POLL...

[horsesNchicks]

What is your favorite chickens to raise for meat or dual purpose and why?

I recently raised my first batch of 25 CX, 23 of which are in my freezer. It was fast but messy....and they taste great but the cost of the chicks, feed, shavings, having them processed I am thinking I want to try a more sustainable way. I want to hatch my own, enjoy the eggs then eat them. I am looking at maybe the Buff Orpington and Black Jersey Giants.....any thoughts?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

When thinking of dual purpose we all think of big birds to raise for large carcass. The problem with that thinking is it's best to eat your cockerel culls by 15 weeks of age and in the case of Jersey Giants, Plymouth Rocks, etc. that equates to a lanky bird. New Hampshire is a faster maturing better fleshing dual purpose and Buckeye are another good choice. Oddly enough Dorking though smaller makes for a good meat bird with good proportion and early fleshing. If you don't want many eggs a real Cornish provides the thick breasts we've become accustomed to.

In the end it all tastes like chicken. There are differences in course and finer grain meat; Dorking being finer and Jersey Giant, Brahma being the coarse grain birds. The biggest difference will be how the carcass looks and large leg proportion to thin breasts in dual purpose. People really like the double thick breasts of cornish x. You'll have to try dual purpose to know if you like it compared to what you're used to. The older the bird the tougher and flavorful the meat. This is why 14-15 weeks is the age to cull most of your cockerels so they are still tender and able to be broiled/grilled.

My choice would be whatever best breeder stock I could obtain of:
Dorking
Cornish
New Hampshire

 

[BlueShadow]

Honestly, the way Cornish Cross grow, and in so much less time you get more meat than on a heritage bird... I would buy my Cornish Cross meat birds and save money by processing them myself. If I wanted lots of meat.

If you want to raise a dual-purpose bird, and are mostly interested in eggs and hatching, and will butcher just a few for meat along the way, pick a breed and just hatch one or two batches a year. I chose Buckeye but I agree that New Hampshire (NOT from hatchery stock, find a breeder!) would also be an excellent choice.