Does it cost more to raise a standard breed for meat?

[Megs]

excellent thread, very imformative! Im raising some dp breeds, hens for laying and roosters for eating, ive just got my oldest at 12 weeks old now, i think in 4 weeks (so at 16 weeks) ill see how he dresses out, and use it as a gage for when to do the rest of the roos (the rest are are all younger), might also do a 12 weeker at the same time to compare size, see if its worth the xtra month.

 

[dancingbear]

Megs, what breeds do you have? Or are they mixed breeds? Some of my best are mixed breeds. Your plan sounds good to me, first trying one at 16 weeks, letting them get progressively older, to find out what ages do what. I've found that even 16 week old DP's are starting to get a little chewy for frying, but make good roasters. However, the breast and thighs can still be tender long after the rest needs to cooked in the crock pot. The skin can be tough on the DP's, but the breast an thigh portions can be cut into skinless strips and fried, and come out really nice. I like to slice across the grain, it makes the meat a lot easier to bite into. Soaking overnight in buttermilk, then dipping in flour before frying, is nice, too.

Be sure to age the meat a few days before cooking or freezing. I think you'll be pleased.

 

[petrelline]

I do my DPs by weight and by feel. I like them to be over 4lbs live so they dress out at 3+lbs, and I like them to have nice legs and thighs. So round about the time they're approaching 4lbs I start picking them up and fondling them.

When I grew barred rocks I started harvesting at 12 weeks. Right now my buckeyes are 12 weeks, 3.5 lbs, and only just starting to fill out. They'll be on the late side. I have one random buff orp in this set who looks like he's getting ready to go, but I haven't been able to catch him yet. But he's not crowing so there's no rush.