Raising Chanteclers for Meat

[Shan30]

Looking for some information from anyone who has either raised Chenteclers purposefully for meat or has butchered their cockerels.

We have six White Chantecler hens and a rooster in our flock that we sort of came to have accidentally. Never intended to raise the breed but fell totally in love with the rooster. He started calling his girls to food at two weeks, helps raise chicks and is to date the best rooster we've ever had.

Anyways we were thinking of getting some cornish x chicks this year but are now considering just hatching some chanteclers and raising the boys for meat.

I'm looking to find out optimal butchering age, average weight dressed out, meat quality and the type of feeds others have used.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GitaBooks]

That's an awesome idea! They will have great tasting meat!

I haven't raised chanteclers (yet) but they are likely to mature more like a heritage breed such as a Delaware, though they do have a lot of good meat on their body.

Friendly roosters are so awesome! Our rooster is so gentle and sweet with his hens, its fun to watch.

 

[keesmom]

You may want to look through this thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/845018/breeding-for-production-eggs-and-or-meat/6120

Hellbender had Chanteclers.

 

[ijon]

My experience with this breed. I had the meanest rooster ever.

 

[Shan30]

My experience with this breed. I had the meanest rooster ever.

How strange! Even the cockerels from the crosses that have "magically" appeared in the yard that would be his sons were rather sweet.

 

[Shan30]

That's an awesome idea! They will have great tasting meat!

I haven't raised chanteclers (yet) but they are likely to mature more like a heritage breed such as a Delaware, though they do have a lot of good meat on their body.

Friendly roosters are so awesome! Our rooster is so gentle and sweet with his hens, its fun to watch.

To date we have raised Cornish x and we butcher our cockerels from my Ameraucana flock. The ameraucana boys definitely have more flavour but it is a lot of work and feed for a very skinny chicken carcass.

Mostly I'm wondering if there is any point in intentionally breeding them to raise for meat. I definitely wouldn't bother with the Ameraucanas.

 

[ijon]

How strange! Even the cockerels from the crosses that have "magically" appeared in the yard that would be his sons were rather sweet.

My chickens were from a breeder.

 

[GitaBooks]

To date we have raised Cornish x and we butcher our cockerels from my Ameraucana flock. The ameraucana boys definitely have more flavour but it is a lot of work and feed for a very skinny chicken carcass.

Mostly I'm wondering if there is any point in intentionally breeding them to raise for meat. I definitely wouldn't bother with the Ameraucanas.

Yes, I think they would make good meat birds. We've gotten some good meat off of some of our larger boys, like an orpington we had, and chanteclers are more modern then that so likely to be even faster maturing.

As for personality, it not only depends on the individual bird but the line in which they have been bred from. If you don't select for friendly animals, then you won't breed friendly animals.