Another Broiler Laying Eggs Question.....

[LauraSBale]

I have gotten meat and egg, from Welp, They have great costumer service, and can help you with what birds will do good in you area,

 

[ajablu]

I have read several posts on raising a meat bird for a pet or layer. I have one I bought because I felt sorry for him/her. I am pretty sure it is a him but it does not crow and is 20 weeks old now. He was left over from the meat bird order at our feed store. I picked up some chicks we ordered and the lady asked would we want him. Softie that I am I said yes.
He was supposed to be jumbo Cornish Rock X meat chick. I raised him with the laying chickens and he does everything they do. He does roost, always comes in at dusk, loves to dirt bath, catch bugs . To my surprise he is a really beautiful chicken and always such a clean white. I have always read that they were ugly, but maybe it is more how they are raised. He has free ranged since he was a couple weeks old with the others. When he is lying down he looks so pretty, very graceful. Actually more pretty than many of the others and I always think I would love a white chicken figurine that looks just like him.
He is sweet and does have a personality like the others. I don't know how long he will live, but sure have enjoyed his beauty and funny personality. We are not vegetarians and we do eat chicken, just have not yet eaten any we raised. We enjoy our chickens as pets and for their eggs. We have recently become interested in breeding and hatching some nice quality birds. I do read the meat birds posts and think it would be a good thing to do if we could do it, but so far none of us can.
Anyway I just wanted to say it's ok to give it a try and see whether they can produce eggs or live a longer life. We are wondering if ours will make it through the winter, but if we lose him at least he enjoyed his life and we are glad he got the chance, since we didn't want him for eating. I am calling him a roo because he got a red comb and wattles early, but he has never tried to crow with the other boys so I don't know. Maybe he is a late bloomer.
Michele

 

[dancingbear]

Ajablu, it's sounds like you may have gotten something other than a broiler cross, maybe your pretty white chicken is a rock. As for roo or pullet, look at the feathers on the back, down toward the tail. Are the tips pointy or rounded? Pointy feathers mean a roo, rounded and you have a hen.

Beerguzzler, if you do decde to raise a few meat X hens, here's what I found when I did that:
They get huge, but once they're grown don't eat nearly as much as the y do when young. They will lay nice big brown eggs, mine laid quite a few enormous double yolk eggs. (those won't hatch, BTW) When mine got near a year old, they started to die off. By the time I only had one left, I'd figured out that what was happening was congestive heart failure. When they were at rest on their keels, the combs would turn deep purple, and the breathing was bubbly, from fluid in the lungs. When they got up and moved around, the combs would return to a normal red, as the circulation improved while standing. One they get to that stage, you may as well eat them, they won't last much longer. With more attention to diet and activity, they can live longer than mine did. These were some of the first birds I had, many years ago, and I knew nothing about meat birds at that time.

We went ahead and butchered that last one, (Bertha) she dressed out to about 15 lbs., like a small turkey. From the size of her heart, and the amount of fat in the body cavity pressing on heart and lungs, I know she wouldn't have lived much longer.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.