Best Breed for Me?

[KelsiNS]

I am looking at getting some meat birds in spring. So far, we just process any extra roosters we hatch, but it takes nearly seven months to get them to a half-decent dress weight and I'd like a little more "oomph" to my breast meat.

Im a little put-off by Cornish X, simply because my birds are penned due to an errant pack of dogs and no leash laws and I'm concerned with them not getting enough exercise to be healthy until process day. I don't want to end up mercy-killing the poor birds because im not set up to manage them, you know?

So, what breed do you all suggest based on my information:

A 11X6' coop with a 10X6' offset run and a 12X 36' run-with 40 other birds
Once-a-day feeding of 16% pellets, fermented, with homemade ACV
Vegetables from the garden

I'd like more breast than leg (my husband prefers leg meat, but our extra roos are always 80% leg -_-)
ideally I'd like to butcher sooner rather than later-but I don't really want anything that HAS to be butchered for risk of loss just in case im overloaded that week (I process solo....every time -_-)

Would Cornish X work for me? Would I be better with something else?

 

[lazy gardener]

Cornish x Rock would be a good choice for the breast meat you're looking for. You'd need to have some space dedicated to them, and feed them a high protein starter/grower to meet the demands of their rapid growth. They reach a respectable harvest around 8 weeks... I think. It's been a long time since I've raised them.You would need to commit the time to harvesting them within a 2 week window to prevent the complications that they are prone to if they are not harvested in a timely manner.

 

[popsicle]

I like quality New Hampshire and Chantecler for a good sized dual purpose cockerel. I haven't found either to be aggressive before butchering, though the Chantecler a bit calmer.

If you like breast meat, try finding some good Cornish.

I would steer clear of Brahmas, Cochin, etc. I've found they take far too long to grow out (especially the breasts) and they'll take up too much room in your run.

Personally, I won't raise the broilers again because I have no desire to "have some space dedicated to them" as lazy gardener mentioned. I also want to butcher a cockerel or two as needed, instead of butchering the whole mess at once before they croak.

 

[lazy gardener]

I like quality New Hampshire and Chantecler for a good sized dual purpose cockerel. I haven't found either to be aggressive before butchering, though the Chantecler a bit calmer.

If you like breast meat, try finding some good Cornish.

I would steer clear of Brahmas, Cochin, etc. I've found they take far too long to grow out (especially the breasts) and they'll take up too much room in your run.

Personally, I won't raise the broilers again because I have no desire to "have some space dedicated to them" as lazy gardener mentioned. I also want to butcher a cockerel or two as needed, instead of butchering the whole mess at once before they croak.

I mentioned dedicated space b/c original poster stated she had 40 hens for an 11 x 6 coop. I successfully raised 9 Pioneers alongside my layer chicks this spring, in the same space. Also recommended the C x R b/c OP wanted a lot of breast meat. I personally prefer the Pioneer over the C x R for my own purposes.