Rare chicken breeds desired for their meat qualities?

[Double Kindness]

I had already been lurking on the thread you mentioned my white bresse are from gff lines through a private breeder. I have someone that has white bresse hatching eggs with an unrelated white bresse roo over the hens that I'm wanting to get as soon as I figure out what I'm doing hatching with the incubator I just got. Otherwise, I'm on the list to get the new unrelated white bresse line from gff in a few months, but patience is not my biggest strong suit.

I figured we'd learn all we can about homesteading while turning our property into an almost turn key urban homestead, which is very "in" with the hipsters. Being new into chickens doesn't seem to be holding me back, but I promised my bf that we will sell my asst egg layers and the chicks/pullets we hatch by mid spring (or when the bresse and cemani are laying well). I figure feather footed olive eggers and my ee's and assorted other chickens will do well for someone else just wanting a pretty egg basket. For the time I'm using them to practice on the hatching part, as the bresse and cemani are my first chicks I've had since they hatched.

I'm a fast learner, and passionate about trying to do things the proper way instead of making costly mistakes (still make lots of mistakes). The squirrels are just so brazen and fat, and I'm going through so much feed.

What is the best way to get rid of squirrels and mice in an urban area? Would a barn cat/mouser get the squirrel?

 

[DesertChic]

I know this thread has gone fairly dormant but I just found it and read through all of the posts as I'm just beginning the process of locating my preferred meat bird. I've looked at Bresse and Bielefelder, but had never really heard of Malines until reading about there here...so thank you for that info. Right now I've got 11 freshly hatched NN Turkens that I plan to raise and breed as meat birds. I also plan to hatch some Bielefelders this spring, thought right now I'm wondering if the Malines would be a better choice.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and thank all of you for all the great info. Ciao!

 

[Bama1]

Sulmtalers are THE best kept secret around for meat, gentle, thrifty free Rangers if needed, tolerate pens extremely well also, decent layers and they taste amazing. Check out the Sulmtaler thread... it has gone dormant as we are busy talking on our club Facebook page now.

 

[Shellz]

Sulmtalers are THE best kept secret around for meat, gentle, thrifty free Rangers if needed, tolerate pens extremely well also, decent layers and they taste amazing. Check out the Sulmtaler thread... it has gone dormant as we are busy talking on our club Facebook page now.

Malines share these qualities as well. In fact, Malines are such no-fuss birds that I can get a very decent table bird (tender, tasty & juicy) WITHOUT :

A high protein diet. 15% suffices throughout their lives.
Restricted range prior to slaughter.
Caponizing

We harvested our extra cockerels last fall at 19 weeks of age with an average dressed weight of 5lbs. Plenty of white & dark meat on these roasters for 2 meals for our small family. They can be harvested up to 7 months of age without sacrificing any meat quality for roasting.

That being said, they should actually be able to reach this weight sooner. I'm working towards this with a new bloodline this spring.

As for eggs, the pullets/hens lay on average, (large - jumbo) every other day. Quite satisfactory for our needs.

 

[Our Roost]

To those of you newbies wanting to acquire rare meat birds, a word of caution. Promoting longevity and a healthy bird year after year with vigor and size is important. You need to introduce new blood into your stock and really monitor who gets bred to whom. Linebreeding = inbreeding= less vigor and weight control. Your precious investment will sour quickly if you dont approach this long term. Do some extenuous reading up on this subject from every angle and make sure more stock can be brought into the picture down the road. Dont rush your project or you may not have one at all.

 

[Double Kindness]

Well the white bresse hatching eggs I got from Sapphire Farms are on lockdown. A few have started to internally pip

Sapphire Farms supposedly has unrelated wb roos over gff pullets. I was told by someone else they MIGHT have used Californian bluefoot for roos not unrelated white bresse, but idk how to verify any of that

My 2 wb roos I want to keep for breeding are back from crow reduction surgery and healing up nicely

I'm trying to get my bf to help me cull my ac roos, as I decided to use my friends gff ac roo instead of mine (plus mine are extremely loud even after the crow reduction surgery 4 months ago ) I have at least 5 ac roo

I may put 1 wb pullet in with the ac and see what kind of meat bird that produces, and put an ac pullet in with the wb roos.

Time to go check the bator again.

 

[popsicle]

Well the white bresse hatching eggs I got from Sapphire Farms are on lockdown. A few have started to internally pip

Sapphire Farms supposedly has unrelated wb roos over gff pullets. I was told by someone else they MIGHT have used Californian bluefoot for roos not unrelated white bresse, but idk how to verify any of that

My 2 wb roos I want to keep for breeding are back from crow reduction surgery and healing up nicely

I'm trying to get my bf to help me cull my ac roos, as I decided to use my friends gff ac roo instead of mine (plus mine are extremely loud even after the crow reduction surgery 4 months ago

) I have at least 5 ac roo

I may put 1 wb pullet in with the ac and see what kind of meat bird that produces, and put an ac pullet in with the wb roos.

Time to go check the bator again.

Be sure to keep us posted on your crosses!

Regarding your earlier post... somebody abandoned a cat at our property, she lives in the coop because my indoor dogs are cat killers. She kills ground squirrels efficiently enough that they stay away from the coop. Our ground squirrels here are the size of tree squirrels, they look like petite prairie dogs. We don't have tree squirrels, but I imagine a cat would make them consider moving. However, in an urban area I would assume there is already cat coverage, and I personally hate outdoor cats (ours wears a bright circus collar to keep her from killing birds). I'd actually take the abandoned cat the shelter, but the shelters are overflowing so she can stay in the coop.

 

[DesertChic]

Be sure to keep us posted on your crosses!

Regarding your earlier post... somebody abandoned a cat at our property, she lives in the coop because my indoor dogs are cat killers. She kills ground squirrels efficiently enough that they stay away from the coop. Our ground squirrels here are the size of tree squirrels, they look like petite prairie dogs. We don't have tree squirrels, but I imagine a cat would make them consider moving. However, in an urban area I would assume there is already cat coverage, and I personally hate outdoor cats (ours wears a bright circus collar to keep her from killing birds). I'd actually take the abandoned cat the shelter, but the shelters are overflowing so she can stay in the coop.

My neighbors sometimes have me care for their goats and chickens when they vacation. The last time I did so they had 11 outdoor cats. A couple weeks later, five of those cats had kittens. From time to time their cats show up at our house, walk on our vehicles, and leave rather gory "gifts" on our doorstep....and yet our neighbor insists it's not HER cats doing that. Uh huh. Luckily they're all chicken friendly so I don't have to worry about them killing any of my flocks.

 

[mymilliefleur]

Have you considered Buckeyes? They are a some what rare breed, and were developed as meat birds.
I raise Black sexlink roosters as broilers for our family. By management I have been able to raise them with very little feed, and in a fairly short period of time. My family prefers the BSL's over the mushy, mild meat of the Cornish crosses.

 

[DesertChic]

I know of a few people who raise and breed Buckeyes and they can't stop singing their praises. I came so close to choosing Buckeyes as my meat breed...but I totally fell in love with NN Turkens and Bielefelders and just can't justify adding another breed right now.