Dual Purpose breeds?

[ttrammell]

Is there a true dual purpose breed. One that will give a good amount of large eggs, and have a carcass meaty enough to sell for meat?

 

[maryhysong]

Is there a true dual purpose breed. One that will give a good amount of large eggs, and have a carcass meaty enough to sell for meat?

most heritage breeds were dual purpose, buckeye, RIR, rocks, dominiques, many others. However is there one that will give you eggs and a carcass that looks like the chicken monsters they sell at the store today? NO. Most will have nice meaty thighs and legs but pretty small breasts.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Lots of claims to that, but the reality, in my view, is that you'll have to appreciate the duality and the tension held. Is 150-160 eggs per year satisfactory to qualify as a "good" layer?

There many, many better meat oriented strains of certain breeds (most all of them from breeder stock). There are fans of Buckeye, Cornish, Jersey Giants, Delaware, New Hampshire, Australorp, Rocks, etc, etc.

To answer you basic question, Yes. But....... And there in is where the asterisks are required. The devil is in the details.

 

[connor97]

Nothing will be as big as the cornish cross. If you are looking to sell meat and eggs, I would raise broilers and layers if I were you.
But, if you have customers looking for dual purpose meat, and know that the meat they buy will be tiny compared to what they could get at the store or from a cornish cross, some good breeds would be buff orp.s, RIRs, barred rocks, austrolaps, and so on...

 

[ttrammell]

Thanks for the info

 

[Beekissed]

The heaviest breed I've owned that still laid exceptionally well? White Rocks only.

Quote:
I've had both BRs and WRs in my flocks and the WRs will outlay the BRs every time and they also are 2-3 lbs heavier, with a heavy breast and thigh..the extra weight is not fat, but muscle.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

We have black australorps- they lay by far the most eggs- usually 300 per year per hen and the roosters are huge and can be slaughtered at around 5 months and are very heavy. We have much better luck with them than the Cornish cross- the loss ratio was way too high with the cornish.

 

[Beekissed]

We have black australorps- they lay by far the most eggs- usually 300 per year per hen and the roosters are huge and can be slaughtered at around 5 months and are very heavy. We have much better luck with them than the Cornish cross- the loss ratio was way too high with the cornish.

You must have heritage genetics from a breeder on those BA. I've never seen a BA hen with a lot of meat on her, though I do agree with the laying ability of good, quality BAs. They will outlay a White Rock, but they won't finish out at even half their weight. I wouldn't call a BA a dual purpose breed for this reason.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I got mine from a guy in va that's been breeding them for years. we haven't ever slaughtered a hen only the roost. the hens are a bit puny.

 

[Fentress]

"Meaty enough to sell" Good luck with that. I think that will be tough to do. My first flock last year was supposedly dual purpose birds, they came from a hatchery and the carcass quality was poor. they weren't meaty enough for me and certainly not good enough to sell. Take your time an get to know a breeders product, before you buy and good luck. I still have not given up on a true dual prupose breed, but in the mean time, I am going to raise meat hybrids, starting next year.