Oregon

[Totalcolour]

Anyone around here ever try breeding out a decent meat bird?

Well, I'm trying to breed some - I'm crossing my Cornish hens with a friend's Marans/Ameraucana Roo. I just set the eggs yesterday so we'll see how they turn out. I'm hoping to get some Barnevelder eggs or pullets so I can try those as well.

(I know, I'm from WA but it's close!)

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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[Cloverleaf Farm]

Anyone around here ever try breeding out a decent meat bird?

chickened on here does a cross with his Wyandottes and LF Cornish....

 

[Barnmaradotte]

Ducks! never really thought about that. How long to grow out a meat duck? What type of feed do you use? Are there advantages to duck over chicken?
I have a friend who is going to put his light sussex roo over a wyandotte hen. Read somewhere that, that cross produces a meaty that grows out in 8-10 wks and will free range.

 

[Barnmaradotte]

chickened on here does a cross with his Wyandottes and LF Cornish....

Thats right! Hopefully he will chime in on his grow time and feed conversion.

 

[Zanna]

Anyone around here ever try breeding out a decent meat bird?

Delawares are a great DP bird. Ours are usually out free-ranging by 7 weeks old and we usually butcher rooster culls at around 16 weeks. Don't know the weight but they are a really nice size by then. Raised the cornish x one time, hubby called them Frankenbirds........... Definitely your most efficient/economical way to get meat but not fun to raise.

 

[Barnmaradotte]

Ha! yea I've heard people call cornish x all sorts of names that have to do with monsters, pigs or zombies.
See, where I live a can't take on 20+ meaties at a time. A friend of mine has a mess of different breeds to try out different crosses for meat. He will hatch out chicks, disperse a handfull or so between a few people to collect feedback. Trying to find something that won't go ''Frankenbird" on us or take too long yet still range. Also have the luxury of getting only a few at a time throughout the year.

 

[Totalcolour]

Ducks! never really thought about that. How long to grow out a meat duck? What type of feed do you use? Are there advantages to duck over chicken?
I have a friend who is going to put his light sussex roo over a wyandotte hen. Read somewhere that, that cross produces a meaty that grows out in 8-10 wks and will free range.

AAHH, now you got my interest! We have right now, about 20 Muscovies, and 2 pairs of Welsh Harlequins (with another 10 ducklings on the way).

We sell the "Scovies to the Asian market, the males put on weight well, and are really tasty. I prefer home grown duck to chicken, well, that is, we do also buy cornish and grow those out to 6 weeks. The "Scovies take a bit longer but boy, are they tasty. Should you ever be up in this are, give me a buzz and I'll make sure to have some cooked meat for you to taste. We sell males (live) for $25 and up.

Also, they don't make a noise. Quackless they are.

They are in the same pasture as the chickens, and seem to get along well.


I love our ducks!

 

[Totalcolour]

Trying to find something that won't go ''Frankenbird" on us or take too long yet still range. Also have the luxury of getting only a few at a time throughout the year.

"Scovies eat bugs, frogs, small rodents, mosquitoes, slugs, snails, all sorts of other bugs and beetles, free range well, are pretty laid back and easy to keep.

I'm also going to try to get some Barnevelders to cross with my LF Dark Cornish. They have similar feather colour, nice dark eggs, and I think they'd make a nice meat bird.

This is Henry 18th, trying to catch up with me!

 

[chickened]

The wyandottes did not really get any bigger than the LF DC but the color was great. The 2 best crosses I have done with DC was with australorps and turkens and turkens were by far the best overall. If I were doing meatbirds of my own design and did not want CX which are the marvel of chicken design by the way I would use freedom rangers over turkens or new hamphires. Or just do freedom rangers.

Anyone around here ever try breeding out a decent meat bird?