Breeding kosher kings

[Jingles1234]

Hi peeps,

Our family is raising Kosher Kings from Meyer Hatchery for meat. We are thinking about keeping a breeding pair so that we can start hatching our own eggs. My questions are:

1. Can you breed KK's or are they the kind that get so fat that they can't breed?
2. How do we select a pair that would be good for breeding? Fastest growers? Fattest? Best Foragers?

They're all on pasture, free range at this point (5 weeks old) and there are a few that I'm eye-balling to keep.

This is our first go-around with meat birds. We're old hat with layers at this point.

Thanks!!!

 

[GreatBreeder]

Kosher Kings do not reproduce true to type as a cross. But you can breed them, it's just the Hybrid Vigor will be absent. A way to get a good broiler from breeding crosses is to introduce a good meat bird that has almost none to no relationship in breeding to the Kings. This way Hybrid Vigor will still be prevalent. But you can still breed the Kings.

 

[Jingles1234]

Thank you! I'm not 100% sure what you said since I'm so new to this, but let me give it a shot.... the KK's can bred, but because they're hybrids, the offsping will not be the same as the parents. They will be missing something essential. Am I close?

 

[GreatBreeder]

Yes. The essential thing is Hybrid Vigor. Like in Cornish Crosses, two breeds with no relation are crossed to create a breed with excellent qualities, Hybrid Vigor. So perhaps you could breed the Kings with another chicken if you have anything else on hand. But you could theoretically breed them with each other, but breed them with a distant breed if you want the best qualities.

 

[GreatBreeder]

So if you cross Kings with each other, you get a bird with less effectiveness. And if you cross them with something unrelated, you get an excellent bird.

 

[Jingles1234]

Ahhhhh! That makes sense. So we have ameracunas, welsummers and easter eggers. Would any of those be good to breed with or should I get a heritage breed to cross them with?

 

[GreatBreeder]

Welsummer would be your best bet being a heavy breed. But there are much better choices, so if you're willing to get another breed, then go ahead. I reccomend Cornish or Dorkings, being some of the biggest heavy breeds.

 

[Jingles1234]

excellent! We're getting more KKs in a few weeks. Maybe I'll order some females from one of those breeds

 

[GreatBreeder]

Note: I've never heard of a documented breeding of Kosher Kings, they are pretty obscure in research. I'm getting these ideas from my research of Hybrid Vigor etc.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Logging off for tonight