Good dual purpose breeds for meat?

[midwestchickenwrangler]

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At what age and weight do you process your extra Orpington roos? I am trying to decide on a DP breed to eat and keep a breeding stock on hand to raise my own birds. So far, I think I have narrowed my list down to Orpingtons & Buckeyes.

 

[Jared77]

Tracydr wrote:

I always wonder why we focus on dual purpose rather than producing a sustainable meat breed specialist. It seems that it woul make more sense to keep a low maintenance egg laying flock that is lightweight and eats very little, something like silver or brown leghorns. Then, have meat specialty bird that we develop that is capable of reproduction, foraging, early maturity, big carcass, adequate breast and chest cavity, light feathers but not white for predator protection. But, doesn't need to be a crazy good layer,not broody. Just give enough eggs to reproduce plenty of meaties to put in the freezer each year.

I think your right. When I convert to a dual purpose flock Id put my efforts on getting a meatier type bird too. If I was in LilyD's position Id have the Dels with the focus towards a more meaty frame and good growth and I'd just keep an extra layer hen or 3 whatever your needs are but those hens lay a white egg. The Del roo would watch over the whole flock, and you'd know you don't need to incubate the white eggs those are for eats. Who cares if he breeds the layer hens anyway? That's one less coop to build, keep clean, feed. Id have to a strong market and good demand for eggs before building another coop, because keeping a layer flock would be expensive otherwise.

That's just my opinion on this situation.​

 

[LilyD]

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I think your right. When I convert to a dual purpose flock Id put my efforts on getting a meatier type bird too. If I was in LilyD's position Id have the Dels with the focus towards a more meaty frame and good growth and I'd just keep an extra layer hen or 3 whatever your needs are but those hens lay a white egg. The Del roo would watch over the whole flock, and you'd know you don't need to incubate the white eggs those are for eats. Who cares if he breeds the layer hens anyway? That's one less coop to build, keep clean, feed. Id have to a strong market and good demand for eggs before building another coop, because keeping a layer flock would be expensive otherwise.

That's just my opinion on this situation.

That is a cool way to do it too I didn't think about having two different colored eggs so I can tell them apart. I already had started my layer coop before I decided to try dual purpose birds so I don't want to get rid of the girls I already have there so my only option is to start another coop. There won't be any expense because I have an existing structure to use it just will be labor on my part to set up the fencing and make it predator proof for the night hours. Fortunately I was blessed with a ton of space so I have enough that I can keep two coops. We already have a clientele lined up for the extra layer eggs and Delly eggs if they become available. Eventually the layers I have now will be phased out and I will have Brahmas in that coop which is the other Dual Purpose bird I want to try. Since I have a huge barn that is presently not being used for much I figured I would set up a second coop for purebred Dellys that way I can control the breeding and actually breed towards a meatier chest and fast growth in both the Dellys and Brahmas. I am doing the same in the Brahmas I have right now. Those that are growing fast and showing a good breast leg and thigh get to stay the rest become dinner.

 

[Saltysteele]

if you free range, you they won't eat a whole lot of feed. (i'm sure some breeds will vary from my experience)

for my 3 light sussex hens and the rooster, plus a banty, i only have to put in a couple cups of food every couple of days. they almost survive on their own. that is a good dual purpose bird, if you ask me. they lay eggs daily, the chicks grow quickly and they are a big, healthy bird that forages for most of their food. yolks are orange as orange can get without being red, too, showing how much grass and greens they eat. the little bit of food they do eat, i'm sure i could cut out and they'd live totally by foraging

 

[Tracydr]

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What about in the winter? That can be a long time in some climates.

 

[LilyD]

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What about in the winter? That can be a long time in some climates.

I live in Vermont which is definitely cold from about December through April. I know the chickens do eat more during the winter but since they are eating next to nothing now I think it balances out well. I am feeding the neighborhood squirrel more than I am the chickens right now. If only there was a way to keep him out of the feeder. The chickens go out about 5:30 in the morning and are out scavenging bugs, grass berries etc until about 8:30 at night and then they put themselves to bed. They only go in the coop to get water since I keep their food and water in there and to roost at night. They have plenty of room to be in the coop during the winter together and I can supplement with other forms of protein during the winter such as nuts and cooked meat or eggs if they need more protein since there are no bugs to get.

 

[Saltysteele]

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ah, touche!

we don't usually grow meat chickens in the winter, so i did not consider this.

if you kept a few hens over winter to hatch out eggs in the spring when the chicks could free range, it shouldn't be to costly, though

 

[Saltysteele]

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i am along the lake on the western side of michigan, and our winters sound about like yours (as in cold from nov til about april), and i agree.

if you're hardly feeding them 3/4 of the year, having to only feed them without relying on foraging for only 1/4 of the year isn't too bad. especially if you've only got 3-4 hens and a rooster to feed.

 

[LilyD]

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i am along the lake on the western side of michigan, and our winters sound about like yours (as in cold from nov til about april), and i agree.

if you're hardly feeding them 3/4 of the year, having to only feed them without relying on foraging for only 1/4 of the year isn't too bad. especially if you've only got 3-4 hens and a rooster to feed.

That is definitely how it is for me. Since the chickens are bigger now I can let them free range and they eat the bugs that infest my berry bushes plus any of the apple drops and the bugs in them. I think I am feeding the local squirrel more than I am the chickens since any time I put food in the feeder I see him running in and out of the coop during the day steeling it for his nest.

Another thought about raising dual purpose yourself through, since you are not ordering chicks several times a year you are losing the cost of purchasing chicks. For me that has been between $1.59 to $1.41 per bird depending on if I go straight run or get all roos and I end up doing about 45 birds total to last our family the whole year until order again. Since the chickens are already laying and the eggs cost nothing and whatever I incubate and raise costs me nothing other than the cost of feed and processing fees if I choose to hire someone to help. Plus I tend to lose far less chicks incubating at home than ordering since it's a stress to be shipped right after hatching so often I end up with less than what I originally intended when processing time comes around. If I incubate early in spring the chicks will be old enough to let out in a large penned in area (about 1/2 an acre) to free range as soon as the weather warms up and will be ready to be processed by fall before the weather gets cold so I will only have to feed the layers that I keep to overwinter for the following year.

 

[Jared77]

That is a cool way to do it too I didn't think about having two different colored eggs so I can tell them apart

This has been my plan all along once I convert over to a DP flock. They taste the same, but I don't want to be incubating any meat type x layer type breeding. I only want to hatch meat type x meat type. I figure they do it for sex link chicks why not identify which eggs go to the bator and which ones go to the fridge. Id rather feed a brown leghorn hen or even an EE than have to feed another meat type hen to get more eggs.

Mind you this set up with feed the family in mind. With the total number of birds I plan on keeping I can run them all together to help keep the hens from getting overbred by a roo, and keep from having to build a 2nd coop/run.

One other thought I had was if your going to keep a layer flock, you could make sex links. Sell some chicks in the spring to help turn a profit, get good egg production and you'd have a 2nd generation to get eggs from too when the parents got too old, capon the boys you hatch and send them to freezer camp.​