Delaware Broilers from McMurray

[BrennaM]

Has anyone raised the Delaware broiler birds from McMurray? I'm looking for a sustainable type meat bird for next year. They seem to be a good fit for what I'm looking for but I can't find much on them besides the handful of reviews.

 

[Molpet]

A couple people on here have and are pleased. Hopefully they will respond

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not raised them myself but I took this from McMurray's Q&A section.

If these birds were to breed, would they expect to be the larger size or standard size?
The Delaware Enhanced Broiler will not be as big as a full broiler but bigger then a normal Delaware heritage breed. The Delaware Enhanced Broiler will mate naturally but offspring will differ slightly. We cannot guarantee the next generation of chicks will be of similar size or growth rate.

Even championship breeders don't get a grand champion every time they hatch a chick, there are always variations. That's with the breeder selecting which birds get to breed. If you get the chicks, you are the one selecting which get to breed, not McMurray. They can't guarantee that you will make the best choices.

When we discuss breeding projects we often say the quality of the stock you start with is very important. I don't know how the quality of these are compared to what you might get from a private breeder trying to breed for meat qualities, but they are going to be better quality than standard "hatchery" stock. They are likely to be a lot less expensive than the breeder stock.

There are a lot of options out there and we all have our own favorites. What you like could easily be different from what Molpet or I like. I'd think that if you get enough chicks (only offered straight run) so you can get a selection of which ones to breed, then breed the ones that you want to eat and eat the others you should get a fair bird next year. Do that consistently over the generations and you can improve the average quality of your flock. Other options may be better for you but this one doesn't sound bad for a sustainable flock.

 

[BrennaM]

I'm pretty new to meat birds, besides the handful of cornish x I raised through 4-H for county fair 9 years ago lol. I will probably try them in the spring, they can't possibly grow out worse than my extra roosters I plan to harvest this year.

 

[Hannahnic14]

Yes! Our dressed out at about 3-4lbs at 15 weeks old. Next time we'll probably go 20 weeks for a bigger bird. We did NOT raise them on broiler feed because they were in with some egg layer chicks so I'm sure that makes a difference in weight as well.


I have kept back about 8-10 hens and several roosters for breeding stock for next year. Definitely not your fast growing Cornish Cross but you can reproduce them which is a BIG thing for us.


Pictures don't do this guy justice, he's MASSIVE!

The hens are quite chunky as well. They love to forage and have started laying.

 

[BrennaM]

@Hannahnic14 That sounds like a pretty good weight without boiler feed. How many eggs are they laying approximately? Do you have to put them on a special diet now that they're full grown?

I'm sure too with selective breeding the weights will increase. Home hatched birds always seem to be better and bigger even with hatchery parents.

 

[Hannahnic14]

@Hannahnic14 That sounds like a pretty good weight without boiler feed. How many eggs are they laying approximately? Do you have to put them on a special diet now that they're full grown?

I'm sure too with selective breeding the weights will increase. Home hatched birds always seem to be better and bigger even with hatchery parents.

I'm not sure about the eggs, I have them in with my 30+ egg layers so hard to tell who lays what. Lol They are on 16% layer feed like my other birds and doing great. No crazy weight gain, leg problems, or anything like that.

 

[Nicole27]

Yes! Our dressed out at about 3-4lbs at 15 weeks old. Next time we'll probably go 20 weeks for a bigger bird. We did NOT raise them on broiler feed because they were in with some egg layer chicks so I'm sure that makes a difference in weight as well.


I have kept back about 8-10 hens and several roosters for breeding stock for next year. Definitely not your fast growing Cornish Cross but you can reproduce them which is a BIG thing for us.


Pictures don't do this guy justice, he's MASSIVE!
View attachment 3233257

The hens are quite chunky as well. They love to forage and have started laying.
View attachment 3233258

View attachment 3233259

Do you sell chicks or eggs?

 

[Chick12World]

I'm not sure about the eggs, I have them in with my 30+ egg layers so hard to tell who lays what. Lol They are on 16% layer feed like my other birds and doing great. No crazy weight gain, leg problems, or anything like that.

They lay decent. Not sure exactly how much either. We have one oldie left from a few yrs pre-covid19. We had one rooster die after my not too expéienced (at the time) husband chased it to cage it up. I thought they where a little light on the meat but we did fed them like the layers. They are a very friendly bird, we had very few problems with them. Bought them as normal Delaware through a local feed store. Don't remember what hatchery off hand.