Favorite breed other than Cornish Cross

[ABQ chicken keeper]

You maight consider something completely different like a Bresse: Originating from France, Bresse chickens are considered some of the most flavorful in the world. White with green or slate-colored legs, they are slower-growing than Cornish Crosses and prized for their tender, juicy meat. They are a fancy option for those seeking fancy quality rather than rapid production. They are hard to tame but not usually aggressive.
abq

Another breed to consider is a Niederrheiner: Described as These stunning lemon-cuckoo birds truly embody the essence of a dual-purpose breed. With their warm-toned plumage, gentle temperament, and hardiness, they make a charming and practical addition to any backyard flock. Available from Greenfire Farms.


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[td]Egg Color[/td][td]tan[/td]
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[td]Egg Size[/td][td]Jumbo[/td]
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[td]Average number of eggs per year[/td][td]200 - 230[/td]
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[td]Table Breeds[/td][td]Yes[/td]
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[td]Country of Origin[/td][td]Germany[/td]
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[td]Cold tolerant[/td][td]Yes[/td]
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[JPadronMiami]

What are you looking for exactly? I have tried many including cx, Cornish game, freedom ranger, red rangers from mcmurray, Delawares, new hampshires, Jackie chickens, and brahmas. Nothing beats freedom rangers - in my opinion - for a balance of efficiency and quality of life. I used to raise 600 per year for sale. This year I raised Jackie chickens because I waited until too late to order and everyone was all out of everything else. As was my experience with most other "alternative" red rangers, they were slower than freedom rangers by a week or two, but otherwise they were identical. The farther you lean toward heritage and "chickeny" chickens, the more you get into efficiency problems (feeding them more food than they are worth butchered). Those heritage meat breeds might be docile compared to an Andalusian or leghorn but they are flighty as heck compared to a Cornish x or even a freedom ranger, who you can ALWAYS catch if ever you need to.

hello, you know Ive been thinkin about getting a few meat birds, would be starting from scratch, Cornish seem to be the preferred breed in my area, for backyard flocks... been watching DIY's on how to dispatch meat birds, i can understand the concept, however I need some "hands on" practice before I get fully into this. I presently have Heritage breeds mainly for egg production, and also have a couple dual purpose breeds as well. Not looking into a commercial scale set up, just a back yard home scale set up for the dinner table. any suggestions?

 

[Ridgerunner]

hello, you know Ive been thinkin about getting a few meat birds, would be starting from scratch, Cornish seem to be the preferred breed in my area, for backyard flocks... been watching DIY's on how to dispatch meat birds, i can understand the concept, however I need some "hands on" practice before I get fully into this. I presently have Heritage breeds mainly for egg production, and also have a couple dual purpose breeds as well. Not looking into a commercial scale set up, just a back yard home scale set up for the dinner table. any suggestions?

Cornish X -
Commercial meat birds, what you buy at the store. Butchered at 6 to 8 weeks of age so still very tender, can be cooked with any method. The most efficient at converting food to meat. Don't plan on breeding your own, plan on buying chicks. If what you want is quick turn-around and lots of meat, CX can't be beat.

Ranger Types -
Bred to be butchered a little later than the CX, say around 12 weeks. Not as good at feed to meat conversion as the CX but not that bad either. Might be a bit tougher and have more flavor than the CX as they are older but could probably be cooked using any method. Some of us like that extra flavor, some do not. You can probably breed your own but there can be some challenges. If you have room and conditions, these can forage for some of their food.

Dual Purpose -
Normal chickens. You have a lot more latitude as to when you butcher them but can have restrictions on how to cook them. Not great at converting feed to meat but you can certainly breed your own. Older cockerels and older chickens can have a strong flavor and need to be cooked special ways. They do not get as big as CX or Rangers. You have some, you can see how to raise them.

My suggestion: Get some of each and see which ones you prefer in your set-up and conditions. You can eat any that don't meet your standards.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Another breed to consider is a Niederrheiner: Described as These stunning lemon-cuckoo birds truly embody the essence of a dual-purpose breed. With their warm-toned plumage, gentle temperament, and hardiness, they make a charming and practical addition to any backyard flock. Available from Greenfire Farms.


[td] [/td]
[td]
[TR]
[td]Egg Color[/td][td]tan[/td]
[/TR]
[TR]
[td]Egg Size[/td][td]Jumbo[/td]
[/TR]
[TR]
[td]Average number of eggs per year[/td][td]200 - 230[/td]
[/TR]
[TR]
[td]Table Breeds[/td][td]Yes[/td]
[/TR]
[TR]
[td]Country of Origin[/td][td]Germany[/td]
[/TR]
[TR]
[td]Cold tolerant[/td][td]Yes[/td]
[/TR]
[/td]
[/TR]

I raised these for a while. They do, inderd, get big fast but this varies greatly. My birds came from McMurray- at the time (2020-2021) I have heavy chick losses from McM. Two girls lived to 2 yrs old- both had horrible feet issues requiring many bumblefoot treatments, weekly spa days to keep vents from caking with feces- it really consumed too much time. Both had to be culled due to health issues- I made handicapped ramps so they could get to the roosts, and they struggled even with that later in life!
The males do get big—fast! I culled my males at 14-15 weeks for a respectable 4 lb dressed wt. If you waited until 16-20 weeks I bet they would be good size but that’s if they are not chase the hens.
Pic is Chance- culled at 14 -15 weeks. I would have continued hatching these for meat, but like Bielefelders, the feed conversion and numerous health issues in Niederrheiners made them unsustainable for me. They did forage well, but tend to lag behind the others making for a slow easy predator target.
McMurrays still has my rather scathing review of the breed at the time I had them.

 

[MysteryChicken]

My favorite kind are the Heritage birds. I just use specific crosses from them for meat most of the time, or eat the culls from my breeding projects.

 

[Echelontheory101]

I am looking into meat bird breeds to raise this year. We did freedom rangers this past year and liked them but I was wondering about other breeds! I have looked into kosher king, sasso, freedom ranger color yield, and Jackie (basically all the breeds from freedom ranger hatchery) any suggestions or a mix of a few breeds to try? Thanks!

Speckled Sussex are a really good Dual Purpose bird! They were the original table bird before the Cornish became popular in the UK. And theyre great egg producers with friendly disposition so they work really well for a dual purpose flock!