Best broody meat bird?

[ging3rhoffman]

I am wanting to raise our own meat chickens. Which breed is the most broody. If there are several kinds please list them all. I just love my buff orphington, so I was hoping for another broody type meat bird.

 

[SoJoChickens]

Just a quick glance at Henderson's breed chart looks like Brahma, Cochin or Jersey Giant are very broody and might work but none will mature as fast or convert feed as well as your BO. The Cornish can also be broody but is not as gentle as the others. Hope this helps!

 

[the_great_snag]

I would recommend raising the breed you want for meat and keeping a few broody breeds around to brood your eggs.

Brahmas, Cochins, and Silkies are all awesome broodies and should get along well with most other breeds.

Just be aware that if you go this route, some of your chicks will be mutts resulting from a cross between your meat breed rooster and your broody hen.

BTW... Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds says that Cornish have fairly poor fertilization rates due to their blocky bodies. So you may end up with broody hens but low fertilization rates. They are still my favorite breed though