Slow growing CX/FR or fast growing heritage meat bird breeds.

[sylviethecochin]

I've thought of doing ducks but I don't want to do water changes in a pool and don't have a pond.

Fair enough. I wasn't advocating them; most people don't have the necessary setup, so I didn't even think to suggest it.

I simply don't raise meat *chickens, so I don't know much about them.

If you want a breedable, heritage bird, I understand that some people like the White Plymouth Rock?

 

[JB8907]

Fair enough. I wasn't advocating them; most people don't have the necessary setup, so I didn't even think to suggest it.

I simply don't raise meat *chickens, so I don't know much about them.

If you want a breedable, heritage bird, I understand that some people like the White Plymouth Rock?

For me it would have to be an exceptional breed flavor wise if its not a "fast" growing heritage breed. I've heard the buckeye is an exceptional flavor.

Does anybody have experience with fast growing heritage breeds?

 

[JB8907]

Fair enough. I wasn't advocating them; most people don't have the necessary setup, so I didn't even think to suggest it.

I simply don't raise meat *chickens, so I don't know much about them.

If you want a breedable, heritage bird, I understand that some people like the White Plymouth Rock?

For me it would have to be an exceptional breed flavor wise if its not a "fast" growing heritage breed. I've heard the buckeye is an exceptional flavor.

Does anybody have experience with fast growing heritage breeds or slow growing CX/FR

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here is the website.

https://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/details.asp?List=1&Product=1

Thank you for that link. For a bit I thought someone may be using false advertising but they are clear if you follow all the links. It's the food that is GMO, no chickens are.

I get upset when I see someone advertising hormone-free chicken. Hormones in chickens has been illegal since the late 1950's. Sure, their chicken is hormone free but so is everybody else's in the US. While they are telling the truth I fine that misleading.

I have not raised CX or the ranger type birds. I have raised dual purpose birds for meat. With the dual purpose breeds I find the source is more important than the breed. Since the development of the Cornish X in the 1950's (long before the GMO process was developed) hatcheries stopped breeding dual purpose breeds for meat. Before the development of the CX Delaware, New Hampshire, and some strains of White Rock were bred as meat birds but after 60 years of not being bred for meat these breeds are not that much different from many other hatchery dual purpose breeds. If you decide to go with hatchery dual purpose breeds those are the ones I'd try first but don't expect great results.

If you can find a decent breeder that knows what they are doing and are breeding for meat you might be much better off. People breeding for show usually have decent meat birds compared to hatcheries. These may be expensive (especially compared to hatchery prices) but many people find it worthwhile if you can find them.

We have different goals as far as meat chickens. Some pasture them to different degrees, some confine them and provide all their food. Some butcher cockerels only, some butcher cockerels and pullets. We butcher at different ages depending on how we want to cook them. I have limited freezer space so I often cannot butcher a lot at a time, some people want to butcher 100 or so at a time.

My suggestion is that you try different chickens, whether breeds or crosses. See which you like best, not what I like best. The good thing about this is that you can eat your disappointments.

 

[JB8907]

Thank you for that link. For a bit I thought someone may be using false advertising but they are clear if you follow all the links. It's the food that is GMO, no chickens are.

I get upset when I see someone advertising hormone-free chicken. Hormones in chickens has been illegal since the late 1950's. Sure, their chicken is hormone free but so is everybody else's in the US. While they are telling the truth I fine that misleading.

I have not raised CX or the ranger type birds. I have raised dual purpose birds for meat. With the dual purpose breeds I find the source is more important than the breed. Since the development of the Cornish X in the 1950's (long before the GMO process was developed) hatcheries stopped breeding dual purpose breeds for meat. Before the development of the CX Delaware, New Hampshire, and some strains of White Rock were bred as meat birds but after 60 years of not being bred for meat these breeds are not that much different from many other hatchery dual purpose breeds. If you decide to go with hatchery dual purpose breeds those are the ones I'd try first but don't expect great results.

If you can find a decent breeder that knows what they are doing and are breeding for meat you might be much better off. People breeding for show usually have decent meat birds compared to hatcheries. These may be expensive (especially compared to hatchery prices) but many people find it worthwhile if you can find them.

We have different goals as far as meat chickens. Some pasture them to different degrees, some confine them and provide all their food. Some butcher cockerels only, some butcher cockerels and pullets. We butcher at different ages depending on how we want to cook them. I have limited freezer space so I often cannot butcher a lot at a time, some people want to butcher 100 or so at a time.

My suggestion is that you try different chickens, whether breeds or crosses. See which you like best, not what I like best. The good thing about this is that you can eat your disappointments.

Thanks for that thorough response. I would like to find a fast growing heritage breed that will mature in 12 weeks more than a CX/FR. I also understand that's asking a lot. I'll probably need to find a breeder with a faster than normal growing strain of breeds I want.

I want the fast growing so I can get all the chicken I need in 1 or 2 rotations a year then do a rotation of turkeys also in the tractor.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I have some Delaware from ptivitt hatchery that I have crossed with a Large white roo I have and so far a few of the offspring are promising..... like 5 pounds at 12 weeks

big boy is in front in this pic.....the roo behind him is a 6 month old German bielfelder.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I have some Delaware from ptivitt hatchery that I have crossed with a Large white roo I have and so far a few of the offspring are promising..... like 5 pounds at 12 weeksView attachment 1630218 big boy is in front in this pic.....the roo behind him is a 6 month old German bielfelder.

Five pound dressed carcass or bird?

 

[Amatsuhono]

Thank you for that link. For a bit I thought someone may be using false advertising but they are clear if you follow all the links. It's the food that is GMO, no chickens are.

I get upset when I see someone advertising hormone-free chicken. Hormones in chickens has been illegal since the late 1950's. Sure, their chicken is hormone free but so is everybody else's in the US. While they are telling the truth I fine that misleading.

I have not raised CX or the ranger type birds. I have raised dual purpose birds for meat. With the dual purpose breeds I find the source is more important than the breed. Since the development of the Cornish X in the 1950's (long before the GMO process was developed) hatcheries stopped breeding dual purpose breeds for meat. Before the development of the CX Delaware, New Hampshire, and some strains of White Rock were bred as meat birds but after 60 years of not being bred for meat these breeds are not that much different from many other hatchery dual purpose breeds. If you decide to go with hatchery dual purpose breeds those are the ones I'd try first but don't expect great results.

If you can find a decent breeder that knows what they are doing and are breeding for meat you might be much better off. People breeding for show usually have decent meat birds compared to hatcheries. These may be expensive (especially compared to hatchery prices) but many people find it worthwhile if you can find them.

We have different goals as far as meat chickens. Some pasture them to different degrees, some confine them and provide all their food. Some butcher cockerels only, some butcher cockerels and pullets. We butcher at different ages depending on how we want to cook them. I have limited freezer space so I often cannot butcher a lot at a time, some people want to butcher 100 or so at a time.

My suggestion is that you try different chickens, whether breeds or crosses. See which you like best, not what I like best. The good thing about this is that you can eat your disappointments.

To me it still smacks terribly of false advertising. People are very obviously going to see the way these birds are listed and make the same assumption the OP did. While the hatchery can fall back on the link to claim ignorance of the way there listing seems.

While not truly false advertising, it is definitely not a totally above board business practice. I still call fearmongering.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Five pound dressed carcass or bird?

Sorry he is still live running around... I want to keep him for breeding

 

[JB8907]

I have some Delaware from ptivitt hatchery that I have crossed with a Large white roo I have and so far a few of the offspring are promising..... like 5 pounds at 12 weeksView attachment 1630218 big boy is in front in this pic.....the roo behind him is a 6 month old German bielfelder.

Those would be great if I decided to go the heritage breed route. I'm thinking of free ranging some of those and letting them grow out slower and more naturally.