Heritage breed that has a decent amount of breast meat?

[User105877]

I've got Buckeyes and my rooster is a pretty impressive built bird. They do seem to be a little slow growing though.

 

[Folly's place]

I think that the New Hamps from the Freedom Ranger hatchery, from that Henry Noll line, might come closest to what you are looking for.
However, it's just not possible to compete with the commercial meat chicken market! You can grow a tastier product, raised humanely, but not for grocery store prices. Just like it's not possible to sell eggs for $1 a dozen!
Buckeyes, Chanteclers, MMcM buff Plymouth Rocks, Cornish, all nice choices too.
Freedom Rangers are very nice, but are hybrids, so won't breed true either. The one hen I kept, years ago, got nice and big, and produced maybe four medium to small eggs per week, until she left with the next years meaties. I think one of the cockerels would have grown really huge, but breedable? Maybe not.
Mary

 

[MysteryChicken]

I cross breed for meat birds. I use the Heritage Type chickens myself. I actually hate the taste of Cornish X.

Best cross I've done so far was Brahma/Easter Egger. Birds were large, & ready for butchering between the ages of 6-8 months. Breast meat was decent, leg, & thigh meat was plentiful.

 

[nicalandia]

I read that thread Tre3hugger. I know you purchased New Hampshires but those weights on your birds are definitely Freedom Ranger. The hatchery you purchased from sell both.

"TLDR: 10 week old heritage NH cockerels weighing in at about 7 lbs. Pullets 5lbs."

No heritage chicken will have those weights at that age. You have the Freedom Ranger hybrid.

it does not help that they have about the same color(NH and Freedom Rangers)

 

[nicalandia]

. I think one of the cockerels would have grown really huge, but breedable?

Someone here had one that weighted 20+ pounds

 

[MysteryChicken]

Biggest bird I've ever had was 24 inches tall, & weighed 15lbs.

 

[nicalandia]

1 1/2 year old ranger rooster, 19lbs!

Sorry, no whole carcass pics, this one is dog food.
Boneless breast meat.

Looks at these legs, amazing!

 

[CNJ]

My White Plymouth Rock rooster is bigger than my same age Dark Cornish at 5 months, and my White Plymouth Rock hens started laying large brown eggs from the get go, unlike other heritage breeds that start off will small eggs and get larger as time goes by.
I feed each of my roosters with a mason pint jar worth of 18% broiler finisher in the am, and its gone by end of day. I will try Mcmurray Big Red Broilers next.
Breese chickens are similar to White Plymouth Rocks, but I think the quality of eggs I am getting from my Rocks are better.

 

[Folly's place]

Is it the Freedom Ranger hatchery that has heritage/ meaty type white Plymouth Rocks? Somebody does.
Mary

 

[Tre3hugger]

I read that thread Tre3hugger. I know you purchased New Hampshires but those weights on your birds are definitely Freedom Ranger. The hatchery you purchased from sell both.

"TLDR: 10 week old heritage NH cockerels weighing in at about 7 lbs. Pullets 5lbs."

No heritage chicken will have those weights at that age. You have the Freedom Ranger hybrid.

I know they sell both. Guess we will have to respectfully disagree. Another person that commented in my thread got the same results. Not sure why it is so hard to believe, but hey, I am not here to convince anybody. Of course anything is possible