Best meat birds for 4-H?

[horsechick]

Hi all,
Our girls are venturing into the poultry side of showing in 4-h this year.
So it will be our first year and we will be looking for their meat pens in probably June. Fair is 1st week August.
Which should we look at getting.
The advisors said they usually get from a hatchery and then raise all 25 and pick out the best two.
Any suggestions on the best breed? Where to get? Hatchery with good birds?
Size etc?
Thanks in advance,
Angela

 

[silkiechicken]

For "meat bids" the only real choice for 4h I think is to go with the cornish x. There are a few threads on 4h and meat birds I think, and if I remember right, some who did it, got a box of chicks 6 weeks before show, and picked out the best. Pick the hatchery closest to you as commercial meat and layers come from nearly esentally the same breeder sources.

 

[mommy9994]

I've found Meyer hatchery to have the best price on the cornish x's and they are in Ohio.

 

[greyfields]

I believe they must be Cornish X with white plumage for 4-H.

 

[seymojo536]

Great to hear your kids are joining 4H.
Check out Eagle's Nest Hatchery over in Oceola.
That is where our county fair gets the birds for the kids down here in Union County.
Great birds, great prices, great people to deal with.
They have a website, but you have to call Kay to order.
Bill Karcher is a great resource.

 

[brooster]

get the cornish roasters from McMurray, i raised some last year and won reserve champion roasters. Just keep them on turkey starter all the way. For roasters, get them on like May 26, for fryers, the first or second week of June. And feed the roasters a flock raiser the last two weeks.

 

[greyfields]

Of course, those dates will need to vary depending on what dates your fair is.

 

[brooster]

Her fair is the same week as ours, so the same time as i got mine would be right

 

[freeholdfarms]

Check this hatchery out too
http://www.schlechthatchery.com/
I bought form them last year with good results

 

[greyfields]

Let me bring up a point here. All commercial hatcheries get their broiler hatching eggs from the same companies (there are 3 which produce broilers). So regardless of which retail hatchery you get your day olds from, you are likley getting identical birds to any other hatchery. Since this is the case, I'd find the one closest to you to minimize stress on the birds and of course shipping.