couple quick questions about non-cornish meat birds.

[cupman]

So I have an incubator on the way and I have a friend with about 20 acres, he's a bit impulsive with ideas and says he wants 1000 chickens for next year. I think a more realistic number for us will be about 100 minimum and maybe 200 maximum. We haven't decided which breed we want to do but I have many chickens and we might focus on one breed. We are going to skip cornish cross, we did those last year and want to mix things up. We aren't looking for a fast slaughter, just a 6 or 7 month thing... his business has him 110% busy 7 days a week from October until December and I hardly see him. So we want breed a chicken we can hatch in February and slaughter by September. I have four breeds in mind, Buff Orpington, Speckled Sussex, Dark Cornish and Barred Rock. These are complete amateur opinions, just watching my flock and a friends these birds seem to be the meatiest. I know cornish-cross are the best but we are just trying to find something sustainable even if that means less meat and more time. Thank you.

edit: Wasn't 100% clear. Basically I am looking for ideas on breeds that are common that make good meat chickens. I would like to hear feedback and ideas so I can get a better idea on what works and what doesn't. Thanks!

 

[pat3494]

If you are looking for a meat bird and you don't care about raising your own chicks I would suggest colored range broilers, aka Freedom Rangers. They are a hybrid available from Randall Burkey or the Freedom Ranger Hatchery. I just raised some and they are very meaty at 10 weeks, about 5-6 lbs with a big breast. I have raised Dark Cornish in the past and they are a pretty good meat bird for a dual purpose breed but not as meaty as the Freedom Ranger or the Cornish Cross. I've also raised Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rocks and they are both a good dual purpose chicken but do not produce the breast or carcass of the others. You'd have to check with the hatcheries for the availability dates to see if they fit your plans. Good luck.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Wow. What are you going to do with 1,000 chickens?

With that many you could trial a few different breeds and see what one does the best under your conditions.

 

[orientphoenix]

i don't think that u should stick to one breed u should have a selection, but to me dark cornish is a good dual purpose birds, not so much eggs but good breast meat.

 

[rarely bored]

Since you plan to start with eggs, you may want to consider local suppliers of fertile eggs first; shipped eggs are more expensive and have a lower hatching rate. Maybe as you find local breeders, you can get some good advice from them too.