HERE is where we are going to talk about a sustainable meat bird flock

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Could you please add the breeds you have???

Sorry about that! I posted and then went to KS for 2 days.

The ducks I have that brood are welsh harlequins. They have the laying ability of a khaki campbell but are larger and will brood.

The quail I have are coturnix. These are NOT known to brood, but CAN in a naturalized environment. I am building an outdoor pen and will add plant life, cover, etc.. and see if any of the girls want to give motherhood a try.

As for why I don't have chickens, I am mildly allergic to chicken eggs. Also, if you bonk your head and get knocked out in a duck pen, when you come to you wont be missing any pieces. Can't make that claim for chickens. Pigs either
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Call me weird but I also have a rule to not own any dog that can fit my head in its mouth.​
 
I now have Cuckoo Marans and also Jeresy Giant hens X with a SQ Cornish roo. I am looking forward to see what I get. I then plan on crossing them together. I also have hatchery cornish that lay much better, in with a SQ roo. I am thinking that that will be almost like crossing with another breed because they are so differant in type and size. I also am X the Cuckoo Marans with the Jeresy Giants. I have 9 4X8 breeder pens and they are now all full. It is fun to play with the crosses and I get to have plenty of good meat on the table.

I started my meat bird project a year ago in Feb with hatching eggs and all my birds except the SQ Cornish, I hatched myself.

Teach, I like your idea of a bantam meat bird. Be sure and keep us informed on how it turns out.
 
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If you posted this earlier, I missed it...so, don't keep me in suspense, what kind of roo did you find, and what color?

Color of feathers matters to me, too, I don't want solid white!

I never considered raising bantams for meat, but it could have advantages. With the right mix, they could be some chunky, meaty little birds. They're very independent, great foragers, great brooders that don't break eggs as often as bigger hens, they don't eat a lot, and take up less space. A meaty one could easily feed two, for one meal, like a Cornish game hen. You could divide it long-wise, or quarter it, white meat to one person, dark to the other.

Pepper, I bet your Cornish roo over the Marans will turn out to be your best meat cross, of those you listed. I'll be watching to see how it turns out, I hope you get a good cross!
 
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Whats happening here is what I was waiting for in this thread, what I would term a "logical reversion." Based on sound logic, you are going backwards and for good reason.

Before we had the Cornish X's to wrangle and fuss and worry over, they had what we refer to as "dual purpose" chickens. They didn't call them that, mind you, they just called them 'chickens'. But they recognized the need for both purposes, i.e., eggs and meat. They just accomplished those ends with the same birds.

It was generally accepted that chickens intended for the table were not allowed to roam at will, but were confined. After all, they wouldn't be around long and were most often slaughtered at specific ages. They were invariably males.

about 12 weeks - relatively young males, called broilers
about 16 weeks - Fryers
about 20 weeks - Roasters
(These ages vary a bit, depending on the source)

To hold longer was not considered prudent, particularly for cockerels. The one exception was for the highly specialized and most prized capon. Those could go as long as 28-30 weeks.

Hens were most often eaten as culls and at the end of their laying life. Selection for laying performance was more widely taught, providing for a steady supply of these "volunteers." Any bird not treated as broiler, fryer or roaster were termed simply "fowl."

Were any of these huge, monstrous beasts, hardly able to fit in the roasting pan? Not usually, no. Dressed weights didn't generally exceed 5 lbs or so for common table fowl, with broilers and hens going under that. Only the roasters and the mighty capon were what we would dub "large."

They had different expectations of their meat birds than we do, ideas based in the reality of a chicken's life. Lumbering "meat dumbos" were not seen - nor expected. I think you have hit on something crucial here.
 
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This came from one of our new members, in another thread:

"I raised 25ct dual roos from McMurray, and I feed them high protein game/meat bird feed.
I have to say that the Cornish X got way bigger, faster. I do think majority of the roos did grow a bit bigger than if not feeding the high protein feed, but higher protein feed also costs more here - so if I really gained much from feeding higher ration...I don't know.
I might try doing side by side comparison feeding different feed this year weigh feed amount and birds to fully keep track and compare the birds to find out for sure what yields best in the big picture.

I personally think that our dual older roos taste better than our Cornish X, though. A+ in flavor.
I processed those birds at 4-5 month range. The Cornish are far more plump than duals ever got on the high feed.
It all goes back what a person likes and feels is worth it.

Be interested to hear your results and thoughts from experience with feed results."

Interesting, eh? I've invited this chap over here!
 
 
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I think that is key too. We have to get rid of the expectation and desire for the commercial type bird that we have been "forced" to "love".
It does go hand in hand with my passion for real Traditional foods.
 

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