Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[jolenesdad]

As usual really great report and fabulous pictures.

You say the reds are not like Freedom Rangers at all so really conforms with what they say on Moyers webpage. That the Royal Broilers have smaller leg portions and more breast meat than the Imperial. So maybe the Imperial are more like the Freedom Rangers in Conformation?

All great to know and I am learning a lot about meat birds. Especially about Moyers Broilers.

I’m going to ask John at Moyer for more specifics but yes, I think this is right. I’m going to try and grow a few Imperial this fall.

But I actually wonder if the red ranger is between the royal red and imperial. I think based on what I’ve been reading, maybe it’s close to a Freedom Ranger Color Yield.. a new strain that has more fast growing broiler mixed in with the freedom ranger lines.

When I first spoke to John he described the imperial as akin to a heritage breed — but a broiler version. He said the breast on an Imperial is closer to a “chicken tender”.

So many of these things are trade secrets and who actually produces what it’s hard to poke around for info but Moyers has been so forthcoming with information I’m sure they’ll give some additional info.

I really am looking forward to the carcass comparison photos of the Cornish and these two strains and I hope @LilyD can get some of her dual purposes when she processes them too.

 

[Newyorkrita]

When I look at the meat birds at Freedom Ranger Hatchery The Color Yield is the one that most appeals to me. But then again I also wonder about their Kosher King. Looks like a Barred Rock on steroids to me.

But Moyer just seems like a class act to me and those meat birds look top notch. I like your description of the Moyer Imperial as heritage breed type. Sounds good to me.

 

[LilyD]

I’m going to ask John at Moyer for more specifics but yes, I think this is right. I’m going to try and grow a few Imperial this fall.

But I actually wonder if the red ranger is between the royal red and imperial. I think based on what I’ve been reading, maybe it’s close to a Freedom Ranger Color Yield.. a new strain that has more fast growing broiler mixed in with the freedom ranger lines.

When I first spoke to John he described the imperial as akin to a heritage breed — but a broiler version. He said the breast on an Imperial is closer to a “chicken tender”.

So many of these things are trade secrets and who actually produces what it’s hard to poke around for info but Moyers has been so forthcoming with information I’m sure they’ll give some additional info.

I really am looking forward to the carcass comparison photos of the Cornish and these two strains and I hope @LilyD can get some of her dual purposes when she processes them too.

That should be coming up this next month. I am finishing off the Cornish this week and will be doing the Dual purpose birds between end of July and end of August depending on size. Hoping to get live weights and hanging weights. Next year I will hopefully be able to do weekly weights on the babies that I hatch out from my dual purpose project and I'll post those as well.

 

[jolenesdad]

In my Delaware Facebook group there are some fabulous discussions happening from meat/utility breeders of Delaware lines.

I found this to be really interesting, this is one of the breeders and there’s some awesome info about breeding heritage for meat. @LilyD

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/10404905/tdest_id/756257

 

[Compost King]

In my Delaware Facebook group there are some fabulous discussions happening from meat/utility breeders of Delaware lines.

I found this to be really interesting, this is one of the breeders and there’s some awesome info about breeding heritage for meat. @LilyD

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/10404905/tdest_id/756257

Links like this are why I am on Back Yard Chickens, Thanks.

 

[LilyD]

In my Delaware Facebook group there are some fabulous discussions happening from meat/utility breeders of Delaware lines.

I found this to be really interesting, this is one of the breeders and there’s some awesome info about breeding heritage for meat. @LilyD

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/10404905/tdest_id/756257

That's similar to the system that I want to do with the Orps I am going to look at body type and confirmation to keep them at the SOP for the breed but then I am going to look at weight of the bird and pick the heaviest out of each years babies to add to dad for the following year. The next year I process dad and add another rooster to the rooster from the previous year. Same with the hens. I look at the two smallest hens in the ones kept as breeders and I will try to replace those with hens from the batch of babies that I have hatched out that year. So there will be new blood in the hens and new blood in the roos each year but it will come from the best of each gender that I have hatched out that year. Hoping to hatch at least two full incubator loads each summer or close to 90 birds so I have a good populace to choose from. Going to use these to number the birds starting at 4 months so I can keep track of weights and other characteristics for each bird and make my decisions off that and the rest of the pullets I will sell as a means to keep costs low and the rest of the roos will go in the freezer for us to eat.

 

[jolenesdad]

That's similar to the system that I want to do with the Orps I am going to look at body type and confirmation to keep them at the SOP for the breed but then I am going to look at weight of the bird and pick the heaviest out of each years babies to add to dad for the following year. The next year I process dad and add another rooster to the rooster from the previous year. Same with the hens. I look at the two smallest hens in the ones kept as breeders and I will try to replace those with hens from the batch of babies that I have hatched out that year. So there will be new blood in the hens and new blood in the roos each year but it will come from the best of each gender that I have hatched out that year. Hoping to hatch at least two full incubator loads each summer or close to 90 birds so I have a good populace to choose from. Going to use these to number the birds starting at 4 months so I can keep track of weights and other characteristics for each bird and make my decisions off that and the rest of the pullets I will sell as a means to keep costs low and the rest of the roos will go in the freezer for us to eat.

I love those bands.

 

[LilyD]

I love those bands.

Me too the cool thing being that they don't get too tight on the legs as long as they will fit them. Fingers crossed.

 

[LilyD]

Got home tonight and I had left the chickens inside the pen and coop (Large 9X12 coop space with roosts and fenced area around 50 feet circle diameter with the coop in the back half of the circle and plenty of space to run around in front) for the day because my son and husband were gone and I wasn't going to be home until after dark from work. All the Meal Maker Chicks, about 5 turkeys and a few of the remaining Cornish X that need to be processed this weekend had flown the coop literally and were out free ranging lol. Sure they can do it when I want them to stay in but those darn Cornish won't go out when I want them to. Rotten Frankenchickens.

 

[jolenesdad]

Moyer Broilers - Week 8
Cornish cross - week 5

Robust White
5
(Pretty consistent makes and females right at 5 lbs)
(82%)

Royal Red
5.25 (biggest rooster is 6 lbs. smallest is 4.5. Most right at 5) (95%) <— wow

Cornish Cross
3 lbs (65%)

Body Shots:
(Both the Robust weigh 5 lbs. note the slightly different body shape of male vs the rounder female. Also, that female only looks so red because I had to lighten the photo because the sun was behind us.)
Royal:

Robust:
Female:

Male:

Notes:
Another impressive week. Tons of growth. I actually decided with the intense heat we are having to go ahead and process half next Thursday at 9 weeks. I’ll take most all of the Royal Red and half the Robust White. For the most part, all the males. The Royal Red forage less and I’m afraid they’ll put on too much growth over the next three weeks and be too hot. The males just have a “thickness” about them that makes me question their ability to make it through weeks of 100+ heat indexes. I could be wrong, but they’re fine size and the last thing I need is 50+ 7 pound processed weight broilers. Plus, in general, I really prefer the Robust white personality. They forage far more than the Royal Red do for the last several weeks when I originally thought it was the other way around. It may be a male/female thing. I’m going to raise all females next round. The female Robust white have a beautiful shape and are the clear winners in desire to get out and be chickens. They are just as described and a total answer to a modern broiler that can be raised on pasture.

I’m floored they’ve all come so far even with the “slow start” that worked so well with the last Cornish. Theyve all almost caught up to standard weights that Moyer gave me and that’s awesome. The royals basically HAVE caught up to standard weights. It would really be interesting to study their feed conversion on pasture. Another day....

I think they (the royals) absolutely could handle 3 more weeks, especially at another time in the year. But they would certainly act more and more like traditional broilers and that’s what I want to get away from.

It’s so hot so they can’t be out on the grass all day, and I’ve set up a port-a-cool fan that pretty much lowers the temp of the entire pen by at least 10 degrees. Most the birds stay here from 10:45 or so until 6. They forage everywhere before and after. Even my laying hens stay in the pen with them all day. It’s pretty much “feels like” 100+ for the next 45 or so days. They’re handling it like utter champs. I’m concerned with the Cornish growing out but we will see. Once I process a bunch of the reds I’ll be able to focus on the Cornish and keeping them comfortable. The fan should do most of the work.

body wise I would note that both of these birds hold themselves better than a Cornish. And they poop smaller. It’s fascinating. The Cornish at 4 weeks started developing the poop behinds on a few, right on cue. Ugh. They’re 3 weeks behind these birds, half their size, and poop more.

I included a photo below from these specialty broilers of a fresh poop next to the gigantic 5.5 pound broiler that made it.

What’s pretty interesting is there is an entire set of the Robust white that find their breaks outside of the pen where most of the reds don’t venture too far from the food for most of the day. This group has no interest in sitting in there eating and can always be found in a muddy shady spot cooling off. Interestingly, they are all for the most part female and they’re also huge.

Overall I am still thrilled with these royal reds, and they are pretty active when it isn’t so hot in the morning and late evening. They’re very healthy and jump and play around all the time. Still, a preference has built for me for the Robust White so far because the royals are getting so large and starting to act evEr the slightest bit “uncomfortable”. Will be interesting to judge the taste. I’ll hold a couple reds back for sure so I can get that extra three weeks of flavor.

As I’ve said before, I couldnt be more impressed with Moyers. If you try them out, call John. He is the most forthcoming with information and sharing individual I’ve encountered in the hatchery business and such a support to me as a grower. I’m going to make an additional post later today with all the information he gave me this morning. A long post that maybe shouldn’t be buried in my thread, but will be interesting to a few of you reading along for sure.

BEHAVIOR NOTES:
The boys are boys, but they’re docile. A few crow but it isn’t loud. The first photo below is the Cornish pen that I opened up this week and you can see how the large roosters have no issues with the other birds.

For now... here are additional weekly photos!

Poop: