North Carolina

[dutchbunny83]

Have you eaten dual purpose birds before?
Do you keep them on regular starter/grower feed?
I have 3 cockerals-- 2 blue copper marans and a lavender orpington.
I think they are going to be way too pretty to eat, but I'd rather get nutrients from them then give them away.....
They'd be crowing by 6 months though, wouldn't they?

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

just so you know......meat birds DO live past 1 year of age....
many will succumb to heart attacks but with careful feeding
you can get them past a year .......and they do lay eggs as
well.......ask Ramirezframing and Bhep.......they have had
the meat cross birds and kept them past 7 months old.

 

[sbrooks88]

Idk if that was directed at me or not but I refuse to eat my chickens. I will eat the eggs but I don't have the heart to eat something that I have raised played with and watched grow. I let my pet snail go yesterday and cried for heavens sake! Lol. im such a sap!!!

 

[dutchbunny83]

I didn't think I could ever eat my birds, but then I realized if I really cared about animals and how they're treated you've got to do it yourself.
The meat industry is absolutely disgusting, I would not let my children eat meat from a store or restaurant.
We went completely vegetarian for awhile (I was a vegetarian for 15 years), but that didn't work out too well either and I was worried about the GMO's in soy as a protein substitute for young kids.
I finally came to the conclusion that my children needed meat and I had to raise it myself. We can't keep livestock besides poultry in the city, so that's what I'm raising.
I could never kill one myself, but I can cook them.
Now I do have PET chickens that will never be eaten-- once they die they are buried.
But I do buy birds specifically for meat so my children can eat.

Good to know about the broilers, I hadn't heard of them living that long. I'm really liking these freedom rangers though.

 

[ramirezframing]

I have had two cornish cross meatie roosters make it to a year and a half old before dying from heart attacks. I had about 15 hens make it to egg laying, which was very close to a year old. Most of the hens I lost to egg laying. The smallest of the hens lived to be about 2 yrs old before she died. Two Ton Sally lived to 3 yrs old and was over 25 lbs. I weighed all of them at just under a year old, the roosters and all but the small hen weighed 25 lbs. Unfortunately my scale was broke and I couldn't weigh Two Ton Sally before she died, but she was bigger than she was at 25 lbs. They were all very nice chickens, and I kept them in with my other chickens. I spread the food around so they had to walk to eat it.

I have also done the dual breeds. Those you need to wait till they are over a year old to eat, they grow up first than after a year old they put on their weight.

Here's some pictures of the two meatie roosters and Two Ton Sally

 

[dutchbunny83]

Love the pics, I've never seen them that big!
They don't look like the Frankenstein birds I've seen, they're like normal chickens.
Bummer on dual purpose, there's no way I can keep them for a year they will be too loud.

I have some gorgeous blue copper marans cockerals if anyone's looking....

 

[wildriverswolf90]

I LOVE barred rocks, they're my favorite chickens.
I could never use them as a meat bird though, they're way too personable!  Though I've never had a rooster, just pullets/
They are great to have as pets and egg layers though.
From what I hear, dual purpose birds aren't really good as meat birds because there is less meat, but I don't know that from experience just what I've heard.
I am LOVING these freedom rangers, I will definitely be putting in another order.

that is true, most dual breeds have less meat than meat breeds.

 

[sbrooks88]

Had mine since they were chicks and they are def not that big yet. Hey haven't started laying yet either but we just traded 10 of our chickens last night for a generator for our camper. Maybe I just had too many hens and they refuse to lay??? Idk anyway mine are def cornish crosses they look just like that except not quite such red waddles and combs. Some of mine Are still pink! Lol.

 

[BHep]

I have a meatie, Laverne ... she even lays. I am using her to make my own met crosses, she is breeding to a White Breese.. Her sister did pass several weeks ago. But it is possible with proper diet and exercise. She is 7 months old right now and doing very well.

 

[SPARKLESILKIE]

I'm so sorry. How often do you take em out? Do you free range em?