Choosing a breed for a meat bird.

[illinoishiker]

Last year I raised Buff Orpington for meat birds. I kept a dandy rooster and I have a Speckled Sussex roo and three SS pullets. I'm wanting to choose a breed to cross with the Buff roo for meat birds. I'm thinking maybe some Chanteclers or Delawares would make good meat birds crossed with my roo. I need to decide which breed would work better. Also, I live in north central Arkansas. Our summers get very hot. Can the Chanteclers take our heat? I'll buy some chicks this year and also raise some from the Buff and SS pullets when they get a bit older. Thanks for advice.

 

[cavemanrich]

If you want excellent meat birds, you choose Cornish X or Red Ranger. Otherwise, go with whatever dual purpose chickens and eat the extra cockerels.
You are in quite a warm area,,,,, but not extremely HOT, like Phoenix Arizona. Peeps there do manage to keep breeds like Black Australorps Bielefelders, White Breese, and NN Turkens.
Orpingtons are nice chickens,,, but slower growing compared to other breeds.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[CNJ]

I would start with the McMurray Big Red Broiler and Jumbo Cornish Cross and cross these two lines. Then selective breed the bigger offspring's. These chicks will produce way more meat than the Orpington and probably be table ready by 3 to 4 months.

I wish I had this idea when I started, it would have saved me a lot of time. I have recently crossed a Breese with a Cornish X with good results. I am in the process of line breeding them. I will probably start collecting eggs by end of March.

 

[McChooky]

Last year I raised Buff Orpington for meat birds. I kept a dandy rooster and I have a Speckled Sussex roo and three SS pullets. I'm wanting to choose a breed to cross with the Buff roo for meat birds. I'm thinking maybe some Chanteclers or Delawares would make good meat birds crossed with my roo. I need to decide which breed would work better. Also, I live in north central Arkansas. Our summers get very hot. Can the Chanteclers take our heat? I'll buy some chicks this year and also raise some from the Buff and SS pullets when they get a bit older. Thanks for advice.

Delawares are good meat birds . They're one of the best dual purpose breeds you can raise (lay 270-300 large eggs a year) Their white feathers clean up good when processing them too.

 

[Pickensandchigs]

Delawares are good meat birds . They're one of the best dual purpose breeds you can raise (lay 270-300 large eggs a year) Their white feathers clean up good when processing them too.

yep.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

In my experience last year buying mixed bunch of heavy, brown egg laying breeds.. If you want meat fast you get freedom ranger or Cornish cross. Anything else you will have to search for breeders that already breed for meat traits or you buy hatchery stock and select for meat traits yourself over time.

New Hampshires from mcmurray did quite well. The rest were more bone and feather than meat.

I'm breeding from what has done best. I'm down to.. 10 freedom ranger hens to breed experimentally.. 1 NH hen.. 1 white hen that I'm about to separate to see if she's laying.. and 7 buff brahma that I'm hoping some will go broody.
I kept a NH roo and a Bielefelder roo. The NH was nearly tied with the freedom rangers so kept the nicest one. The Bielefelder I'm going to use to develop a crele auto sexing line.

Knowing what I know now.. Last year I should have bought NH from freedom ranger hatchery for breeding and rangers for eating. But I'm working with what I have now.

 

[chigo]

I would start with the McMurray Big Red Broiler and Jumbo Cornish Cross and cross these two lines. Then selective breed the bigger offspring's. These chicks will produce way more meat than the Orpington and probably be table ready by 3 to 4 months.

I wish I had this idea when I started, it would have saved me a lot of time. I have recently crossed a Breese with a Cornish X with good results. I am in the process of line breeding them. I will probably start collecting eggs by end of March.

Hi CNJ, how is the cornish x , red broiler experiment going... where you able to get offsping with potential o growing bigger than the red broiler?

 

[CNJ]

Hi CNJ, how is the cornish x , red broiler experiment going... where you able to get offsping with potential o growing bigger than the red broiler?

I am currently working with Breese/Cornish X and won't use the Big Red Broiler. I think New Hampshire may be better since they are pure bred. There is someone currently working with New Hampshire/CX and CX/CX https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cornish-rock-meat-bird-breeding-project.1400633/