newbie egg maker mama....looking at meat for next year

[Newchickmom2023]

Hi all! I currently have 5 pullets (4 Buff Orps, 1 RIR) and 1 (oops) Buff Orp rooster. No eggs yet (about 16 wks)....already looking to next year, and whether I want to add more for meat. My feed supplier (a local farmer who ground us some good organic feed) is not real thrilled with cornish cross because they have been bred for such hyper growth ....and friends who currently raise them talk about their feeding habits, and they do sound pretty gross. I was looking at some of the Rangers and other broiler specific birds....or do I see if I end up with a broody hen, let her hatch some of my dual purpose chickens, and try to continue my own stock, eventually butchering some. The idea of "sustainable reproduction" in my current little flock is appealing, however Orps are pretty slow growing, didn't know if I needed to look at some compromise, or get a separate breed to use specifically for meat only. I'd heard some good things about a New Hampshire/Delaware cross being a good meat choice, but the only ones I found commercially were discontinued. We all like white meat best, but the most important thing is that we become more self-sufficient. If you're hungry enough, you can eat lots of stuff that is not your first choice LOL. Just 3 of us here, so I don't need HUGE birds, but extra meat can always make another meal, and carcasses go for broth. We are in SW WI (near the MN twin cities), so our winters can be pretty brutal, if that's an issue for any particular breed. I am currently not fully free-ranging. Birds are in a tractor, and go in at night. We will eventually have a couple runs, so if we do meat birds, I can keep them separate, or even in the tractor (if I can convince my husband to build a second LOL). We have 3 acres, so I'm not against free ranging, just know predators may be more of an issue (I've seen chicken hawks in daytime), and neighbors say we have coyotes, as well as raccoons, - probably others as well. I'm going to try to be a "sponge" and just soak up everything I can in the next few months. Thanks for your input/suggestions

 

[Molpet]

CX are good for cost efficiency
Standard Cornish have a larger breast compared to most other heritage, but they grow very slowly.
In my signature are some links that might be helpful

 

[Newchickmom2023]

CX are good for cost efficiency
Standard Cornish have a larger breast compared to most other heritage, but they grow very slowly.
In my signature are some links that might be helpful

Thanks! and Love your tagline/signature....safe under HIS wings. That's where I want to stay

 

[Newchickmom2023]

CX are good for cost efficiency
Standard Cornish have a larger breast compared to most other heritage, but they grow very slowly.
In my signature are some links that might be helpful

I am geeking out on the first research project. This could become more time consuming than FB LOL

 

[Sussex19]

My best heritage meat birds have been RIR x Orpington x Sussex, so if you want to go with a slower growing roaster, your breeds are a good start.
They take about 20 weeks to get to butcher size, but have as much meat as the organic free range chickens we used to buy, and if you cook them slowly are nice and tender. We ( a family of four grown ups) get two meals out of them.
I like to keep them in a slightly smaller incloser by themselves, as that way they stay a bit juicer/more tender, if they are just chilling rather then chasing the girls every where.

 

[Morrigan]

Raising heritage chickens for meat vs. a dedicated meat type are two very different processes and experiences. I've done both and each has advantages and disadvantages. You will only find out what works best for you by trial and error.

If you have tractors and like breast meat, CX would be the most cost efficient and easiest. You could start with a small batch (10 or less) and see how you find the process of raising them. If you keep them in a moving tractor over fresh grass, and limit feed they will not become gross, but they will be large, ungainly chickens who poop a lot and will need to be butchered sometime around 7 to 10 weeks. But, you will have a freezer full of meaty, tasty birds.

If you want a more lively "normal" chicken, but still value a meaty carcass, a slower broiler like a ranger is a great option. I currently raise a few rangers a year, and now prefer them as a meat bird over CX. They will have fewer growth problems, and will be ready to butcher anywhere between 10 and 15 weeks depending on what type you get and how they are raised.

I also raise heritage chickens for meat and eggs. It is more rewarding and like the product better. But, you get much smaller birds and the process of breeding and selecting which to eat and which to breed can be challenging -- more so on an intellectual and emotional level. You need to be willing to change out roosters frequently and either be willing to eat some of pullets you hatch or sell them.

If you are thinking along the heritage lines, you might want to start to butchering your orpington cockerel to see what you think of the size and taste. Heritage birds, particularly roosters, left to grow until 16+ weeks, will be more flavorful and less tender than the chickens you are used to. It may take some time getting used to, or you make love it. You won't know until you try.

 

[Newchickmom2023]

My best heritage meat birds have been RIR x Orpington x Sussex, so if you want to go with a slower growing roaster, your breeds are a good start.
They take about 20 weeks to get to butcher size, but have as much meat as the organic free range chickens we used to buy, and if you cook them slowly are nice and tender. We ( a family of four grown ups) get two meals out of them.
I like to keep them in a slightly smaller incloser by themselves, as that way they stay a bit juicer/more tender, if they are just chilling rather then chasing the girls every where.

Thanks! Lots to think about here...

 

[Newchickmom2023]

My best heritage meat birds have been RIR x Orpington x Sussex, so if you want to go with a slower growing roaster, your breeds are a good start.
They take about 20 weeks to get to butcher size, but have as much meat as the organic free range chickens we used to buy, and if you cook them slowly are nice and tender. We ( a family of four grown ups) get two meals out of them.
I like to keep them in a slightly smaller incloser by themselves, as that way they stay a bit juicer/more tender, if they are just chilling rather then chasing the girls every where.

Raising heritage chickens for meat vs. a dedicated meat type are two very different processes and experiences. I've done both and each has advantages and disadvantages. You will only find out what works best for you by trial and error.

If you have tractors and like breast meat, CX would be the most cost efficient and easiest. You could start with a small batch (10 or less) and see how you find the process of raising them. If you keep them in a moving tractor over fresh grass, and limit feed they will not become gross, but they will be large, ungainly chickens who poop a lot and will need to be butchered sometime around 7 to 10 weeks. But, you will have a freezer full of meaty, tasty birds.

If you want a more lively "normal" chicken, but still value a meaty carcass, a slower broiler like a ranger is a great option. I currently raise a few rangers a year, and now prefer them as a meat bird over CX. They will have fewer growth problems, and will be ready to butcher anywhere between 10 and 15 weeks depending on what type you get and how they are raised.

I also raise heritage chickens for meat and eggs. It is more rewarding and like the product better. But, you get much smaller birds and the process of breeding and selecting which to eat and which to breed can be challenging -- more so on an intellectual and emotional level. You need to be willing to change out roosters frequently and either be willing to eat some of pullets you hatch or sell them.

If you are thinking along the heritage lines, you might want to start to butchering your orpington cockerel to see what you think of the size and taste. Heritage birds, particularly roosters, left to grow until 16+ weeks, will be more flavorful and less tender than the chickens you are used to. It may take some time getting used to, or you make love it. You won't know until you try.

Good ideas, thanks!

 

[Newchickmom2023]

CX are good for cost efficiency
Standard Cornish have a larger breast compared to most other heritage, but they grow very slowly.
In my signature are some links that might be helpful

Ok, so I went through the article on fermenting. This is something I'd been thinking about for a while, but hadn't actually jumped into yet. I do have a question (assuming you ferment, since you had the link). The article says feed 1/2 to 1 cup 2x/day (watching for it to be gone in 30 min). Is that per bird? I'm excited to try this, but just want to make sure I have a handle on it. Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My feed supplier (a local farmer who ground us some good organic feed) is not real thrilled with cornish cross because they have been bred for such hyper growth ....and friends who currently raise them talk about their feeding habits, and they do sound pretty gross.

We all have different goals, preferences, and experiences and we have heard different things so we will make different decisions. The CX are the most cost efficient on a cost per pound of meat basis. They have certain requirements. They have to eat a lot daily to reach those growth rates so they poop a lot. Yeah, that can be considered gross and needs to be accounted for in how you raise them. The Ranger types retain some of the benefits of CX but the slower growth rate makes them a little easier than the CX. You can raise dual purpose chickens for meat in a lot of different ways, feeding them specifically for meat all the way to just making them a part of your egg laying flock. Morrigan is right that CX, Rangers, and dual purpose are different things and each if those can be raised and managed in different ways.

I like the idea of trying different things. We are each so different with our wants, desires, and conditions that what works well for some of us does not work well for others. There can be a big learning curve. You often find out that what you thought was important to you really isn't.

I was looking at some of the Rangers and other broiler specific birds....or do I see if I end up with a broody hen, let her hatch some of my dual purpose chickens, and try to continue my own stock, eventually butchering some.

While Buff Orps are known to go broody often, my two never did. RIR's are known to not go broody at all but they can. If you want to count on hatching your hens' eggs you may need to get an incubator. At least that way you can hatch them when you want to.

I plan on eating one chicken each week. I hatch around 20 chicks in February and raise them to eat. Usually none of my hens go broody until April or May and it takes a few months to raise the chicks to butcher age. Most years I can use broody hens to hatch the rest of the chickens I'll eat that year and early the next year but some years I have to use the incubator a second time so I can eat one chicken a week. And I now have hens that go broody quite often, just not until April or May.

The idea of "sustainable reproduction" in my current little flock is appealing, however Orps are pretty slow growing, didn't know if I needed to look at some compromise, or get a separate breed to use specifically for meat only. I'd heard some good things about a New Hampshire/Delaware cross being a good meat choice, but the only ones I found commercially were discontinued.

Until the 1950's or so the Delaware, New Hampshire, and some strains of White Rock were the main meat birds, but then the Cornish Cross, Cornish Rock, CX (whatever you call them) were developed and took over. The Ranger types were developed later. It did not take long for hatcheries to breed those three breeds as much for eggs as meat birds so they lost that edge. You can find some exceptions, you can always find exceptions, but for the most part hatchery Delaware, New Hampshire and White Rock are bred more for egg laying than meat now. Don't get me wrong. The Delaware, New Hampshire, and White Rock are about as good of a dual purpose meat bird as you will find, they are just not as great as they were in the 1950's or so when they were special.