Best meat breed with nice temperament?

[LisaChick1]

Thank you so much for all of the advice!!! I just placed an order with mcmurry

I hope I made an okay choice....
I got straight run of 15 that will be a mixture of Cornish x rocks and corn roasters I believe.... We'll see what they give me....

Thank you all again!
I am really interested in trying the rangers now that you mention.... We'll be looking into that next.

 

[sunflour]

Hi there!
We'd like to start raising some chickens to eat. We raise organic laying hens right now, and are curious what the best meat breeds are in others opinions?
We'd love dual purpose if there are breeds that are good layers and GREAT meat... But our main goal is a meat breed so if the dual purpose compromises the quality of meat we'd rather not go for dual purpose
So... Could you tell me:
1) favorite meat breeds and why and what age you recommend to butcher?
2) if you know of excellent meat breeds that can be descent layers with nice personalities... Sounds like the holy grail

Thanks in advance!!!

Maybe I'm missing something…if you plan to eat them, why do you care what personality they have? Not trying to be sarcastic, really. But if I were to raise meat chickens, I would prefer them not to be cute, tame or loving pets.

 

[CharterChick]

Maybe I'm missing something…if you plan to eat them, why do you care what personality they have?  Not trying to be sarcastic, really.  But if I were to raise meat chickens, I would prefer them not to be cute, tame or loving pets.

I raise for dual purpose. So in my case if they aren't friendly they go to freezer camp! The hens might be around for 5 years if they have been good layers. I call the non laying years their retirement years. I treat all my birds the same. It may sound mean but they are easier to catch and aren't frightened on "b" day if they know you.

 

[popsicle]

Maybe I'm missing something…if you plan to eat them, why do you care what personality they have? Not trying to be sarcastic, really. But if I were to raise meat chickens, I would prefer them not to be cute, tame or loving pets.

For the people raising CX, it perhaps doesn't matter about personality, they are usually butchered before they mature and are too lazy to be much of a problem.

I raise a variety of breeds, the ones that are "easy" to process are also the tamest. They're easy to catch and they are easy to handle. Though I will say, the ornerier the bird, the easier it is to decide who goes first.

A tame chicken is not a "loving pet" to me.

 

[keesmom]

I like Freedom Rangers for meat. Slower growing than Cornish X and less susceptible to heart/leg issues but much quicker than the dual purpose type. I like dual purpose too, but more for stews and soups. There is nothing wrong with Cornish X either. I just happen to like dark meat and they tend to lag in that department.

Any bird you raise and eat is going to be far healthier for you than any store bought chicken. You may want to experiment to see which type you prefer.

 

[LisaChick1]

I apologize if I sounded stupid... I just have an 18 month old and 7 year old that are in the yard all the time with my chickens and am new to the whole process... I just thought it would be nice to have easy going personalities with the breed I picked because of that. I also thought depending on what breed we picked, there could be a chance we'd keep it around in case it was dual purpose. I guess it doesn't really matter. Sorry again... Such a newbie. Didn't mean to ask dumb questions.

Thanks to ya'll

 

[LisaChick1]

Austrolorps and Orpingtons are favorites of most.  I have 1 of each. Both are docile and good layers but there is always the chance of getting a stinker. I have barnyard mixes as my  meat chickens and I butcher them between 14-20 weeks depends on the size and if I want chicken for dinner in a couple nights. On cornish crosses i've heard of butcher ages as young as 8-12 weeks. :yiipchick We only hatch out a few at a time year round that way we can have fresh meat regularly.

I actually have 2 black austrolorps that are about 10 weeks..... Hmmmmmm.
I also have one buff orpington but she is already 22 weeks and will be laying any day... And is so so sweet. I have hopes she'll be a great layer so I don't plan on bringing her in for dinner

However, I also have a light brahma girl that is 20 weeks and she is not nice at all and causes lots of drama with our ducks and younger flock and is the only one that fights our rooster when he tried to do his business...

... Other than her everyone gets along... Were thinking she might have to go but doing my research on that breed for eating as well... Sounds like it may be a good idea...even for some for stew since she's getting a tad older...

 

[keesmom]

I apologize if I sounded stupid... I just have an 18 month old and 7 year old that are in the yard all the time with my chickens and am new to the whole process... I just thought it would be nice to have easy going personalities with the breed I picked because of that. I also thought depending on what breed we picked, there could be a chance we'd keep it around in case it was dual purpose. I guess it doesn't really matter. Sorry again... Such a newbie. Didn't mean to ask dumb questions.

Thanks to ya'll

None of the questions you are asking are dumb. You are interested in raising your own meat so kudos to you!

There is nothing wrong with experimenting to see what works best for you. Raise a few Cornish X or Freedom Rangers/Red Rangers/Pioneers for maximum meat production along with some dual purpose for more flavor. Check in on some poultry shows for real dual purpose breeds too. They may be slower growing than hatchery birds but they will have larger carcasses. I am guessing you are west coast? There is an excellent breeder of white Dorkings in NH. Not sure if he is offering chicks next year or not but I think he has the best Dorkings in the US. Great meat birds.

 

[LisaChick1]

None of the questions you are asking are dumb. You are interested in raising your own meat so kudos to you!

There is nothing wrong with experimenting to see what works best for you. Raise a few Cornish X or Freedom Rangers/Red Rangers/Pioneers for maximum meat production along with some dual purpose for more flavor. Check in on some poultry shows for real dual purpose breeds too. They may be slower growing than hatchery birds but they will have larger carcasses. I am guessing you are west coast? There is an excellent breeder of white Dorkings in NH. Not sure if he is offering chicks next year or not but I think he has the best Dorkings in the US. Great meat birds.

Thank you so much for the advice and kind support! Yes I'm in California in the mountains of Carmel Valley. Trying to get more educated on it all.

 

[donrae]

Most of the breeds like this just take way too long to mature - they're all bone and skin and feathers until they're 6 months to a year old, and you end up spending too much on feeding them.

I had the impression the OP was asking about a sustainable meat breed, which the CX really are not. I've not weighed my Dark Cornish cockerel, but just picking him off the roost he's noticeably heavier and denser than his age mates that are EE and mixed breed birds. I'm going to give them a try. Plus, they're sustainable in that the hens are supposed to be great mommas, no incubator needed