Creating a regenerative meat flock

[Maria1639]

Ideally, I would like to have flocks of birds that I can breed continually in the hope that they cross into a slightly faster growing meat bird. I do not want to rely on buying CX or FR year after year. I am just beginning my research. I thought I would see what feedback comes here first. My thought is this. I want to begin with 2 separate flocks that I can breed true to keep them going and from those flocks cross breed for better meat and growth rate. What are your ideas on breeds that could fit that purpose? Thank you for taking the time to respond!

 

[NatJ]

Ideally, I would like to have flocks of birds that I can breed continually in the hope that they cross into a slightly faster growing meat bird. I do not want to rely on buying CX or FR year after year. I am just beginning my research. I thought I would see what feedback comes here first. My thought is this. I want to begin with 2 separate flocks that I can breed true to keep them going and from those flocks cross breed for better meat and growth rate. What are your ideas on breeds that could fit that purpose? Thank you for taking the time to respond!

One possibility:
A flock of Cornish chickens and a flock of White Rocks (Dark Cornish or White Laced Red Cornish or something like that for the Cornish: not the usual Cornish Cross, but pure standard-sized Cornish.) The Rocks provide early fast growth, and as the mother breed it is important that they be good layers (lots of eggs to hatch.) The Cornish provide a bigger breast, and using the Cornish as the rooster means you don't much care how many eggs the Cornish hens lay.

The typical Cornish Cross are sometimes called a "Cornish Rock" or "Rock Cornish," because of what breeds were used in some early crosses: purebred Cornish chickens and White Rock chickens. A first-generation cross of two pure breeds will not have the explosive growth of the modern hybrids, but is still likely to grow faster and more meaty than either pure breed alone.

There are plenty of other breeds that could also work fine. Since you mentioned wanting fast growth, you would want at least one parent breed that is known for growing fast, even if that means it is only middle-sized at maturity. Very large chicken breeds like Brahmas or Jersey Giants are usually known for slow growth (which they need, to grow a strong enough frame to be both big and healthy at maturity, but if you want to butcher chickens at a young age you don't need that trait in your stock.)

 

[Maria1639]

Thank you very much! That was my thought also. I have heard some say the Dark Cornish Roo's can be ornery. I would prefer a more docile bird but in the end, the results for meat and growth are more important to me. I think I am sold on having the WPR as one of my flocks. I am still looking for the other if I end up not going with the Dark Cornish. Do you have any other breeds recommendations to consider?

 

[NatJ]

Thank you very much! That was my thought also. I have heard some say the Dark Cornish Roo's can be ornery. I would prefer a more docile bird but in the end, the results for meat and growth are more important to me. I think I am sold on having the WPR as one of my flocks. I am still looking for the other if I end up not going with the Dark Cornish. Do you have any other breeds recommendations to consider?

If you are worried about the temperament of the males, maybe buy a few males each of several breeds and raise them up to see how they act. You could also try getting one breed from several hatcheries, as they may not all have the same traits (different temperament, growth rate, laying ability, even some variation in body shape, depending on what each hatchery is focusing on.) And the different color varieties are often bred separately, as if they are separate breeds, so the temperament might vary from one color to another. Dark Cornish seem to be the most common color, but I've seen White Laced Red Cornish and Buff Cornish as well, and I don't know what other colors might exist.

Cornish are known for having a much bigger breast than almost any other breed, which is why I mentioned them in particular. You certainly could try any of the dual-purpose breeds.