New to this, What breed of meat chicken should I get?

[BookWorm243]

I am wanting to get some meat birds but I don't want to get the cornish X Rock. What other breeds are there that are good for meat and when would they be ready for butchering? Any other pointers I would be more than happy to hear as I really don't know to much at this point with meat birds.

Thanks

 

[sadies0111]

I have the same question, although I am not against cornish x. I hope to raise some meaty chickens in spring, and have no idea what breed. I can't wait to hear some answers!

 

[BookWorm243]

ya me to!
I am only against them because they have so many leg problems I have seen them get to the point where they can only take a few steps and then fall down because they cant support there own body. Even if they are going to be on the table I want them to have a good life. It might be on where you get them so who nows I may get some

 

[stickers]

You might want to check out Freedom Rangers. I grew my first meat birds this fall and these guys did great. No leg problems and they feathered out nicely. I had to process them a little earlier than i would have liked as the local butcher had his last processing date of the year in November but still had several at over 4lb at 8 1/2 weeks. The avarage weight was aobut 3 1/2 lbs so next time i will plan better and process a couple of weeks later.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

What about a red broiler or something, they are still a meat bird but dont grow as fast

 

[imthedude]

i asked the same question about a week ago. freedom rangers seemed to be the consensus choice. i also found this article on BYP after further looking at the freedom rangers.

 

[kitchwitch]

I plan on getting freedom rangers this year. Plus the hatchery is in state for me, so shipping is less than $10 and after doing the math these birds(25 of them) will cost a whopping $15 more than raising Cornish Xs. Turns out my peace of mind only costs $15.

 

[Bossroo]

You know that in every venture, be it going into your own business, playing a sport, buying a new product, etc., one has to educate oneself the ins and outs of the venture. Why do you think schools exist ? Chickens, in general, are easy to raise as any neophite can attest to. When one decides to raise a specialized chicken, be it a meat bird or a show bird one has to first educate oneself in the ins and outs of raising them in order to achieve success. Doing otherwise one is faced with disappointment and failure. Consider the old Scottish saying... "The eye of the master fattens the cattle". The Cornish X is the gold standard of the meat chicken industry and millions are successfully harvested annually. As such, they require additional education in order to cator to it's needs when they are placed out of their environment of intensive production, for which they were specifically developed, and placed in a backyard operation. I am more than satisfied in my additional efforts when I harvest 4 pounds of meat in 6 weeks rather the 4 pounds of meat that I used to harvest in 20 weeks raising the DPs. Simple math convinced me that it takes a tiny bit extra labor for 6 weeks and much more labor for 20 weeks to yield the same amount of meat. Funny, that I don't seem to experience any of the maladies that are so frequently bantied about by some. So, ask yourself... am I willing to educate myself and implement my new knowledge then reap its benefits, or just settle.

 

[CARS]

While my opinion is not as eloquent as Bossroo's, if you are avoiding Cornish X's because of leg problems, you need to learn how to properly raise them. I haven't had a leg problem or sudden deaths in years. Give them room to roam, feed 12 hrs on/12 hours off, plenty of clean water, etc.

If you read up on them using the search function you will learn like I have. They are a great quick way to put meat on the table.

 

[bigredfeather]

Well said, Bossroo! I may also contribute, that when you see all these post on here about people losing CX's left and right, "for no apparent reason" or "their legs are giving out," chances are they have done something wrong. Whether it be too much feed too fast or an incomplete ration, they don't just die. It drives me crazy to see these types of posts, and in the process, I'm sure turns some people away from them. As Bossroo has said, they are very specialized, and have different needs than your typical DP breeds. If you decide on doing CX's take the time to find out how to manage them properly. Don't be one of those people that have gone into them blindly, and end up wasting money and being very disappointed.