Delaware as meat birds??

[hcammack]

My delaware hens are my best layers and they are big meaty girls to so I am assuming the roo's would be ok table fare I wish I had room to raise meat birds ! when I get my own place I will.

Henry

 

[Bassleg]

Hay hcammack how much would you say them old girls weight or will they get mad if you tell me there weight, most girls do!!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Since this thread is 5 years old I thought I'd bring it back to the top and see if anyone has a new experience to share. I'm tired of the mortality rate I've had with poor baby chicks arriving dead and hoping to start a more self sustaining flock of dual purpose birds instead of ordering new meat birds every spring and new egg layers every two or there years. I'm considering experimenting with some Delewares next spring and wondering if any one else had done so.

 

[DAYDRINKER]

I've culled my Delaware cockerels at 20 weeks and while they were plenty tasty they were probably not a marketable size and a bit tough. Could've done with a slow, perhaps barded roasting. In the spring I'm gonna try again and I'll post detailed results.
2.5 year old Delaware rooster made a great big family sized portion of coq au vin! Just culled some spent Delaware laying hens and the chicken pot pies... men have been murdered for less
This was all from a batch I got from Whitmore farms in MD that I was well happy with. Working now with a batch from Bill Braden, also very nice birds.
Good luck!

 

[pmcatnip]

We've only taken a handful of birds for the plate and I haven't done Cornish X's so take this for whatever value it may be.

I got two Delaware 'pullets' from the feed store this spring and one turned out to be a roo (my gut told me to get two for that reason...so glad I listened to it). He is by far the heaviest in my dual-purpose flock and we decided to keep him for stud. The other birds are your typical backyard breeds--wyandottes, EE, RIR, cuckoo marans, etc. Sorry I don't have a weight measurement but I'd estimate him at least half again more weight than the others if not double. He for sure feels heavier than my 10-lb cat and his legs are bigger than what you get at KFC. We've now got 5 of his chicks that are a month old so we'll see how big they get.

The other Delaware grew into a fine hen. The only other hen that feels heavier than her is the Wyandotte. Cornish X's sound like a lot of effort to raise so I plan to get more Delawares next spring to bump up our meat production.

 

[ijon]

Go to Walmart and get a fish scale. It will help you get a true idea of the weight of your chickens. Also it don't cost that much.

 

[LindaB220]

I wonder what a Delaware hen and a CX would produce?

 

[BCMaraniac]

I wonder what a Delaware hen and a CX would produce?

I don't know what the cross would produce, but the hatcheries recommend that CX not breed. This is because they don't breed true, and because of their large size, breeding is difficult, plus their propensity to have heart failure and leg issues.

However, I remember reading that some have done so, but I think they very strictly controlled the growth of the birds.

 

[pmcatnip]

Go to Walmart and get a fish scale. It will help you get a true idea of the weight of your chickens. Also it don't cost that much.

Oh dear, I really should have thought of that months ago.

I'll get one. Thanks.

 

[ijon]

Glad to help.