OK... What is the best Heritage meat bird?

[Buster52]

Well, Davaroo, you inspired me to take a look at some of the old poultry books in Google Books. I don't know why I didn't do that before, since I love old books and do read a lot of them regarding self sufficient living and gardening and such.

I found a list in a book (Farm poultry: a popular sketch of domestic fowls for the farmer and amateur, by George Catchpole Watson) originally written in 1902 that listed some breeds recommended for farmers and amateurs. Don't know that it is at all significant, since it is just one book and one man's opinion. Still, I found it interesting in an historical sense. This from the table of contents...

Egg Breeds Of The Domestic Hen

Leghorn 25

Minorca 33

Andalusian 35

Spanish 36

Hamburg 37

Red Cap 40


Meat Breeds 41-56

Brahma 47

Cochin 51

Langshan .< 53

Faverolle 54

There were many other breeds in the book, but this was his short list of recommended breeds. I was surprised he didn't mention the Cornish in his list. His primary reason for excluding them was because they were "too pugnatious", but he did recommend crossing them with Orpingtons and some others.

So, even way back then folks were playing with crossing the Cornish with other breeds. Interesting.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Cool book! I noted that it was printed in London, thus the preponderance of Asian breeds and the Favarolle. It is also interesting to note that many of the breeds we know today are really quite old. See, too, the Mediterranean breeds specified for egg laying.


For an American view from the same time, have a go at this one:

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/ppp/ppp6.html
Note, NO breeds are recommended - rather, the methods of rearing are stressed.

 

[cybercat]

""It is not the only only American breed to have a pea comb, though -to admit that, you would have to eliminate the Wyandotte!""

Actually Wyandottes have a rose comb so Buckeye back then were the only american breed with a pea comb.

 

[jeanniejayne]

Don't forget JM Hatchery's Colored French Rangers for meat. Just read many attestations on their site and all raved. I would consider them, or the Delaware from a breeder selecting for meat. Or maybe the Buckeye, as a rare breed that was also brought along for meat some years ago and is now endangered. Would love to see this happen more.

IMHO, the gov needs to invest in supporting a mobile butchering operation to support local small farms. I can feel myself getting politically motivated on tis one, as women are increasingly running farms, and there is no reason one should not be able to scratch out a decent subsistence living on a decently run small farm.

On the delights of designing, planing, building and running ones own small farm. please read William Paul Winchester's lovely journal about farm life in "A Very Small Farm"-- a gem of a book. From recipes for cheese (he has a miniature Jersey cow) , to threshing grains and baking bread from them, to lying down in the pasture and looking up at the sky to see a spider who had spun her own web "balloon" sailing by him at the mercy of the winds -- into a brave new world. Of living happily and very well with one supermarket trip in seven months' time! Of finding his way around his familiar farm in the dark and knowing when his had would come upon a gate post worn with hands who had opened it hundreds of times, and planned where it would be for month before it was placed in that earth
A place where the neighbors would feed your stock and take care of theirs and yours This is one of those nourishing books you will come back to for refreshment many times, if you are a lover of natural studies and th, knowing you could be expected to return the favor when the time was rightl e dream of living out a life indpendent from the rat-race, and entwined with a familiar and beloved tableau of animal, vegetable, mineral, and geographical and weather patterns. Thanks, William! Write another, one day?

 

[Sitka]

Quote:
There was a breed listed that we don't hear about today:

"The White Wonder is a brown egg laying, hardy, general-purpose breed somewhat larger than the White Wyandotte which it resembles, except that it has feathers on the shanks. The variety is popular in some sections as a farm fowl because of its hardiness, ability to forage and fair prolificacy."

(It goes on to list Langshans, so it is not another name for that.)

 

[Davaroo]

IMHO, the gov needs to invest in supporting a mobile butchering operation to support local small farms. I can feel myself getting politically motivated on tis one, as women are increasingly running farms, and there is no reason one should not be able to scratch out a decent subsistence living on a decently run small farm.

WARNING: POLITICALLY MOTIVATED COMMENT - -

Why do we need the governments intrusion in yet another venture?

I wrote to Obama last night, in fact, on this very matter. I had received yet another missive from the White House, pushing health care reform. My comments were (and always are) to the effect that what we need is government that lets us make choices - not one that "supports" us or manages things as they deem fit. The government invests in nothing, it creates no wealth in and of itself. That which it gives to one - it has taken from another.

Did you know the Constitution forbids the government from levying taxes except for it's own maintenance needs?

I'm all for the small farm. But I reckon to make it work, the last thing we need is more "help" from the government, and more people who feel the same way...

Thanks for your tolerance of my hijack. I just hadda get that out.....

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
You are right - I stand corrected.

I got them confused, which is easy to do. Rose comb, pea comb.... six of one, half dozen of the other.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

I never considered Buckeyes.... But an endangered heritage breed that has decent egg production AND meat production... I could certainly get into the helping preserve the breed.

Thanks

 

[cybercat]

Clay is your are realy interested in getting into Buckeys go to the ALBC site. They have alot people there woring on them. Check out the educational resource area that is where you get alot of how to breed info on them. If you join them you will get a breeders list but there is a short list listed on the site. We also have some breeders here on BYC and more on the Heritage Chickens groups on Yahoogroups. Here is the link to the ALBC Heritage Chickens section.

http://www.albc-usa.org/heritagechicken/index.html

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
WARNING: POLITICALLY MOTIVATED COMMENT - -

Why do we need the governments intrusion in yet another venture?

Good point. I think the best thing for the government to do is to stop subsidizing agriculture altogether, then adjust regulations so that they put small farmers on an equal footing with the big guys regulation wise. If it were easier for a small butchering operation to exist in the world of red tape, you wouldn't need to give them money.

Let the giant corporations compete without their government handouts.