Best Meat Bird Order?

[yhuang22]

I plan to order 13 meat birds from ideal poultry this spring.

However, should I order all male, all female, or mixed?

I like to have good meat-n-feed conversion ratio (which male are better). But I am concerned if male birds will be too loud? How about the taste? What would you do? Pleaset help. Thank you.

Jean

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
It's really up to you.If you get a good price on straight run it would be ok.If males are only 10-20 cents more I'd go with males.In my experience I've found males 9 times out of 10 are bigger.Meat -to-feed conversion would be the same .I think maybe males eat more.With most animals males just are usually bigger.Many people will say it makes no difference,but raise a batch and see for yourself.
I raise meatbirds to feed my family,so I like the biggest bird I can get.If I was selling them for $4-5 a lb. then I wouldn't care about sex because I'd want a 4lb bird and that wouldn't be hard to get no matter what sex.A customer may feel better about spending $20. for a chicken as opposed to $50. even though he is still spending the same $4-5. a lb. I figure I have about $10. each in my birds from post office to freezer,so If I have 7-8 lb birds for $10. I'm not doing too bad for home grown quality chicken.

If you are concerned about(noise) crowing,they will be at processing age before they are mature enough to crow.(males)

Taste should be about the same,I think the difference in taste is more of an age thing.Not a sex thing.

Either way you really can't go wrong.You know more on your 2nd batch what you'll want to do different.Just don't get discouraged with losses because it's bound to happen. And ask for alot of different opinons. Good luck Will

 

[bigredfeather]

I just finished my first batch of all pullets. They dressed at an averaged 4.5 lbs at 7 weeks. If I had gotten some males, I agree with Willheveland in that they would most likely have been heavier. My next batch I am going to try straight run to get some larger birds.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Do yourself a favor and order Colored Range Broilers from
jmhatchery.com

They only come straight run but blow Cornish away.

 

[willheveland]

Quote:

you forgot to say they take 4 weeks longer Will

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:

you forgot to say they take 4 weeks longer Will

My Cornish must have been small or something. My Rangers towered
over them and dressed out between 5 and 7 pounds by week 10.
They ate the same food and enjoyed the same barn, although the
Rangers did free range a little.

We never got a Cornish over 7 pounds dressed.

Maybe next season I'll order a batch from where you order yours'.

Plus, Rangers are fun. Cornish are gross meat boulders.

 

[coondog74017]

These Cornish cross came from Ideal and dressed out between 8 and 10 lbss 14 ozs at 12 weeks.

 

[FarmGirl01]

I have had Cornish X's and red broilers. I would go the Cornish X's again. I did like the red broilers activity level better the the C-X's. But they took longer and there was less meat. Cornish X's for me. After seening the pics, I would like some fried chicken. Those birds look great.

 

[mizauntcathy'shenhouse]

When my son showed chickens, we usually culled the pullets (females) and kept the cockrels, unless they were smaller than most cockrels. He could only have 3 in the show pen and we always ordered 50. The cockrels are heavier than the pullets, so if you want the size I would suggest cockrels and like willheveland said, you will process them before they are old enought to crow.

 

[willheveland]

I really thought there would be more posts on this topic.It seemed like alot of new people were raising meatbirds for the first time or were trying a new type of meatbird this time.There were so many posts that they were waiting for their chick order but very few of them posted their results or if their expectations were met in the end.
I think each persons personal experience,with alot of different opinons helps people the most. Will