New Hampshire for meat

[Chickenheadmate]

@bngowe - where did you get yours? Hatchery birds aren't going to perform the same as standard bred birds from good breeders. Nothing is going to give you the same breast meat as a Cornish Cross Broiler, but some of the Dual Purpose are very serviceable if they're bred right.

If I were looking to get into NH I would try to find good breeders that were focusing on meat. Like was mentioned above, XW Poultry and Eight Acres are good places to start. Would probably be good to get as many chicks or eggs as you can from each, tag the fastest gainers, and focus on them going forward.

Thanks for the info!

 

[edgarmongold]

Could anyone suggest any lines slash strains of New Hampshire breeds that would produce or have been bred to produce a lot of meat?

Try Good Shepherd Ranch Frank Reese Jr
Bred for dual purpose.
Totally different than hatchery stock that most are bred for egg laying.
Broilers at 16 to 20 weeks.
Females average 200 eggs annually.
Pictures of dressed carcass and cockerel alive

 

[edgarmongold]

Wow that German line looks wonderful, and bulky! I may have to look into getting some for myself. Here’s a picture of my New Hampshire reds at 17 weeks. So scrawny and thin compared to that German line.

You have hatchery New Hampshire and from body look like egg laying strain.
If you want meat and don’t care about dual purpose Henry Noll’s New Hampshire meat strain is a couple of weeks to butcher weight than Cornish Cross.
Their shape looks like Cornish Cross.
Let me find pictures.
Top picture is Henry Noll’s New Hampshire strictly breed for meat alive.
Second picture is dressed carcass of Henry Noll’s meat strain New Hampshire. Around 4.5 to 5 pounds at 12.5 weeks old
Third picture is a dual purpose meat and egg production dressed out from Good Shepherd Ranch Frank Reese Junior 16 to 20 weeks old.