Meat birds and crossing for meat

[dustponds10]

It sounds like you already have the facilities to brood large amounts of chicks. Do you have the freezer space to store that much meat if you butcher that many at the same time? Do you have the time to butcher that many at a time?

Yes I do have the freezer space but I also plan on bottling some. So about half will end up in the freezer. The bottled stuff is so nice to pull out and throw in enchiladas and other casserole.
We do have the time. I’d likely butcher so many at a time.

o you skin those birds for their feathers? I so, what do you do with all that meat? Do you use both girls and boys feathers? I know those birds don't have a lot of meat on them but people eat tiny quail. Those birds are probably pretty old so you would have to be careful how you cook the meat but the French developed Coq Au Vin to make a gourmet meal out of an old rooster. Chicken and Dumplings is a comfort food made from old hens. Some people make sausage from old chicken's meat. You could use that meat to make chicken salad, tacos, or soup if you cook it right. Not sure if you have a potential source there.

I do skin those birds. I skin hens and rooster. All at different stages. They do not hane much meet at all the meat They do have is grey meat if you can imagine that. They are bred crossed with jungle fowl and that’s where grey meet comes from. Not even the cats will eat that meat.


They will be free range in the spring summer and fall. But offspring likely will be in caged and fed well.

 

[NatJ]

Yes I do have the freezer space but I also plan on bottling some. So about half will end up in the freezer. The bottled stuff is so nice to pull out and throw in enchiladas and other casserole.

For many cooking methods, you need young tender birds.
But some cooking methods (including canning or bottling) can work fine with meat from older, less tender birds.

I do skin those birds. I skin hens and rooster. All at different stages. They do not hane much meet at all the meat They do have is grey meat if you can imagine that. They are bred crossed with jungle fowl and that’s where grey meet comes from. Not even the cats will eat that meat.

Your cats may not eat it, but I probably would!

I would treat them as small, tough chickens and be a little careful choosing the recipes.
The breasts and the leg/thigh pieces are pretty easy to cut off the carcass, and they have most of the meat. I would simmer it in the crock pot all day or overnight, then pick the meat off the bones & chop it up.

If the color of the meat is an issue, I would use it in dishes that disguise the color: chili would be good, or any dish with black or red beans, or any dish with a dark-colored sauce.

The broth from simmering it would be tasty in soup, or in many kinds of sauce or gravy. Again, if the color is an issue, I would just use it in recipes that have enough color to hide it.

Some people eat quail, and it's difficult to find a chicken smaller than that!

 

[dustponds10]

After thinking and looking around on suggestions I may settle with some Rangers. I have read of Reds and Rudd’s. Can’t find a difference to compare them to each other.

I may still get the Cornish for the double breast and see what that accomplishes. Thoughts?

 

[CNJ]

After thinking and looking around on suggestions I may settle with some Rangers. I have read of Reds and Rudd’s. Can’t find a difference to compare them to each other.

I may still get the Cornish for the double breast and see what that accomplishes. Thoughts?

I crossed a Breese rooster with a Cornish X hen and got different size chicks with different color legs. I plan on breeding the bigger ones to a different pairing.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thoughts?

You are going to feed, house, and manage them differently than other people. You'll have a different climate and start with different stock. Your results are not going to match other people's results perfectly. You seem to have a really good idea of what you want or don't want, really fixated on breast meat for example. You have experience with chickens just not raising chickens for meat. You seem to have a lot of facilities and will make the time to manage them. I'm not sure how willing you are to experiment. I personally doubt there is that much if any noticeable difference in the meat you get from the Reds or Rudds in the way you grow them but get some of each and see for yourself. There could be a difference. It is possible one gives more breast meat as compared to the other.

Something I don't remember being mentioned. Not all birds of a breed are anywhere close to the same. The flocks can be of the same breed but what traits and size they have depends a lot on the person that selects which chickens get to breed. Some breeders might breed for meat, some for eggs, some for show, or some for other things. You probably know that since you breed for feathers but that's what I mean by different stock.

I think the most efficient way for you to put the meat in the freezer is to buy Cornish X chicks and raise them. With your facilities, freezer space, and willingness to butcher a lot at a time you could handle that better than a lot of people. But you want to hatch them from your own eggs. I totally get that, I do too.

No plan, no matter how well thought out, will work exactly as you think it will. And your preferences for the meat are different than other people. But you need to come up with a plan and see how it works for you. Believe your eyes more than what a stranger over the internet like me tells you. I can come up with a few plans.

Get some Rangers, whichever ones you decide on. Find out how hard they are for you to raise. See how they meet your meat requirements. Hold some back to breed. They are hybrids so you will get some pretty divergent results when you breed hybrids. As a general rule, eat the ones you don't want to eat and breed the ones you'd prefer to eat. In a surprisingly few generations you will greatly improve the quality of your stock.

At the same time get some true Cornish, not the Cornish X. See how they suit you as a breed. But hold the better boys back and use them to breed over some of the Ranger hens for your first breeding season. See how that compares to the Ranger over Ranger cross. Again, they are hybrids but selective breeding can correct a lot.

As an alternative or if the Rangers just won't work for you, with your desire for breast meat I'd consider the Cornish crossed with a top quality dual purpose hen. Dual purpose hens probably will lay more eggs for you to hatch than the Cornish. Some of the members of this forum know some outstanding breeders of New Hampshire, Delaware, and maybe White Rocks. They may know of other breeds. They won't be cheap, you pay for outstanding stock, but it makes a world of difference in what you get.

Good luck on however you decide and please let us know the results.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You are going to feed, house, and manage them differently than other people. You'll have a different climate and start with different stock. Your results are not going to match other people's results perfectly. You seem to have a really good idea of what you want or don't want, really fixated on breast meat for example. You have experience with chickens just not raising chickens for meat. You seem to have a lot of facilities and will make the time to manage them. I'm not sure how willing you are to experiment. I personally doubt there is that much if any noticeable difference in the meat you get from the Reds or Rudds in the way you grow them but get some of each and see for yourself. There could be a difference. It is possible one gives more breast meat as compared to the other.

Something I don't remember being mentioned. Not all birds of a breed are anywhere close to the same. The flocks can be of the same breed but what traits and size they have depends a lot on the person that selects which chickens get to breed. Some breeders might breed for meat, some for eggs, some for show, or some for other things. You probably know that since you breed for feathers but that's what I mean by different stock.

I think the most efficient way for you to put the meat in the freezer is to buy Cornish X chicks and raise them. With your facilities, freezer space, and willingness to butcher a lot at a time you could handle that better than a lot of people. But you want to hatch them from your own eggs. I totally get that, I do too.

No plan, no matter how well thought out, will work exactly as you think it will. And your preferences for the meat are different than other people. But you need to come up with a plan and see how it works for you. Believe your eyes more than what a stranger over the internet like me tells you. I can come up with a few plans.

Get some Rangers, whichever ones you decide on. Find out how hard they are for you to raise. See how they meet your meat requirements. Hold some back to breed. They are hybrids so you will get some pretty divergent results when you breed hybrids. As a general rule, eat the ones you don't want to eat and breed the ones you'd prefer to eat. In a surprisingly few generations you will greatly improve the quality of your stock.

At the same time get some true Cornish, not the Cornish X. See how they suit you as a breed. But hold the better boys back and use them to breed over some of the Ranger hens for your first breeding season. See how that compares to the Ranger over Ranger cross. Again, they are hybrids but selective breeding can correct a lot.

As an alternative or if the Rangers just won't work for you, with your desire for breast meat I'd consider the Cornish crossed with a top quality dual purpose hen. Dual purpose hens probably will lay more eggs for you to hatch than the Cornish. Some of the members of this forum know some outstanding breeders of New Hampshire, Delaware, and maybe White Rocks. They may know of other breeds. They won't be cheap, you pay for outstanding stock, but it makes a world of difference in what you get.

Good luck on however you decide and please let us know the results.

^^^ Example of the best part of why I come to BYC, in a nutshell.

Great advice!

I'm going to echo the last. PLEASE start a separate thread if you go this route, and let us learn from your progress! PLEASE.

 

[CNJ]

Is Cornish the key or is the Plymouth Rock for size/growth?

My Cornish rooster had compact bodies like we see in the super market and my White Plymouth Rock had the long body type we see with other heritage breeds. My White Plymouth Rock was a lot bigger and grew faster.

I think they used the Standard Cornish for the filled in body shape and the Plymouth Rock for the size and fast growth. However, instead of reinventing the wheel it may be better to raise

Murray's Big Red Broiler, they reach mature weight at 12 weeks and are good egg layers.​

If you blow up the picture you can see the marking on the bag. Notice the age and size of the two different breeds. My Breese rooster chicken grew around the same rate as my Plymouth Rock.

I also have a Dark Cornish/White Plymouth Rock cross that is growing faster and look like it will be bigger than my standard Dark Cornish.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

I’m making a go of raising mcmurrays “broiler” Delwares. Here is a picture today. They are supposed to breed true. All birds are 22 week old in all the pics.

2 of the Delaware cockerels and an Australorp and Ameraucana. These were part of my first batch of meat birds. I, unfortunately, didn’t weight any of the ones I ate. I am going to mate these 2 with 12 Delaware pullets.

 

[CNJ]

Here is a picture today. They are supposed to breed true. All birds are 22 week old in all the pics.

They look nice and round from the top view.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

VERY curious about weights, though the last thing I want in my flock is more white, a 22 week weight would be helpful reference. 16 would have been better.