Need help with selecting a meat bird

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Quote:
If you are raising them in Florida, you will probably need to also look for birds that can handle your climate.

Tastes differ, you will have to find examples of each breed and try them for yourself. Pay attention to how they were raised, as this really affects the flavor.

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/details/ark_of_taste/

lists several breeds. The carcasses of these breeds will never get the plump breast meat we are used to from the Cornish Crosses. They will taste great and have well developed dark meat, but do not expect to have the large breast meat pieces we are used to seeing in restaurants.

I have also heard that Turkens (Naked Necks), Marans and Dorkings make fine table birds.

I have Buckeyes and Delawares from that list. They are ok for the table, we raise ours on pasture. I do not consider myself a gourmet, so I could not comment on the flavor being the best possible. We will be trying a Buckeye Rooster over Delaware hens cross this spring which should produce white roosters for the table and red hens to be layers. And of course we will also hatch some pure-bred replacements of each breed for next year's experiments.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[Keara]

Just a thought about the smell of meat birds.....

I raised cornishX, once, and thought they smelled bad too. One day after a rain storm, I noticed the wet grower feed, was even slinkier than the birds or their poop. I think the smell comes, partly, from the amount of protein in the feed.

 

[speedy2020]

Quote:
If you are raising them in Florida, you will probably need to also look for birds that can handle your climate.

Tastes differ, you will have to find examples of each breed and try them for yourself. Pay attention to how they were raised, as this really affects the flavor.

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/details/ark_of_taste/

lists several breeds. The carcasses of these breeds will never get the plump breast meat we are used to from the Cornish Crosses. They will taste great and have well developed dark meat, but do not expect to have the large breast meat pieces we are used to seeing in restaurants.

I have also heard that Turkens (Naked Necks), Marans and Dorkings make fine table birds.

I have Buckeyes and Delawares from that list. They are ok for the table, we raise ours on pasture. I do not consider myself a gourmet, so I could not comment on the flavor being the best possible. We will be trying a Buckeye Rooster over Delaware hens cross this spring which should produce white roosters for the table and red hens to be layers. And of course we will also hatch some pure-bred replacements of each breed for next year's experiments.

Good Luck with your search!

I read the black copper marans and cuckoo marans is the best tasty chicken. I have some BCM x RIR cross. Will see how they turn out next year.