how to raise a dual purpose bird for meat.

[cestial225]

If I hatch out sex linked birds and seperate out the cockerals early can I raise them different so they will grow faster and I can butcher at 12 weeks? Like if I feed them grower finisher will they grow faster? What kind of weight can I expect to get off a 12 week old sex linked cock?

 

[bruceh]

a bird if of that nature will not be ready for processing in 12 weeks. you can but will be used as a fryer. not much meat on the frame. butcher the bird at 18-20 weeks. you can go longer however the meat can get tough. also if you pen the cockerels . the meat will not toughen up. during the last 2-3 weeks feed the bird either corn oil or milk and corn. this will put a layer of fat on them for flavor,

 

[LilRedRoo]

Melinda and I had this same question, so we purchased a baker's dozen broilers (they are getting close to butcher now) and 20 dual purpose (silver laced wyandotte). Unfortunately the wyandottes have since been labeled as "too cute" for processing and will be added to the layers as they mature.

However, thanks cestial225 for asking the same question I've been thinking about, and thanks bruceh for the comments. We are letting (future tense of course) broody hens hatch out eggs as we progress in this journey, and the chicks will be used both as replacements and as meat.

 

[cestial225]

What kund of chickens are a bakers dozen broilers?

 

[LilRedRoo]

I meant a baker's dozen in terms of numbers (bought 15, lost 2, now have 13). The broilers are the "red broiler" from Ideal Poultry. They grow a little slower than the commercial white broilers, so are not prone to leg weakness and ascite problems, plus they are generally more enegetic. We also noticed they are doing quite well without heaters in the recent cold snaps. Mine are great foragers, but we are only half-raning them (free range on pasture, but with broiler feed available to them in the coop). The next batch will be free range pastured poultry, but we may just use our own hatchlings if the hens go broody again soon.

 

[LilRedRoo]

Getting back to your original question, here is a picture of two 7.5 week old chicks. The sliver laced wyandotte is the dual prupose breed, while the red bird is a "red broiler". They have been fed the exact same since day 1. They were given a broiler ration for the first 4 weeks, then were moved up the hill with the main flock where they free range during the day, and have limited feed available in the evenings/morning. At this growth rate I expect to have good carcass weight in the broilers by week 9 and beyond, and I don't think the dual purpose would be anywhere close to harvestable by week 12. Cockerals would be decent probably if you are not expecting a 4+lb bird, but the genetics don't typically lend themselves to rapid growth like the broiler breeds.

 

[Searsmom]

Wow! What a contrast. Here I thought by getting dual purpose, I could get decent eggs and decent meat! I know, it will still taste way better than anything from the store. I guess I can just wait til they grow a little bigger. They're free range anyway so in the summer my feed costs are almost nil.

 

[Clsikes]

The dual purpose breeds from the hatcheries do not produce much meat. If you find some of those breeds bred to standards they have plenty of meat on them.

 

[Searsmom]

Yeah, I started with 5 orps and a rooster from My Pet Chicken. Two of the hens are nice and large and heavy, not just fluff. Three of them are scrawny. Next plan is to make a nest trap so I know which eggs come from the large ones and hatch those.