Questions about dual purpose birds for meat...

[cluckmecoop7]

Hi all,

It's long story and I'm not going to explain it but: I'm thinking of getting some more chickens to live with my lonely hen Blamo who won't be accepted by my current flock.

Anyways, I'm hoping to get some dual purpose chickens from TSC.....but if I end up with roosters, I think I won't "chicken out" this time.... I'll eat them.

What breeds would be nice for this? I looking for a breed that will be pretty friendly and docile. (I want that in the hens because I'll be keeping them.) But I also want a breed that has meat on it because I want to eat any roosters I get.

Do any of the following breeds make a good choice?

1. Easter Eggers
2. Barred Rocks
3. Austrolorps


Thanks in advance!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you know which hatchery your TSC will be getting the chicks from? You can ask, someone there should know. TSC traditionally uses three different hatcheries, they can order from any of the three. Most years Hoover and Privett are two of them (can't remember the third) but there is no guarantee they use the same ones every year. Most hatcheries give an expected weight of their adult birds of each breed online. I don't know how accurate those are but that might be the best you have to go by.

Hatchery quality birds are not going to give you a great meat bird compared to others but many of us eat them. They will be a lot less expensive and you have a better chance of getting pullets, most other sources won't even try to sex chicks. I started with hatchery quality and they taste great.

I'd avoid the EE's, they are not a breed so there are no standards. Many tend on the smaller side. We all have our favorites. One person might love a certain breed while another person hates them. You are dealing with living animals so they are not consistent on behaviors at all.

For your criteria, hens as well as cockerels, I'd be OK with Ausralorp or any of the Rocks. I'd think Delaware, New Hampshire, Buckeye, Chantecler, Wyandotte, or any Sussex a good choice. I'm sure I'm forgetting some obvious good ones. Basically go with the ones you like the looks of and see what you think.

Personally I'd go for the hens I wanted and not worry about the size of the cockerel if one turns out to be a cockerel. You want hens, you are trying for hens, choose for the hens. Eat any mistakes.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I agree that the Easter Eggers will be a smaller bird. My EE is the smallest bird I have and she lays large size eggs - the rest lay X-large eggs.
I bought 5 Sapphire Gems and 3 EE last fall (they only had 5 Sapphire Gems and I wanted 8 chicks). All the chicks looked alike. 2 chicks died in freak accidents - but I did not know which breed. Now that they are grown up - they have the same coloring. But since they are laying, I know I have 5 Sapphire Gems and 1 EE because I get 4 tan eggs and 1 green egg. One of the birds is noticeably narrower than the other 5 - I believe that is my EE.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you for the information!

What about the hybrid "Dot Rocks"?

I might go with austrolorps. (< spelling?)

 

[archeryrob]

TSC uses Hoovers.

Don't buy hatchery birds if you want possible meat birds. The only hatchery birds suitable for meat are CornishX and Red ranger type birds, IMO. I spent the last year wasted on Dark Cornish from Ideal that never got to great size and are just fair egg layers.

Find a heritage breeder and pay the extra money to get eggs, chicks or started birds. I am not sure how they breed hatchery birds except numbers. My dark cornish hens weigh less than the RIR hens we have. To say I am disappointed would be an understatement.

Hatchery birds are breed to lay eggs only, unless they are specific meat stock. I thought getting cornish would be the purpose of them as meat birds but able to breed and I was wrong. These hatchery cornish are small and skinny like egg layers and don't lay enough to be great egg layers. I would be happy if they produced enough meat, but they don't.

I found a heritage Barred Rock farmer near Pittsburg and will drive the 2.5 hours to buy better chicks when they have them hatched. So I am voting for #2 on your list.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thanks!

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Laying breeds tend to be smaller... so really depends on what you want. I had two EEs from Ideal Hatchery one is very small and narrow but a reliable layer and healthy hen... the other was much larger and heavier and she would have probably been okay to cross with a meat or dual rooster... chicks would be heavier from her, probably then the other hen. Really depends what your breeding goals are.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I'm not breeding. I'm just getting more chickens..... and if I have a rooster, I'll eat him. It's not like I want meat birds....but I want to make sure I could eat him if I needed too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

People eat quail, they are pretty small. You can eat any cockerel you accidentally get regardless of breed. Am I missing something? Why would you think you can't eat certain breeds?

In your situation I'd go for the hens you want unless there is some reason you are not telling us.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you. Yes, I'm going for the hens.