Best meat birds

[mixedbreeds]

Wow I don’t get the tasteless thing I have been raising Cornish x for a few years now and they have been so good and very flavorful, nothing at all like a store bought bird. I finished them with some cracked corn with there diet and raised them fairly large dressing out at 7 1/2 pounds. I have never went for the breast meat before but with these I go for the breast meat first just excellent flavor, moist and juicy.

 

[Molpet]

Wow I don’t get the tasteless thing I have been raising Cornish x for a few years now and they have been so good and very flavorful, nothing at all like a store bought bird. I finished them with some cracked corn with there diet and raised them fairly large dressing out at 7 1/2 pounds. I have never went for the breast meat before but with these I go for the breast meat first just excellent flavor, moist and juicy.

home raised cx is much better than store bought
the older the bird the more flavor, but after 6 months it does get a little chewy.
I like to process heritage or heritage/cx mixed birds at 16 wks

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree ^^with Molpet. Mine were fantastic taste, more tender than dual purpose birds. I am wording them this spring again.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I butchered my cx at 12 to 14 weeks males were first to go. They were all tender just excellent eating.

 

[cppeace]

It all depends on your personal goals. If you want chickens just for meat and want to keep the price per lb down, order Cornish Cross when needed, raise for 6-8 weeks and be done with it. If you are wanting eggs and meat find a good meat breed or mixed breed or mixed flock.
I personally am trying to raise a good meat breed slowly and have done a bunch of research on breeds and such.
Cornish Cross isn't tasteless, but there is a different taste in letting a chicken age another 6-10 weeks. There's no denying it. It's similar to the difference in grass fed and grain fed beef.
If looking for DP breeds/ heritage breeds that you can continue through natural reproduction Dorking, Brees, Favorelle, traditional standard Cornish, Deleware, Chantecler and Plymouth Rocks are likely some of the best choices. You will get slightly faster growth with mixing these breeds though, which is how they created the Cornish Cross (Generations of trial and error to get the super-fast growth and breast size they wanted.
There is no traditional breed that will have a big double breast like a Cornish cross. Most don't have much breast sadly ( a goal in my personal project) and that is a deal breaker for many raised on store chicken.