Choosing that Dual Purpose meat bird......................

Freedom Rangers seem to be the thing right now.


There are basically 4 options with a meatie flock;
1. Cornish rocks
2. Freedom Rangers
3. Some Dual purpose breeds
4. A dual purpose breed mixed with one of the above meaties
5. And of course you can eat any extras from a laying flock, there just wont be as much meat and they will take MUCH longer to get to the weight to butcher them.

Here are my cornish with some other chicks the same age. They are 5 weeks and 3.5 pounds already. They aren't bad at all, and act just like normal chickens, but it helps that I only have 6.

 

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Henderson Breed Chart... it'll tell you all about the different breeds, including average size and what 'type' they are... there are a few, three?, that WERE considered meat birds until the CX came along... those are now lumped with DPs but include (formerly meat) in the description. Also includes laying ability, size and number as well as hardiness (heat and cold), winter layer or no, broodiness... and even comments on attitude.

Love that chart.

 

If I were ordering DPs from a hatchery , I think it would be either be Plymouth White Rocks for their clean appering carcasses after processing , or Rhode Island Reds and those specificly from Central Hatchery [ Central claims to breed a full size RIR and their pics of their breeders look good ] . Either way , I would try to buy some cockerals from a breeder of quality stock to cover the pullets . I've only attended two APA shows in my life , but at both there were a lot of very nice PWRs being shown in both the regular and junior divisions , so they must be pretty available ; and there were also a few RIRs at both the show and one old roo in the sales pens at the last . Those breeder sourced cockerals were much larger and meatier than the birds I see from hatcheries ; putting one over the hatchery pullets would help IMO .

 

Even if you get some CX try some plan ole White Rocks too -- Feed them the high protein rations and they will grow quick too they are nice just letting them free range in 18 to 24 weeks.


The current "thing" seems to be the freedom rangers -- I stick with White Rock's myself -- tried and tested!

 

They would all be great. Buff Orpingtons are known for their dark meat. Delawares have more white meat.

I haven't tried the NH's.

I also suggest Black Australorps. They dress out nice and big.

 

Quote:Just remember that DP birds grow their carcass first, and then fill out with muscle.


I second SteveH advice. Heritage birds are much, much larger fuller birds than Hatchery stock. My DP birds are my own home-grown. I cross a heritage Orpington Roo over other heritage orps and hatchery Delaware, Cochin and EE hens. The heritage Roo really puts more size and muscle on the hatchery birds. I like to process my boys between 20 to 24 weeks (4.5 to 6 pounds processed)- any younger and I have found them to be more "bone" than "meat".

 

I would suggest Dark Cornish. I recently processed 5 of those and they made a meatier bird than the Buff Orpingtons I had of the same age. They are considered a meat bird rather than a DP. Good luck.

 

Why a hatchery? And Id get a mix of the breeds you listed and see what you like. Keep track of their weights and ages and see how they mature if you wanted to order again. Its not impossible to find a breeder if you know what you want. They are out there you just have to look.