I'm going to try several crosses, mostly with dual-purpose breeds which are known to be good brooders - I want everything to run itself as much as possible Right now I'm looking at using Buff Orpington hens for my first attempt.
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If using any kind of 'hatchery' bird, you'll not experience anything better than a hatchery bird. It won't matter what you cross, you'll never get anything better than a pile of feathers and bones...
Decent meat bird compared to what, other hatchery birds? hatchery leghorns?I don't agree. I think it depends on the breed and the hatchery. Also, every chicken we have today is the result of selective breeding, so I believe that hatchery birds can be bred to produce a decent meat bird. It may not happen on the first cross, but patient is a virtue when doing selective breeding.
It's been my experience that hatchery brochures will list almost everything as DP except a leghorn (and I have seen them included on one brochure). I'm not using this to insult the OP, but the point is that hatcheries use the standard breed description of most breeds in describing their birds, even though they have bred some of the meatiness out of them for production purposes. I'm guessing it's a marketing ploy to try to sell the cockerels. I'm not saying that all hatchery birds don't make good DP birds, just saying they describe them as such regardless of their potential.Most birds listed by hatcheries in brochures will distinguish birds as to wether or not they are "dual purpose". Meaning primarily that they have been bred for both meat and or egg layers. They tend to be a bit more hardy in most aspects. Generally they carry a bit more weight and have more weight on their bones.