I want to hatch my own meat bird. What rooster and hen to use?

[Shellz]

They do well in cold weather, due to lots of down feathering. I will say though, they do not handle heat waves very well. Not for folks in the hot south!

I believe there is no perfect breed for my environment here, but the Malines come the closest! I will tell you the negatives that I am aware of.
These make the best free range birds. If you don't free range, you must restrict feed. A place to free range with some supplemental feed is best for the overall health of these birds. Cockerels can grow too fast if not free ranged & will develop leg problems & crooked toes. I insist on free ranging (2 acres) & rely on my 2 dogs to keep my property predator free. It's working so far!

 

[Joanmcm]

We have almost 6 acres but we are new and I am very skeptical about letting the chickens roam. They will have huge runs at this point. The chickens run for cover when my pit barks at an animal or large bird. We have coyotes, hawks, buzzards, foxes, bear...you name it we have it. So far I have deterents hung on the meat chicken pasture coop and the egg layers will be going out 24/7 when their coop gets here next week. We will see how this goes. I haven't lost one yet knock on wood. Husband thinks I worry too much but better to be careful.

Weather wise we just hit the 80s here today. Typically we do get some 90 degree weather over the summer and the rare 100 degree day. The sun however is very strong. We live on a hill.

 

[Shellz]

I understand your fears about free ranging when you're new at it. It's how I've always raised my birds though. I learned the hard way, but it taught me a lot. In winter they have a big fenced yard & I shovel a path for them thru it. They always get locked up in their big coop at night all year long. I know when winter comes I will not lose any more birds. My problem previously, was putting dogs in the house when I had to leave the property (warmer months) If I let them roam, I was worried they'd get in trouble on the road. We have no fence here, but lots of natural green borders. Anyway, I got them trained to stay off the road & now they are guarding the flock well. My older, bigger dog will cover a larger area including the woods out back. The smaller one will cover the front mostly. It's good to have a second dog if you can get one.

Those natural green borders are excellent places for my current flock to stay cool & hide from predators. We have a large forest that surrounds the property on all sides, leaving a gap for the driveway. I change water frequently on very hot days too.

 

[Joanmcm]

My shepherds would of been great at this. My pit is great but the problem is if she made a mistake it would be blown out of proportion. She is a great rodent hunter and appears to know the boundaries but still.....

What kind of dogs do you have?

 

[Shellz]

I have Jake, my 35 lb Beagle X Boston Terrier. I swear there's a bird/hunting dog in there too. He's 6 years old this year & as a puppy lived in the city. Moved to the country when he was 2. We got Missy, the 20 lb Pug X (Chihuahua?) mutt as a puppy 2 years ago. I had my doubts about Missy, (my son's birthday present) but she proved herself worthy by chasing off a fox last year. I wouldn't have believed it, had I not seen it myself!

 

[kfacres]

I love corn too, that doesn't mean it's healthy for my dogs. Or me for that matter.

I might find it offensive that most people don't consider where their food comes from. I don't have to tell them that when they say they're going to the grocery store. You can be offended, but you don't have to tell me about it.

If butchering chickens offends you I can't see how you can raise meat birds. You do in fact eat the birds you butcher do you not? Why does it matter who eats the bird once it's dead?

I feel pretty confident that I have a handle on where my food, both human and livestock- come from. I personally, butcher all my own meat, beef, lamb, goat, pork, deer, poultry, and rabbit. Other than bread and milk (my body tells me that the milk from the store is much healthier than the stuff I have out in the bulk tank right now is) we don't buy much for groceries. Seems to me, that for a lack of a better term- we're living off the land.

edited by staff

 

[Our Roost]

Find yourself some belgian malines and you will have your meat birds.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Jesirose--

This thread has gotten a bit off your original topic, but I thought you might like to know that our dark Cornish (from Murray McMurray hatchery) are uniformly broody birds and the best, most aggressive mothers we've ever had. I bought three birds specifically to be broody mothers spring 2012, and all three have raised a clutch this year. One is on her second clutch, and is covering 12 eggs as I sit here. Dark Cornish might be a really good choice for your hens for this project because they definitely meet your criteria and are easy enough to come by.

We have a big Marans rooster (breeder stock) and will probably hatch some dark Cornish/Marans chicks in Spring 2014 to throw in the meat pen with our Cornish X broilers. I actually want to see how the hens do as replacement broody mamas, but I know there will be cockerels along with them and the meat pen is the best place for them. Not trying to breed a meat bird, per se, but it seems a meat bird will come along with my experiment in breeding broody hens.

We have a decent sized egg business, and replacement hens is always one of my largest expenses. Add to that the fact that I really dislike brooding chicks, and I've come to the conclusion that using all broody hens is the way to go, which is why I am planning the Cornish/Marans cross--I could use more than three broodies.

The Meat Bird thread has a lot of strong personalities frequenting it (as you've found out). The thread on Feeding and Watering Your Flock is also pretty cut-throat. The others are a bit more gentle. I'm sorry if you feel you've had a bad introduction to BYC.

 

[jesirose]

Thanks for the info! We have a ton of marans so I will be very interested to hear how your marans Cornish cross turns out! I've heard they (marans) are also very broody so that sounds like a good combination to me! I haven't found anyone near by raising dark Cornish, everyone who I've seen in the area is either focused only on egg layers or just buys the Cornish cross day old chicks it seems. I'll have to try harder and see if I can find any breeders.
Edit: I see you got yours from a hatchery and you say you've been happy with them so maybe that is a good option for me after all. - who knows


Ps: I won't be scared off, I've got what you'd call a strong personality myself

 

[galanie]

Most of the time when folks want to breed their own "meat bird," what they really want is a dual purpose bird. One that lays and with enough meat on it to make a good meal. Personally I don't care for white meat so what I'm raising is Orpingtons. They are just about the tastiest bird I ever ate. They still have a decent sized breast but oh man, those legs and thighs are heaven!

Good luck on the cornish/marans. Sounds like you will be happy with them.