Managing a Dual Purpose Breed Flock for Eggs and Meat

[Doublete]

Yes, the Delawares do seem to come out to be a good weight, but I have read that they are not actually great layers. How have you found their egg laying rate?

Check out the link I posted above. This farm focuses on heritage breeds and has a great program. (I’m picking up on farm Sunday because I’m local).

 

[pkarkos]

Check out the link I posted above. This farm focuses on heritage breeds and has a great program. (I’m picking up on farm Sunday because I’m local).

Thank you for the reference. They look to be a very good farm with a good breeding program. But I have found a farm that is local to me that was recommended to me by a friend and this farm does not breed Delawares. I might try Delawares later in the summer from another place where I can order a small sexed batch.
This summer I am going to be testing some different breeds on my own farm before I decide on a breed to pursue for my project. I will keep the Delawares in mind but I think I am going to try a few Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, RI Reds and maybe NH Reds, Wyandottes, and Black Australorps.

 

[Doublete]

Thank you for the reference. They look to be a very good farm with a good breeding program. But I have found a farm that is local to me that was recommended to me by a friend and this farm does not breed Delawares. I might try Delawares later in the summer from another place where I can order a small sexed batch.
This summer I am going to be testing some different breeds on my own farm before I decide on a breed to pursue for my project. I will keep the Delawares in mind but I think I am going to try a few Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, RI Reds and maybe NH Reds, Wyandottes, and Black Australorps.

No problem!
I have a blue Plymouth Rock flock that I’m going to use for dual purpose birds

 

[LilyD]

Thank you for the reference. They look to be a very good farm with a good breeding program. But I have found a farm that is local to me that was recommended to me by a friend and this farm does not breed Delawares. I might try Delawares later in the summer from another place where I can order a small sexed batch.
This summer I am going to be testing some different breeds on my own farm before I decide on a breed to pursue for my project. I will keep the Delawares in mind but I think I am going to try a few Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, RI Reds and maybe NH Reds, Wyandottes, and Black Australorps.

The rocks orps and nh reds depending on where you get the eggs from can be very good as dual purpose. I have done orps and love them if you buy from already started stock local to you you can choose for the qualities you like heaviness, egg production quick growth. So far the ones I have had at my farm produce a lot of eggs have fairly heavy roosters and are fairly big breasted early on. The BPR and NHR I have seen were very much like that too but these are farms with self sustaining flocks that produce their own babies and keep the best to breed back for the following year. You end up eating a lot of smaller birds before you get to good size if you start with hatchery stock. The austrolorps I had were hatchery and were skinny and slow to grow about 5lb live weight at process time. Never had wyandottes though. Let me know if you get those and what you think of them. I added pictures the rooster picture full grown is at a year that was the rooster I used for my meaties very nice and typey. I didn't worry about colors wanted more body type egg production and growth. The young pictures showing the pullets and cockerels was when they were 16 weeks I was very impressed with their stature and their body type. Hoping the ones I am getting this year will be half as good for me to start up again. I also included the NH Red and Barred Rock I got locally these were farm raised and hatched not hatchery birds. Very nice and heavy at 16 weeks old.

 

[pkarkos]

The rocks orps and nh reds depending on where you get the eggs from can be very good as dual purpose. I have done orps and love them if you buy from already started stock local to you you can choose for the qualities you like heaviness, egg production quick growth. So far the ones I have had at my farm produce a lot of eggs have fairly heavy roosters and are fairly big breasted early on. The BPR and NHR I have seen were very much like that too but these are farms with self sustaining flocks that produce their own babies and keep the best to breed back for the following year. You end up eating a lot of smaller birds before you get to good size if you start with hatchery stock. The austrolorps I had were hatchery and were skinny and slow to grow about 5lb live weight at process time. Never had wyandottes though. Let me know if you get those and what you think of them. I added pictures the rooster picture full grown is at a year that was the rooster I used for my meaties very nice and typey. I didn't worry about colors wanted more body type egg production and growth. The young pictures showing the pullets and cockerels was when they were 16 weeks I was very impressed with their stature and their body type. Hoping the ones I am getting this year will be half as good for me to start up again. I also included the NH Red and Barred Rock I got locally these were farm raised and hatched not hatchery birds. Very nice and heavy at 16 weeks old.

Those are beautiful birds!

 

[Mosey2003]

This is one of my Rocks at around 5 months (pullet):


This is a couple full bone-in breasts and wings from my 16-18 week cockerels I butchered last year:

 

[Kris5902]

This is one of my Rocks at around 5 months (pullet):
View attachment 1760817

This is a couple full bone-in breasts and wings from my 16-18 week cockerels I butchered last year:
View attachment 1760823

Those are some really good pictures to help with the visual expectations of what you get with a dual purpose cockerel carcass. Even the heavier ones are much thinner in the breast, narrower and longer than most people are accustomed to seeing in “chicken”. A lot has to do with educating the consumers in your area and careful marketing to avoid customer dissatisfaction.

There was a “local” chicken (nearby island in same chain as me) in the store here yesterday, it was over 3kg!!! Huge, not heritage, and priced at $37 CAD. At first I thought it was a small turkey...

 

[Compost King]

I am just posting here to get alerts when its active, I like this thread. The only 2 cents I can add is that I feel rate of growth is far more important than overall size. I would rather raise Leghorns for meat than Jersey Giants although Leghorns have very little meat they put that very little on very fast... I am not suggesting anyone get Leghorns for dual purpose just saying that some of the larger birds are way over rated for meat production unless you have access to free food for them.

 

[Mosey2003]

I'm going to be focusing on carcass with my breeding too, those aren't "my" line yet.

 

[LilyD]

I am just posting here to get alerts when its active, I like this thread. The only 2 cents I can add is that I feel rate of growth is far more important than overall size. I would rather raise Leghorns for meat than Jersey Giants although Leghorns have very little meat they put that very little on very fast... I am not suggesting anyone get Leghorns for dual purpose just saying that some of the larger birds are way over rated for meat production unless you have access to free food for them.

Agreed you have to have body type where they are round and plump rather than being long and lean. I loved Brahmas but they stay very long and not breasty at all. Same with giants. You definitely want them to grow fast so you want a quick grow rate and not just growing tall but getting plump quicker and putting meat on their bones and you also want them to lay well the other stuff doesn't do you a lick of good if you can't get them to lay eggs for you to hatch for the next generation lol.