Slow growing breeds for meat - What breeds to get?

[Amer]

Anyway, my mom was so impressed by the Delawares from Deer Run farm she bought more this fall! (Behind my back ) anyway they are making progress, getting pretty big now. I guess they must be 4-5 months old now! I’ll have to get a picture. They are currently no longer in the chunky, needy stage where they follow you around begging water but are instead in the stage where most of their volume is feathers but their skeleton is getting pretty big.
They were raised by a broody Silkie. Quite a lot of big chicks for one bantam hen.

 

[Sussex19]

I'm have quite nice results from crossing Orpingtons with other breeds.
If you picked something like RIR hens with a buff Orp rooster, they get to a good size in around 16 weeks.
(note, my idea of a good size might not be the same as yours)

 

[imacowgirl2]

I LOVED my batch of New Hampshires from Freedom Ranger Hatchery. So much so that my next batch of 20 chicks arrives Wednesday!

I only had to feed them for 13 weeks to have live weights between 5-9 lbs. My dressed weights were 3-5 lbs, but I had to use a different scale for the dressed weights, and I don’t think it was accurate because these birds have as much, if not more, meat on them as the 4-5 lb birds I buy at the store. They were just fed regular chick starter followed by all flock pellets, not meat bird feed, so I’m interested to see what kind of weights I get using meat bird feed this time. My ideal bird is about 6-7 pounds dressed. They have a good amount of breast, but aren’t all breast.

They ate more than my layer flock chicks of the same age, but not an unreasonably large amount of feed. This time around I’m housing them separate from the layer flock so I can track feed usage.

They free range just fine, and also do well in coop/run — never once did I have any of them just laying around the feeders. They are VERY docile too…we held some back for breeding, and unlike the other roosters we have, never once have either of these roosters tried to assert their dominance to us, even during their hormonal teenage phase.

 

[siroiszoo]

I just say slow growing but I actually mean just regular breeds. Like Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, etc.

This is an older post, but in my experience of trying for slow grow meat birds, keep the Orpingtons & Australorps for eggs. They don't offer enough meat for the trouble it takes to butcher a chicken - in my opinion. Speaking from experience; and still on the look out for my ideal meat birds to raise in a free range environment.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

This is an older post, but in my experience of trying for slow grow meat birds, keep the Orpingtons & Australorps for eggs. They don't offer enough meat for the trouble it takes to butcher a chicken - in my opinion. Speaking from experience; and still on the look out for my ideal meat birds to raise in a free range environment.

I just listed those two breeds as examples. I would never eat a Buff Orpington or an Australorp. Those are pet breeds.

 

[Molpet]

I just listed those two breeds as examples. I would never eat a Buff Orpington or an Australorp. Those are pet breeds.

Actually some breeder's English Orpingtons are quite meaty. @Faraday40 has some nice ones

 

[K0k0shka]

Actually some breeder's English Orpingtons are quite meaty. @Faraday40 has some nice ones

I can confirm that good English Orps are thick and meaty

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Actually some breeder's English Orpingtons are quite meaty. @Faraday40 has some nice ones

Still I wouldn't ever eat any orpingtons

 

[Molpet]

Still I wouldn't ever eat any orpingtons

So what happens to the extra cockerels?

 

[KikiDeAnime]

So what happens to the extra cockerels?

For any straight run chicks I buy for meat, I butcher the cockerels early for making stock.
For any straight run chicks I buy to add to the flock, I take the cockerels to a local feed store that finds homes.
.
Orpingtons, Australorps, Olive Eggers, Wyandottes, and Sex linked birds are not breeds/mixes that I will ever eat