Orpingtons???

[jermoatc]

Anybody here ever used Orpington roosters for meat? How are they? How long do they take to reach butchering weight?

 

[Cowgirl71]

I've found Orpingtons to be one of the best dual-purpose breeds for meat. The roosters are of good size and plump. They do have white skin, however, which subtracts from their dressed appearance (which doesn't bother me). They also have noticeably more fat on them than other breeds for some reason. This also doesn't bother me. Animal fat from pasture raised animals is very healthy for you.

Butchering age.... Depends on what you want to use them for. If you want a fairly tender roast chicken, then I'd suggest butchering at 16-24 weeks old. The sooner you butcher the more tender it will be, the later, and the more meat you'll get. For soup, I like to let them get bigger. If they're a little tough it doesn't matter for soup. So I'll butcher them from six months to a year plus, depends on when I get around to it, LOL.

 

[LilyD]

Anybody here ever used Orpington roosters for meat? How are they? How long do they take to reach butchering weight?

I have done Orpingtons in the past and they were okay. Less breast meat of course than other birds but still a decent sized bird when all is said and done. Mine were done at around 6 or 7 months of age. I can't really remember. They would have not been done but they got a huge mean streak and would actually run up from the other end of the field to try and bite or spur me or my son. So into the soup pot they went. Not actually the soup pot I think they became fried chicken and enchiladas but either way they tasted great.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Just wanted to add that a dressed Orpington will never look like the Cornish X meat birds you see at the grocery store. Those birds are bred for meat production and grow very unnaturally fast and are usually butchered at only 8 weeks of age. An Orpington, like any other dual-purpose breed, will not have the huge rounded breast meat like the birds at the grocery store you may be accustomed to. Their body proportions will be far more natural, with a prominent breast bone and comparatively large legs and thighs.

Just FYI in case you didn't know.

 

[speedy2020]

If you want larger bird, try show quality orpington. I have 1 hen and she is the heaviest bird in the block.

 

[delisha]

I have never had a mean Orpington. They usually weight about 10 lbs at 7 months. A really nice bird for eating. Nice white skin. I do not raise hatchery stock, they are a bit smaller, but, Heritage orpingtons are nice sized birds.






Those are muscovys ducks weigh about 15-20lbs. That is a 5 gallon bucket. The birds are really nice size. If you look at the breasts, you can see they have more than enough meat.

 

[speedy2020]

I have never had a mean Orpington. They usually weight about 10 lbs at 7 months. A really nice bird for eating. Nice white skin. I do not raise hatchery stock, they are a bit smaller, but, Heritage orpingtons are nice sized birds.






Those are muscovys ducks weigh about 15-20lbs. That is a 5 gallon bucket. The birds are really nice size. If you look at the breasts, you can see they have more than enough meat.

What kind of rooster that near the 5 gal bucket? I have 1 just like it. Since I purchased hatching egg from someone and the lady have too many cross breeds, so not sure.

 

[delisha]

Orp silver pencel rock cross

 

[Mingming]

I had two Orp roosters that I butchered last year. As OP stated, not breast meat like the ones in the store, but the stock I made from those birds was fabulous. They were about 18 weeks, and they dressed out around 4 lbs. I'm going to do meat birds again this year .... because of the meat - but also because of the stock. Everything I made from that stock was outstanding! From what I read, supermarket birds grow on average 6 weeks or so, so the flavor can't develop like it does for an "older" bird (18 weeks being older, right? haha!).