Best Dual purpose birds, What are yours and why?

Hi, and welcome to BYC.


I am have a Dixie rainbows, Production Reds that I like for their size and hind quarters. We like dark meat, I am going to try and cross them with CX's and get a faster growing HUGE drumstick.

The eggs make little difference to me, and egg is an egg. I will get more eggs than I ever need from any 4 hens. I am waiting patiently for my first eggs in 30 years. I had to leave the farm life to make a living, I am freshly back on the farm now that I am retired.

I love the taste of any fresh free range egg that is loaded with dead bug protein!
 
My favorite dual purpose birds are Black Australorps. They are incredibly hardy. I've raised them where winter temperatures have reached 39 F below zero, and where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. Black Australorps are also calm and gentle birds. My children, and now my granddaughter made lap pets out of them. And they are the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've still had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. And Black Australorps have enough meat on them to make for really good eating. Obviously not everyone will agree, but I'm convinced that BAs are the best all-around, dual-purpose birds on the planet.
 
My favorite dual purpose birds are Black Australorps. They are incredibly hardy. I've raised them where winter temperatures have reached 39 F below zero, and where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (123 F once), and in both climate extremes, they came through like troopers. Black Australorps are also calm and gentle birds. My children, and now my granddaughter made lap pets out of them. And they are the best layers of the standard, brown egg laying breeds. A Black Australorp holds the brown egg laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever reached that kind of production (and likely never will), I've still had a few of them lay over 300 eggs in a year. And Black Australorps have enough meat on them to make for really good eating. Obviously not everyone will agree, but I'm convinced that BAs are the best all-around, dual-purpose birds on the planet.


I found this interesting. I have some black Australorps also. I am even keeping a black Australorp rooster because of the egg production and I think they are beautiful birds. I have never thought of them for meat birds because they are not as heavy as I like. That said I have about 4 roosters going to freezer camp this week.

I actually am going to mark my packages with the breed of the birds when I freeze them just to see the difference in the breeds. I bought an assortment package this spring and I think I have all the breeds finally figured out... BUT I am not looking forward to eating a dozen EE roosters.... they are so scrawny.
 
I found this interesting. I have some black Australorps also. I am even keeping a black Australorp rooster because of the egg production and I think they are beautiful birds. I have never thought of them for meat birds because they are not as heavy as I like. That said I have about 4 roosters going to freezer camp this week.

I actually am going to mark my packages with the breed of the birds when I freeze them just to see the difference in the breeds. I bought an assortment package this spring and I think I have all the breeds finally figured out... BUT I am not looking forward to eating a dozen EE roosters.... they are so scrawny.

Black Australorps are not as heavy as some other breeds like Jersey Giants, Brahmas, or Cochins, and certainly can't match the growth rate of Cornish cross or some of the other meat birds, but they have an adequate amount of meat (as much as most other dual purpose breeds), and they are considerably better layers than these heavier breeds.
 
Black Australorps are not as heavy as some other breeds like Jersey Giants, Brahmas, or Cochins, and certainly can't match the growth rate of Cornish cross or some of the other meat birds, but they have an adequate amount of meat (as much as most other dual purpose breeds), and they are considerably better layers than these heavier breeds.

Good to know,, thanks


After picking up a CX or rainbow or production red, then grabbing a BA, I am guessing they just appear smaller because of how large the others ones were... As I said they are BEAUTYS!
 
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Good to know,, thanks


After picking up a CX or rainbow or production red, then grabbing a BA, I am guessing they just appear smaller because of how large the others ones were... As I said they are BEAUTYS!

BAs are lighter than CX or Rainbows, but they actually get as heavy as Production Reds; sometimes heavier depending on which hatcheries the Production Reds came from and whether or not some White Leghorn blood has been infused into their background at sometime or another in an attempt to improve laying rate.
 
Rhode Island Reds have always been my favorite dual purpose. They lay like crazy and are large, the roos are as big as any Cornish x, just not a wide breast. I currently do not have any, I wanted my kids to help take care of our chickens and thought a variety of colored eggs would be cool. So we have Welsummer for dark brown spotted eggs, Brown Leghorn for white, and Easter Eggers. Plus one Golden laced Polish that they fell in love with and made me keep. we got in a 'mystery chickens' pack. I didn't want RIRs right now with the kids because they can be aggressive, even the hens can be. But in a few years I want to go back to them, especially now that I found out there is still some heritage breed rose comb ones like I grew up with available from a couple breeders. I have a breeder of White Bresse driving distance from me and plan on getting a breeding trio next year to find out if the hype is worth it, and I heard they lay good also.
 
good discussion, i like the blacks myself and have raised them in indiana, but am looking to join the Ameraucana breeders and become a breeder in indiana, but im unsure as to the flavor and when the best time to eviscerate them and eat them as well as there egg production.
 
Black Australorps were actually what I was leaning towards when researching different breeds positives and negatives. BAs hold records for egg laying, and are a calm friendly bird, would have been good with kids, I didn't trust RIRs. Just before I ordered them I changed my mind and went with the variety of egg colors.
 

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