Delawares for meat? Any suggestions?

[LegendsCreek]

That is a great suggestion, and although I am feeling very overwhelmed, I am confident ill be able to make the right decision.

Another thing I should mention is that I will be keeping them in a coop, across a stream from my house, right along the edge of a huge pond with lots of forest space to explore... I would like to supplement them with grain as little as possible in hopes they will free range all the millions of bugs and plant life over there. I know different breeds work out differently and that is an important part of my decision.

 

[jgervais]

I started with some laying hens: 2 barred rocks, 1 buff orpington, 2 ISA browns, and 2 easter eggers. Several months later I got the Dorkings. I could not believe the difference in personality. The Dorkings were really active foragers from the first day I got them. I have a little patch of woods next to their coop and all my laying hens had been too 'chicken' to venture in there (pun intended of course) - the Dorkings had it tore down and any bug eradicated in the first week. I agree, choosing a breed that is known for foraging and its ability to survive basically on its own is important.

I had one Dorking hen that even refused to go into the coop - she roosted in a tree every night until it got too cold and I began forcibly placing her in the coop.

A heritage breed will definitely take advantage of the open space, and you will appreciate this in the quality of meat.

 

[jgervais]

And on another note, any breed you choose will be a good choice. A free range, farm fresh bird is always better than what you find in the store and will always taste great.

Your feed conversion ratio may not be great - and I can't say youre gonna get rich doing it, but as long as your mortgage isnt resting on this sole decision, then any choice you make will be fun, educational and in the end very tasty and so rewarding you will have a hard time finding words to describe the feeling. And I can't say youre going to be a hit at parties cause many other 'normal folk' find it difficult to discuss the process of putting a chicken in a freezer

 

[Oregon Blues]

You aren't going to get what you are asking for for 50 cents a chick.

I think that Central Hatchery sells straight run Cornish Cross for about 88 cents a chick if you buy a hundred. That's about as cheap as you are going to get for a decent meat bird that is fast growing, meaty, and all butchered at the same time.

If you think that you can raise birds for your table by not feeding them and allowing them to wander in the forest, you are in for a disappointment. You will not be getting nice plump birds for your table, You will be feeding scrawny, slow growing birds to your local predators (who will be grateful and appreciate your generosity, if that matters to you).

If you want meat, the specialized meat chicks give the most economical meat. Yes, they cost more to buy but they cost a lot less to feed to butchering size.

If you would like to have really cheap meat, go on Craigslist and start picking up all the free rooster. They are on your table for the cost of gas to pick them up and the effort of butchering them.

You can turn a flock of large breed chickens loose to fend for themselves and not feed them. The hens won't lay well, but they will hatch some chicks that grow slowly so they are old enough to be tough at butchering time. But you wouldn't have much invested.

In summery: it is more economical in the long run to do it right in the first place..

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol, okayyyy then let's sort out what you want
first you said Delaware in order to breed your own meat birds. If you want to breed your own meat birds high quality Delaware are a good choice for that, there are many other choices as everyone will take the chance to point out, but high quality Delaware are a very good choice.
then . . . you said you didn't want CX because they grow to fast, great Delaware still look good for you.
then somewhere in there you said you wanted meat birds ready in 8-12 weeks . . . sorry unless you want scrawnys CX will be your only bird that really qualifies as a nice table bird in that time frame; so there you have a decision, fast or slow meat.
then you said you wanted birds that would forage for most of their supper. Now your back to a good heritage breed like Delaware, but again they won't be standard table size in that time frame and especially not by mostly foraging; so there you have another decision, forager or not.
CX are extremely difficult to hatch eggs from, not impossible but it's difficult even for those with a lot of experience . . . something to think about.
Then you mentioned .50 a chick whoops . . . that's a whole 'nother ball park! Those are leftover laying breed roo chicks, sure you can eat them, and they will forage for their supper but your looking at a 1-1.5 lb carcass in the time frame your mentioning and a WHOLE LOT of crowing before they are truly any mentionable butchering size.
So here's my advice: if you want purely meat in a fast time frame get yourself some CX and give it a go, their not as bad as some folks make them out to be, the meat is great & the time frame is fabulous but you have to feed them A LOT.
If you want to enjoy your birds; eat their eggs, breed for meat and layers, watch them forage and get to know them as pets, get yourself a nice heritage like Delaware. Skip the number one beginner mistake and don't buy from a hatchery, get some quality eggs on here and hatch them yourself.
OR option three get to know some of us on here who are breeding our own meat breeds for fast growth & sustainability and beg for eggs, then work on your OWN meat breed specifically bred for the woods of Washington!
hope you don't mind the length lol!

 

[LegendsCreek]

Thanks everybody for the advice. I am all over the place with what I want, and I guess it's because I'm just starting out. I never said I didn't want to feed the birds, I just don't want them to sit around getting fat on grain when there are still thousands of ticks covering my dogs even in the dead of winter here. I would really love a breed that is great at foraging, laying, meat and good with chicks. I think delawares are gorgeous, I just have to find someone here willing to send me some eggs for my new incubator and turner I have coming on Thursday. I am also setting up a brooder, and hopefully I will build a large coop for them while they are growing so I can take my time. As for the CX, my only worry is about them not living a good life for the short one they have. I wouldn't ever consider trying to breed them.

 

[galanie]

If you raise them, they will have a good life. No I'm not kidding. In fact, any life has got to be better than what they would live under commercial conditions. I suggest you give the Cornish X a go. In the meantime, get some Delawares. Good ones, like everyone has said, not hatchery chickens. I'm thinking you'll get really attached to the Delawares and end up better off raising Cornish Cross types for meat. But I could be wrong.

 

[LegendsCreek]

I guess I will ask around on here and try to find some heritage Delaware breeders. Is this the right section of the forum to do it? Would eBay be a good choice too?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

ebay is a terrible place for buying eggs. stick to here or someone local where you can see the birds. another breed you might consider is the Dark Cornish. Their not fast growers, but great meat birds and foragers.

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Best bet would be to make use of the thread information that was supplied to you earlier here and interact with the folks on the Delaware threads, send a few PM's and get to know them. Most likely you will have to purchase hatching eggs; especially since you are looking for a good quality Heritage Delaware strain. Some of them also have chicks available for purchase, but they will be more than .50 each!!!! Good luck!