Sustainable meat chicken dual purpose choice

[HVPastures]

We want to get away from raising CC meat birds. We love the size and timeframe the CC affords us, but we want sustainability. Also the more research I do, the taste does not really develope in chicken until around 10-weeks. We always butcher at 7.5 - 8.5 weeks. I am also about 18-months away from retirement and I want to add to my hobby list. So I am looking for a "good" dual purpose breed that leans more to the meat side of things. I also want to breed a heritage breed and eventually be able to offer breeding stock.

I have researched American Breese and Delewares so far. I love them both, but they are WHITE chickens. Delewares especially since they are listed as "recovering" on the Consertatory list. I have serious predator pressure from hawks and eagles. My knee jerk reaction is to not consider the lighter colored birds, but everything I read says the Delewares are also super friendly birds. This is also a very important aspect since my grand children love the interact / play with the chickens. I understand that predators will always be an issue. I am willing to accept "some" losses, but I do not want to keep 100-chickens in this breeding program. I want 10-12 hens and a couple roos. I understand chicken math and that really means 25-hens and 3-4 roos. One bad day and my breeding flock could be gone.

I am not looking for the same production as the CC's. I know that is not obtainable. I am looking for a 3 - 5lb chicken at 16-weeks. A docile rooster is a must. They do not need to be lap chickens, but I do not want a skiddish hens or a mean rooster. What darker or black feathered bird fits this bill?

Any and all comments are welcome. Tell me about your sustainable flock. I know what the chicken description says for most all of them. I want real world experiences with the darker chickens that meet your needs. Thanks in advance!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Except for the size, buckeyes seem like they might be a fair fit. Our original flock and the ones we got from a different breeder this year have been very friendly chickens. Feeding my flock is kind of like an internet post I read once about trying to feed a cat....how can I tell them they would get fed faster if they weren't dancing around my feet in an intricate idiot's ballet! They're not cuddly, but every one of them comes running from wherever they are when I pull up to the run and follows me along the fence.

We had one mean rooster in our first flock, he went after my then 5 year old. And he brought on his own demise trying to sneak up on my husband (hubby didn't know he was there and stepped backwards out of the storage closet and right on to the rooster and broke his neck) But most of the buckeye roosters/cockerels I've had experience with have been good and you're not going to find a breed that's never had a single mean rooster.

We processed 14 boys at 21 weeks with live weights between 5lbs and 6lbs 11oz (our keepers ranged from 6lbs 5oz to 6lbs 12oz with one 7lb boy). Dressed weights ranged from 3lbs 13oz to 4lbs 7oz with an average of 4lbs dressed weight.

 

[HVPastures]

Except for the size, buckeyes seem like they might be a fair fit. Our original flock and the ones we got from a different breeder this year have been very friendly chickens. Feeding my flock is kind of like an internet post I read once about trying to feed a cat....how can I tell them they would get fed faster if they weren't dancing around my feet in an intricate idiot's ballet! They're not cuddly, but every one of them comes running from wherever they are when I pull up to the run and follows me along the fence.

We had one mean rooster in our first flock, he went after my then 5 year old. And he brought on his own demise trying to sneak up on my husband (hubby didn't know he was there and stepped backwards out of the storage closet and right on to the rooster and broke his neck) But most of the buckeye roosters/cockerels I've had experience with have been good and you're not going to find a breed that's never had a single mean rooster.

We processed 14 boys at 21 weeks with live weights between 5lbs and 6lbs 11oz (our keepers ranged from 6lbs 5oz to 6lbs 12oz with one 7lb boy). Dressed weights ranged from 3lbs 13oz to 4lbs 7oz with an average of 4lbs dressed weight.

YES...I have been looking into them a little for awhile now. I just wasn't sure about temperment without having a first hand example to point to. They are also a beautiful bird. Thank You!

 

[thecatumbrella]

This might be a lame suggestion, but Black Australorps. Friendly. Pretty good layers. Will sometimes go broody if you want them to raise chicks for you. Depending on where you source them, they can be pretty meaty.

Black Orpington would be my second pick. Broodier, but should be much meatier. Also friendly. Edit: Should add that the only person I know that's doing the sustainable eggs/meat/sales thing uses Buff Orpingtons to great success. Males are HUGE!

 

[Frizzle and Friends]

I've never raised them myself, but I've heard good things about Freedom Ranger Hatchery's line of New Hampshire Reds. Apparently they still breed them for dual purpose flocks.

I think someone on here got a bunch and they were very meaty birds that grew quickly, but could still move around. Maybe you could look into those?

 

[HVPastures]

I've never raised them myself, but I've heard good things about Freedom Ranger Hatchery's line of New Hampshire Reds. Apparently they still breed them for dual purpose flocks.

I think someone on here got a bunch and they were very meaty birds that grew quickly, but could still move around. Maybe you could look into those?

New Hampshire is a great bird. Where is Freedom Ranger Hatchery?

 

[HVPastures]

This might be a lame suggestion, but Black Australorps. Friendly. Pretty good layers. Will sometimes go broody if you want them to raise chicks for you. Depending on where you source them, they can be pretty meaty.

Black Orpington would be my second pick. Broodier, but should be much meatier. Also friendly. Edit: Should add that the only person I know that's doing the sustainable eggs/meat/sales thing uses Buff Orpingtons to great success. Males are HUGE!

I have raised Black Australorps in the past. Very good bird. I have a Buff Orpington hen right now that is so big! She moves around great, but so huge. I got (2) Buffs from Mt Healthy hatchery in March. One is the same size as my Golden Comets. The other Buff Orpington is bigger than my Brahma's and Black Jersey Giants. Go figure.

I have been spending some time as of late researching Buckeyes. I am starting to really like these birds...

 

[thecatumbrella]

I got (2) Buffs from Mt Healthy hatchery in March. One is the same size as my Golden Comets. The other Buff Orpington is bigger than my Brahma's and Black Jersey Giants. Go figure.

This is exactly what happened with my Australorps, also from Mt Healthy. One was super svelte, and the other was like a walking Thanksgiving roast. Zero consistency.

The Buckeyes (and NH Reds) were a great suggestions!

 

[HVPastures]

This is exactly what happened with my Australorps, also from Mt Healthy. One was super svelte, and the other was like a walking Thanksgiving roast. Zero consistency.

The Buckeyes (and NH Reds) were a great suggestions!

I am combing the internet now for breeders just for that reason. I want to buy chicks or hatching eggs from a breeder in lieu of a hatchery. I found an American Breese breeder very very close to me. If her waiting list wasn't almost 2-years long, I would have probably already made the decision and bought the Breese from her. Now looking for Buckeye breeders close to area code 45106.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Here’s my shortlist:

Brahmas: big but slow growing, only an option if you’re okay with slaughter age at 6 months+. Slow growth allows them to develop flavour if fed well. The dark and blue varieties may be best for camouflage, and the big cocks can fight away smaller predators. Lay enough eggs and they’re nice eggs, and go broody to hatch out without fuss. Good parents and gentle usually. Not ideal for heavy clay or waterlogged soils as it gets in their foot feathers. Very cold and relatively heat hardy.


Orpingtons: largely on par with Brahmas but not quite as good in my books. Don’t have the foot feather problems but a bit less hardy. American strains don’t reach the weights they do in England, but Jersey giants may be a good substitute.

Bresse: if you find a black Bresse strain you get the same benefits as whites plus better free ranging camouflage. Lovely tasting meat, better growth rates but lower full size than Brahmas.

Marans: similar to the Bresse but slower growth rate and less flavour in the meat. Benefits include their fantastic eggs and they often go broody, depending on strain and hen. Cuckoos, coppers, all make good free rangers.

Crosses: one of my favourite dual purpose crosses is Brahmas crossed to more traditional laying hens. Cross to rocks, RIR, red sex links, or even Bresse for meat flavour. The crossing often increases growth rate while preserving the Brahama’s hardiness and skeleton size. Fantastic layers too, and they lose foot feathers (only have leg feathers) so have less issues in wet conditions.

Feel free to ask me more questions, as this is just me info dumping what came to my head first.