house and brooder, but don't know for sure. We were out most of the day and our house was on the cool side because it was cool out, so I turned the heat on and we left.

Our local TSC seems to be fairly knowledgeable, but when you ask some of them about a particular breed to see how well they would be as a meat bird, they don't know a lot. They have Red Rangers right now and they said it COULD be a meat bird.

I don't want to have to order anything because we are limited on space and I want something that can be ready in like 2 months or so.

 

[Featherplucker]

I raise anywhere between 50 and 100 Cornish or Rangers at a time, a few times throughout the year.

In your case, it is not unusual to purchase day old chicks from such places and lose one or two. They may have an isolated illness before you even get your hands on them or they somehow experienced an unseen physical trauma. If you order from hatcheries, they usually give one or two extra chicks in their shipment in the case one or two die in transit. This is not the case with stores like Agway or Tractor Supply.

When applying a heat lamp, make sure the chicks have enough room to get away from underneath the lamp, should they become overheated. Otherwise, it could be the heat lamp that does them in.

Red Rangers are a very good breed for meat but they usually take about 12 weeks to gain the size you might look for. Even at 12 weeks, they do not match the look of the little butterballs known as Cornish Cross Rocks. With the Ranger breed, you can save money during growing season as these are very adept at foraging for themselves while you supplement with the feed you give them. I also realize you said you have limited space, soooo...It turns into a trade-off... Rangers, with room to range, in 12 weeks at a dressed weight of 4.5 to 5.5 pounds. Or raise the Cornish sitting at the food trough, ready in 8 weeks at a dressed weight of 5.5 to 6.5 pounds.

Cornish can be more prone to illness, especially with conventional feeds. I always maintain a clean coop and make sure they have fresh, clean water. If you feed them the recommended industry standards of high protein percentage feed (20 to 24%), you will want to eventually remove that feed from them for 12 hours at a time... once they are at a point where they do not need a heat lamp and can spent the night without light. Otherwise, you may experience mortality due to fluid buildup around the heart. We lost a few this way. They became even more lethargic than usual, accompanied by rapid breathing. One even presented with discoloration of the wattle and comb. Not knowing what happened, we performed autopsies and found them all to have fluid buildup around the heart. This led me to do more research on feeds and I discovered the "12 on, 12 off" recommendation for conventional feeds. But I found more information...

It is not so much the protein amount that is important in raising the bird. A healthier approach is trying to find a local feed mill that might produce a natural (not organic) broiler blend of 18 to 19% protein with an equally important amount of amino acids, biotin, and the other minerals necessary to healthy growth for these breeds. Remember, these birds are bred to grow abnormally quick and therefore should have a diet specific to their breed. I also believe in staying away from any feed that contains "animal byproduct". Chickens will eat worms and bugs but I leave it to them to find that... I do not trust the label of "animal byproducts" because you can't verify what that is... but that's just my opinion.

For anyone living in the country, I would also recommend you take a look at "maggot feeders for chickens"... it's not as bad as it sounds.

What I feed my birds in three phases is Starter for 3 weeks, Grower for 3 weeks, and Finisher for 2 weeks. I have not had to introduce medications at all and not experienced any mortality since I began this approach. I am lucky enough to have Keystone Mills, in central New York, to provide these feeds. I get the feed through Round House Mills in Cortland. Another surprise I found in this journey is that the feed I now use is substantially cheaper than anything I can get at Agway, TSC, or Tractor Supply. Unfortunately, they are limited to central New York. You will have to do some research to find what is near you if you choose this approach.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

[maddog3355]

Feeding CornishX laying feed isn't going to cause any trouble. Good gosh your butchering them in 10 to 12 weeks. There is sure a lot of parroting goes on around here. One person tells something and everybody else tells it but dosent have enough experience on the issue to even give an opinion.

 

[cavemanrich]

If you want in 2 months, then stay with cornish X . All chickens are good for meat.. Just some are excellent like the CRX . Don't know what the circumstances were causing your loss. I DON'T THINK IT WAS THE BREED RESPONSIBLE. They don't start breaking legs till well past the prime cull time.

 

[Odelia]

To my knowledge the Cornish cross is the only thing done in two months. The red ranger is a meat bird, but it isn't meant to grow out in that short of a time period.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I believe the Red Ranger is a meat bird. It may take a little longer to mature than the Cornish Cross, and may be a little smaller but they will be meatier than a regular egg laying breed. I have heard about 10-12 weeks instead of the 8 weeks for a Cornish Cross.

 

[lazy gardener]

Rangers and Pioneers (also called Dixie Rainbows) are ready to process around 12 weeks. I raised Pioneers last year, and kept one Pullet instead of processing her. She's been a good layer. I was pleased with the Pioneers as a meat bird.

 

[cavemanrich]

Okay, we can do 12 weeks (3 months). I was talking to a guy at TSC today and he was saying that Leg Horns only take 2 months, but I wasn't sure. Our TSC had them on clearance so I thought I might get a few.

They also had those Dixie Rainbows, but again TSC didn't know exactly what kind of bird they are; meat, dual, or layer.

You can eat anything early. You can eat 3 week old chicks even. LOL But reality is you want a meal that is sufficient is quantity. Leghorns are egg producers but of course you can eat them @ 2 months. They will be small. Lazy gardener suggested the Dixie rainbows. So, in your situation, I would presume they would be more suited to your needs. WISHING YOU BON APETIT.

 

[lazy gardener]

Okay, we can do 12 weeks (3 months). I was talking to a guy at TSC today and he was saying that Leg Horns only take 2 months, but I wasn't sure. Our TSC had them on clearance so I thought I might get a few.

They also had those Dixie Rainbows, but again TSC didn't know exactly what kind of bird they are; meat, dual, or layer.

IMO, any one who tells you that you can process a leghorn as a respectable meat bird in 2 months is either very uninformed, or taking advantage of the customer. Leghorns are good layers. While you can eat any chicken, a leg horn would be my last choice for a meat bird. If TSC is selling Dixie Rainbows, and doesn't know anything about them, that's also a sad thing. How much time would it take an employee or a manager to pick up the catalog and read the info posted about that breed? Before you go back to that store, do your own google search regarding Leghorns vs. Dixie Rainbows as meat birds, then you can provide a little inservice to the staff there.

 

[keesmom]

We have had one leghorn (rooster) and he was HUGE.  Didn't use him as a meat bird though.  Gave him to a friend.  He was fairly large at 2 months old, probably not large enough to process, but by about 4 months, he would have made a nice freezer bird, but we spared his life and 3 other "barnyard mutts". LOL

If he was huge he was not a Leghorn. More likely a white Rock.

The difference between layer feed and "other" feed is not necessarily the protein content but the calcium content. High calcium content can be detrimental to non laying birds (chicks, roosters, molting hens).