Sussex for meat birds

[kada6305]

I have a Speckled Sussex Rooster, hen, 3 red sex link hens, 3 white leg horns. I know the leghorns wont make very good meat birds. I currently have Speckled Sussex, and red sex-link/ Sussex cross eggs in the incubator. At what age should I butcher the Sussex for meat? Would the Sussex/ sex link crosses make okay meat birds? We are a family of 2 so don't need a lot of weight on them.

 

[Y N dottes]

Sussex are a dual purpose bird, so they will have some meat on them when grown. I would butcher them when I felt they were big enough to be worth it, so close to full grown. probably around 16-18 weeks. if u don't want to wait that long they will probably be big enough by 14 weeks to get some meat from them

 

[kada6305]

Okay, Thank you. I know the commercial meat birds were around 9 weeks. My husband thinks we could do the SS at 9 weeks too, but I didn't think so since they are a dual purpose. We are looking to replace our rooster as he has become mean so he will probobally be a stew for our dogs (he's a year and a half) Would it be okay to breed our hen to her son if she produces a rooster? I'm not sure how line breeding works.

 

[Y N dottes]

yeah, I don't really know how the breeding thing works either