Delaware as meat birds??

[Bassleg]

Has anyone tried rasing Delawares for there meat chickens? If so how did it turn out?

 

[cheeze]

"If you want meat birds, you need one of the many broiler breeds available, such as Cornish X or color rangers, or an old-fashioned breed better suited to meat production, such as a Delaware. Some say Buckeyes are really great, and others are sometimes recommended. Some reading up on various breeds helps a lot."

Thats what some chick on here told me and I feel sure she knew everything.

 

[dancingbear]

I'm the "chick", (I'm a grandmother, but it's ok if you call me a chick) oh Lord, I wish I did know everything!
I think Kstaven has raised Delawares, if I recall correctly. It could have been Greyfields. I haven't yet, but I'm looking for some from a breeder. Hatchery stock is sometimes not really true to type. I know from my research that Delawares were once the preferred meat bird in the U.S., before Cornish X, so it stands to reason they'd still be an acceptable meat bird.

Were those links helpful to you? We all have to start somewhere, I did too!

Look over in the breeds and genetics sections, too, there's a ton of info over there.

 

[antlers]

I had 10 spare deleware Roos this srping and I butchered then at 15 weeks. They were tasty but going an extra week would have helped finish them. They are not color rangers but they are fine table fare.

 

[Bassleg]

What was there weight at 15 weeks, maybe a guess?

 

[antlers]

Quote:
Dressed out, no 3rd wing joint, no skin, no neck, averaged 3.75 pounds. That was fine for wife and I for a dinner and leftovers. Some will say that is inefficient but they did not eat as much as cornish do by far in the same time period. I only knocked em off casue they were starting to harass the girls.

 

[Bassleg]

Thanks antlers sounds like thats just the right size for me and my hen.
How are they in the egg laying dept? This is going to be my meat and
egg chicken I think, do you free range your Delawares?

 

[antlers]

Sorry but can't help on the eggs. I have black and red sex links for those. Unless you want the coloration of the Delewares, the sex link roos are about the same size.
THey were all free ranged... well sort of. I have a large run and it has not run out of grass all summer but it is enclosed and wire over the top for safety of the birds. When the snow flies, they will get locked up in the coop.

 

[dancingbear]

Here's this chart, it's a good ball-park kind of guideline. I'm told it has a few inaccuracies, but it's not too far off the mark, usually. It had general weights, egg size and output, how fast they grow, general temperament, etc.
I use it to get an idea what breeds I want to look at more closely, then I look up info on those individual breeds. The chart also has links to many other poultry websites.

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

 

[cackle]

Quote:
Dancing bear,

Thank you for sharing. Great reference guide.

Susan