Found steal price on meat chickens, but what are they?

[Matt999W]

Here in houston texas a laying hen can coat between 25 and 40 dollars. I recently found info on a local meat farm and market selling whole chickens with the option of buying them live. For 8 dollars you get a hen. For thirteen you get a cockerel. Id love some more expert opinion on the site to know if its a good move to get a cheap productive flock and to know what breed they have. The website is, HarrisCountyFarms.com

 

[junebuggena]

Most breeds will lay for several years. There are several things that can affect how long a hen might continue to produce eggs. Hens that mature quickly and start laying early will stop laying before those that matured slower. Hens that stop laying in the winter or while molting will lay longer than those that lay right through their molt or are given supplemental lighting. Hens that go broody will also continue to lay longer. Basically, any natural process that interrupts production, will extend a hens laying years.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The birds shown in the photo on the site are red sex link males - not my first choice for a meat bird as they are not really all that meaty.....additionally, if you are looking at creating a sustaining flock consider that they are mixed breed birds and do not breed true (meaning the sex link characteristic, males hatch yellow/white, females hatch red/brown - they mature with sex linked feathering as well, is first generation only and breeding a sex link to a sex link does not mean you get more sex links). When you say you want a 'good productive flock" - are you wanting a self-sustaining flock for egg production, for meat production or for both?

 

[Matt999W]

Thank you. I mostly want egg production. However, I'd like any cull roosters I hatch to have something to them. I'd most likely get a my rooster from a more trusted breeder, but roosters are cheap so that's not a problem.

 

[Matt999W]

Okay. Loaded down with info best i can. Could i use a rir or white leghorn rooster with the sex linked hens to produce better results? I'm six months into raising chickens and I'm not sure i will ever run out of things to study. I'd like my future generations to lay longer than two years.

 

[drumstick diva]

Agree with Junebuggena