Experience with barred rock for meat??

[Luv4scjjt]

We live in the woods so I am nervous about getting white chickens to raise for meat. They will be in a fenced in area surrounded by electric fence bot no over head netting so I'm looking for good meat birds with good camo...our locate tractor supply has barred rock. I have a couple as lay hens but I read they are a dual purpose. Anyone have experience with them for meat?

 

[K813ZRA]

I don't notice a huge difference between heritage breeds from TSC or from hatchery stock in general. Or if I do it is even within the same breed. My birds from cackle are pretty but they range in size so very much! I had one BO roo weigh in at 7 pounds and another at 11 yet neither dressed out over 3 pounds...Similar experience with rocks from there and other hatcheries.

Mind you, they are still good eatin' birds just smaller than I would imagine a good breeder stock bird would be.

 

[RUNuts]

I butchered several hens for meat at 18 weeks. Tasty. Less than 3 pound carcass. To get larger, wait until 24 weeks or get boys.

For economics and feed conversion, Cornish cross (CX), I've been told. Freedom Rangers or any of the rangers are an attempt to bridge the gap. If cost and time are of no concern, anything will work.

 

[Mosey2003]

If you're going to do Dual Purpose, you're going to either have very small carcasses, or birds that you really should slow roast and not fry. If at all possible, I would seek out good heritage stock, as they get bigger than hatchery birds. I butchered out a Barred Rock rooster a couple weeks ago, he was a year old and the carcass was just shy of 5lbs. But, you get very little breast meat with DP birds.

I have some true heritage Barred Rocks that I'm raising right now that should top out at 8lbs hen and 11+lbs roosters, so will be interested to see what the cockerels weigh. I plan to do some at 16 weeks.

 

[eatwhatyougrow]

I was reading an old book...like 1880 to 1920s somwhere in that time frame I have read alot of old chicken books lately, but there was one point when Barred rocks and white rocks were like the go to bird for roasters and broiliers. I am sure that is why the white Rock was used in the original Meat bird frankinstien cross we now have. BUt in this book it was talking about how the Barred rock was equally desired, iI forget the name of the book, it hink it was something about the origins of American chickens or some such. here is an old like 1906 book about Plymouth Rocks, not a bad read...Like I said I found all these old chicken books..this one says that a standard Cock should be 9 pounds...all the old books also indicate that the dual purpose breeds were also caponized and also many of them confined and feed a milk grain mix for several weeks, like every book I have read from the late 1800 till about the 1940s that was the method, if you wanted dual purpose, you got eggs from the hens, kept a couple roos and caponized the rest of the males. From all my reading that is how to make a dual purpose.... dual purpose

https://ia802509.us.archive.org/20/items/plymouthrocks00reli/plymouthrocks00reli.pdf heres the link to Plymouth Rock book...

 

[Folly's place]

Hatchery barred Plymouth Rocks are very popular as layers, and are bred with that in mind. Generally good layers are smaller in size, while heritage breeds SHOULD be larger than the average hatchery bird.
I had some buff Plymouth Rocks from a hatchery a few years ago that were large and lovely, and also good layers. They aren't popular, so were actually better birds.
I'm very happy with the white Chanteclers from Cackle, although again, there's a range in size. I keep the big ones! They are good winter laying hens too, meant for cold climates, not so good in the South.
I'd look at less popular types; white or buff Rocks, blue laced red Wyandottes, Sussex, Chanteclers. To start a flock, get enough straight run chicks so that there's a choice; some will be keepers, and one or two cockerels kept for breeding.
Caponizing is barbaric, IMO, and must be done very young, so before you can actually select your best cockerels.
Try a mixed group, and see what you like!
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

No experience specifically with Barred Rocks but with different dual purpose birds from hatcheries. Tractor Supply chicks are from hatcheries, If you ask the person in charge of the chicks they should be able to tell you which one. Tractor Supply used three different hatcheries last year, not sure which ones they will use this year.

Before the Cornish Cross were developed by selective breeding, certain breeds or strains of breeds were developed as meat birds, mainly Delaware, New Hampshire, and certain strains of White Rock. If you breed to enhance certain traits and know what you are doing you can enhance those traits. If you do not breed to enhance those traits they can be all over the board, pretty random. They will just be average, like all the other similar breeds. The breeds that were developed as meat birds have not been bred for meat properties since the middle of the 1900's when the Cornish Cross was developed. I just can't tell that much difference as far as meat birds go between the breeds developed for meat and other dual purpose breeds.

The original dual purpose breeds were developed to provide a family with eggs and occasional meat. This was before our obsession with huge birds. Mom could feed a family with five kids off of a single dual purpose hen. Some of the pieces on the platter were neck, back, and liver in addition to normal pieces and they normally had a lot of breading or were in stews and such so they could be stretched. She could cook them so they were delicious regardless of their age but many people today that are used to the chicken from the store or served in restaurants would not like their texture or possibly flavor. I don't know what would make a good meat bird for you but it is likely quite a bit different from what satisfied the people who were raising and eating the original dual purpose chickens.

One thing I've noticed with various breeds of hatchery birds is that you can get a wide difference in size with cockerels of the same breed from the same hatchery. When I want a new rooster to bring genetic diversity back into my flock I normally get 15 to 20 so I can keep the best. The last time I did that I brought in 18 Buff Rocks from Ideal. Some matured early, some matured later. Some were a lot smaller than others. Behaviors varied a lot too. I only got three that made it to the final cut. The rest were just unacceptable. I've seen the same thing in other dual purpose breeds.

If all you want is meat you cannot beat the efficiency of Cornish Cross, their feed to meat conversion rate is tops. The Pioneers or Rangers do really well too but are just a bit slower. But if you want a "heritage" breed, I don't think you will be able to tell that much difference in Rocks, Wyandottes, Delaware, Sussex, or Rhode Island Red or Whites.

If you want a heritage breed, my suggestion is to try some and see how they work out. Your goals and desires are going to be different from mine so what I like may bor be what you want. If you don't like them you can just eat them and try something else.

 

[Luv4scjjt]

You have all helped imensly. Thank u so much.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Do you have any pictures?

If you're going to do Dual Purpose, you're going to either have very small carcasses, or birds that you really should slow roast and not fry. If at all possible, I would seek out good heritage stock, as they get bigger than hatchery birds. I butchered out a Barred Rock rooster a couple weeks ago, he was a year old and the carcass was just shy of 5lbs. But, you get very little breast meat with DP birds.

I have some true heritage Barred Rocks that I'm raising right now that should top out at 8lbs hen and 11+lbs roosters, so will be interested to see what the cockerels weigh. I plan to do some at 16 weeks.

 

[pintail_drake2004]

BR will do fine. These 4 roosters free ranged on my farm with no issues. But I did provide plenty of places to hide when the hawks and eagles came around.