Raising for egg laying and meat

[Dirttracker92]

We have had a small flock for awhile now as pet chickens for our kids. We our in the process of moving and the new home has more property. My wife and I have been picking around the idea of raising a new flock for egg production and meat. Being new to the concept I have a few questions.

1. What would be a good duel purpose chicken to raise? We live In michigan so winter can be rough.
2. I have read about the cross breeds ready in only a few weeks but is there a good time to butcher a duel purpose chicken?
3. We would like to keep a cycle going and raise our own chicks. Is there any issues with mating chickens with the same rooster?
4. We would have a incubator but how long do we keep the eggs with the hen?
5. Is there a diffrenec in meat from a rooster and a hen?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! There are so many breed choices; have you looked at feathersite? Henderson's breed chart? Start somewhere, and see what you like.
I have white Chanteclers, Wyandottes, French Marans, and then Easter Eggers for those green eggs. Variety!
Plymouth Rocks are nice, especially the buffs and whites. Speckled Sussex hens!
Smaller combs are good in cold weather, and when getting hatchery chicks, the very common barred Plymouth Rocks tend to be smaller than their standard sizes, same for black laced silver and gold Wyandottes. Good egg production though.
It's a start...
Mary

 

[Molpet]

1. Barred Rock from a local breeder.. hatchery birds tend to be smaller
2. depends on what your going to do with them. If your going to fry them they need to be younger .. I process about 16-24 wks for roasters
3. Father to daughters is ok for a couple of generations... or sons to mother...more issues when siblings are breed together.
4. I pickup eggs every day, more if hot or cold... Store them at a cool room temp..When a hen goes broody or I fire up the incubator, I give her the best eggs that are 10 days old or less and wait 21 days.
5 Roosters and hens are birds over a year and are tough and need to be cooked low and slow or pressure cooked. Cockerels are boys under a year and have more meat than a pullet because they are bigger. Pullets seem to have more fat on them and that gives them a moist and flavor.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have had a small flock for awhile now as pet chickens for our kids. We our in the process of moving and the new home has more property. My wife and I have been picking around the idea of raising a new flock for egg production and meat. Being new to the concept I have a few questions.

1. What would be a good duel purpose chicken to raise? We live In michigan so winter can be rough.
2. I have read about the cross breeds ready in only a few weeks but is there a good time to butcher a duel purpose chicken?
3. We would like to keep a cycle going and raise our own chicks. Is there any issues with mating chickens with the same rooster?
4. We would have a incubator but how long do we keep the eggs with the hen?
5. Is there a diffrenec in meat from a rooster and a hen?

Wow great questions you have tons of reading may answer you own questions .. The smart might be one flock for eggs meat birds is another flock as hens grow old enough not to lay they are soup .. Dad would buy 150 to 200 meat birds yearly but only raise them a few months day would come neighbors came over we had the greatest picnics at butcher...
Welcome to Backyard Chickens great to have you join enjoy as much as we do please

 

[Dirttracker92]

Thank you for all the information. We may mean twords the 2 flock idea. Is there any issues with butchering a year worth of chicken and freezing the rest? Not sure how long chicken would stay good for in the freezer. We have been looking at getting rhode island reds has anyone had experience with the egg and meat charteristics?

 

[Folly's place]

I prefer the Freedom Rangers rather than Cornishx birds for meat. The Cornishx grow fastest, fall apart easiest, have less flavor when cooked, and are pathetic while alive. Freedom Rangers are active 'normal' birds who take longer to go to the freezer, but have more flavor and a better life.
Heritage dual purpose birds take longest, but taste best, and will breed on sustainably. The hens won't produce as many eggs as a hybrid layer, or grow as fast as a dedicated meat bird, but are the best all-around birds to have, IMO.
Pick some breeds that look interesting, order a mixed group, and see what you like! If you order straight run chicks, there will be cockerels to put in the freezer, and maybe one or two to keep. Fun!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Hatchery RIRs have not been a favorite here; nasty feather pecking hens, and attack roosters. Other folks must have better experiences that I've had though. I hope.
I've never had actual heritage (or SQ) RIRs, and they are very different.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

A nice cold freezer will keep chickens for a year, easily.
Mary

 

[Molpet]

I vacuum seal them .. had a 2 yr old turkey leg that was great recently

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Overall good dual purpose breed is the New Hampshire.Big Chickens,and good egg laying.
Wouldn’t worry about mating family birds