Dual-Purpose Flock Owners UNITE!

[MamaDragon]

Greetings All!

How many of you have crosses from "breeds" listed above?

Do you Want to create any crosses ?

Are they better / worse than the "purebred"?

Do they meet your requiements for a dual-purpose bird?

What would you do differently?

Kathy

 

[dangerouschicken]

I am all about the dual purpose! Forget meat chickens. I have roosters to eat!

Yes, I have crosses. And yes, I will eat them.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I have a few crosses, a couple of BA/RIR, RIR/EE, EE/BA and they all perform as well as the original breeds. I plan to cross my RIR and my PR over my Doms, NHR, WR, BStars, BO and my mixed breeds to keep the meaty, egg-laying strains going. I like the hardiness of the mutts, as well as the great characteristics and the pretty color combinations that can result. They will all meet the dual-purpose traits that I require.

What would I do differently? I will eventually introduce more RIRs, some Welsummers and more BOs into the flock. I like variety and color, as well as all the other traits that make these breeds great.

 

[holliewould]

RIR's rarely go broody? That kind of sucks for my self sustaining flock I guess. Booooo. I would have eaten all the roos before having fertile eggs go to hatch. Boooooo again. Well now I know. Now I know.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Does anyone here from Michigan have any dual-purpose pullets for sale...any breed? I'm desperately needing 2 or 3 to go with my single BR pullet and roo. Can anyone help!

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
Well, the breed I'm working on is Partridge Plymouth Rocks. Rocks are traditionally dual purpose but the actual numbers of PR's that are APA standard, near SQ and doing dual purpose are almost non-existent. There may be one decent sized flock in the US. If it still exists, it was sold, I haven't found the buyer.

So with a lot of help, I'm acquiring birds to create a heritage flock. Partridge cochins helped create the Partridge Rocks and I'm talking to folks about getting those in. I've got a SQ White breeder to help. There are several people at Crohio helping me try to track down anyone with young high quality PR's and to find the old Krueger PR flock. I'm set to bring in dorkings, also a part of the breed.

It's true if they just lived here and all I did was have them as dual purpose birds, then yeah, I'd have done little. But... I will show, I will donate good young birds to 4H/FFA and other interested youths, because only if someone else takes up the reins later will it make any sense. I will network with the people who already love their hatchery PRs, I'll sell eggs eventually. I'll help others interested in widening the genepool, because it's so small now it needs help. I've already had people ask for birds. LOL Not parting with anything for at least a year.

It means having, in the end, far more good birds than a simple small laying/meat flock. I have nine acres, that's okay. And in the end my daughter gets house, land and the flock. She's jazzed. I can't stand the idea that the breed, bred to standard, has all but fallen away.

If I can, even just within my own community, get more people interested in good quality PR's then I will have done something for the breed. It is all I can do. This week is scrounge more lumber, put up more fence and dink along to getting in those PC's next month.

 

[farm_mom]

Quote:
I may be able to help you if you're okay with EEs. I'd have to talk to my hubby, to be sure!

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I'm building a duel-purpose barred rock flock. As far as sustainability, only a couple of the girls went broody for me this year.

I really like outcrossing with standard cornish though, their offspring yield good size for eating.

I also like making non-traditional black sex-links.

I sell those as started layers for around $10 each.

 

[swampducks]

Quote:
Have you tried posting over in the Buy/Sell/Trade section? Or doing a search on pullets MI for that boards only?

 

[roosmom]

I sure was glad to see BO's on the dual purpose list. We had did a lot of research and it seemed like they fit the bill. BUT, I have seen a picture of a prize winning 8 month old BO and my Roo is lacking the fullness (fullness of feathers),the curvature of the back, the pure red earlobes of the one in the pic. Is it because he is only three and a half months old? I also read the standards for a BO and it said that "any white on earlobes is automatic disqualification". Well, I will love my ROO anyway, lol.
Someone one here said three months for BO's (culling). Should I wait longer if I want to BETTER my flock? CAN I better my flock? Should I bother? Does anyone know?