Sustainable Meat / Standard Bred Dual Purpose Bird Thread.

[abbevilleoz]

My favorite right now is White American Bresse. They are growth at decent rate and ready approximately 16-20 weeks. I haven't taste Blue Bresse or Black Bresse yet so not sure.

Are you finishing them on milk?

 

[speedy2020]

Quote:
. No. I didn't want to go through the trouble since they are with my layer hens. They eat what ever feed available with the block.

 

[eldonrgv]

Just joining the gang. Right now I have 9 chicks hatched on 2/7 got another 8 eggs on lockdown due on 2/15 and another 12 due on 2/22. This are crosses of DC with WPR and Madisons. Glad I found this thread.

 

[Our Roost]

I am wondering what breed of sustainable chicken meat is in your oven right now? Grocery store bought I'll guess. Have you created anything worth sustaining? There is a large number of standard bred dual purpose breeds readily available to work with. The Cornish x was a great creation and had become the major meat producing bird breed we are currently still eating, Surely not what grandma used to make eh! The desire to raise my own utility breed for personal use has been my goal.
I read a growth rate chart with several breeds mentioned and one very popular breed caught my attention by the comment attached to it. Tastes good at any age! The article was in reference to heritage breeds. Heritage breeds fall within a category and specific time period. It dictates the makings and guidelines of such breeds classified as heritage breeds. I found that all these birds were used for dual purpose and also, they were mostly slow growers. In other words, they at not 8 week or 12 week fryers!
I like a nice plump chicken that carries its weight distribution throughout its body to the legs and thighs. Nothing should go to waste, right? Utility breeding was done by many farmers taking different stock types and cross breeding them until they produced a suitable table fare for either eggs or meat, or both. The effort was to reproduce their prototype with a repeat model. Welcome dual purpose and heritage breeds. Thanks to those dedicated farmers and entrepeneurs. Who cares about the spelling, thanks.
So we know birds are slow growing outside the Cornish masterpiece that is deteriorating in the food chain. Its just a matter of coming to grips what to create or choose that is already made. Tastes good at any age was one of my choices for crossbreeding and utility breeding. This spring I will use the best of that breed from my coop and cross with another fine specimen in hopes of a suitable bird worthy of table fare to eat and produce eggs.

 

[DesertChic]

I haven't posted here in quite a while, but I'm happy to report that I'm continuing to see significant improvement in growth rates and size in my Naked Necks. I still prefer the flavor of birds given more time to grow so I don't typically process any of my birds before 21 weeks, but here are a few birds I'm hoping to continue to breed:

My current favorite cockerel from my most recent hatch - Tank weighed in at 2.2 lbs @ 6 weeks:


And also Lenny = 1.9 lbs @ 6 weeks:



Of the females I've hatched, there are a few that stand out to me:

Willa, who up until this most recent hatch was the largest girl with the best growth rate = 1.25 lbs @ 6 weeks


And from my most recent hatch:
Trixie = 1.59 lbs @ 6 weeks


Buffy = 1.52 lbs @ 6 weeks:


And Saffron = 1.45 lbs @ 6 weeks:

 

[Our Roost]

Hello again! My gosh, I remember when you started with these birds. At 21 weeks they must be worth the wait! I hear good things about these birds but I cant bring myself to own any. Its neck looks like an easy target for an axe! Just kidding of course, but its the truth. Are you raising any other meat birds or is this your bread and butter bird?

 

[DesertChic]

Hello again! My gosh, I remember when you started with these birds. At 21 weeks they must be worth the wait! I hear good things about these birds but I cant bring myself to own any. Its neck looks like an easy target for an axe! Just kidding of course, but its the truth. Are you raising any other meat birds or is this your bread and butter bird?

The NNs are my primary meat and egg birds, with most of my girls laying upwards of 200 X-Lg eggs per year, but I'm also beginning to breed Silver Grey Dorkings as my heritage breed. Although I have a variety of other birds roaming around here, they're basically for additional eggs and entertainment, from my frizzled EEs to my little Silkie and a few birds that I hatched for the sole purpose of crossing with my NNs to improve size. As they age and their laying begins to slow I butcher them to help keep flock size within a slightly more controllable range.

 

[Our Roost]

DesertChic, ya know, I get frustrated when a good chicken starts to decrease in their egg production. Usually around 3 years of age. I found that orpingtons taste good at most any age so I tend to keep them longer even if they slow down in egg laying. I have one that is 6 years old and still laying a couple eggs a week. I couldn't eat here if I wanted to if ya know what I mean.
Dorkings are a good bird and a fine heritage breed. I think you will enjoy them, keep me posted if you so remember.
I went with Malines for my meat bird but had bad luck, so I opted to crossbreed with one of their parent breeds before they all died on me. Luckily, some of the offspring from the cross look just like a Malines in size and features. I am happy and will cross these with my blue Orpingtons this spring. I am excited to see what happens and what transfers. Hoping to get some tasty birds with better and healthier progenies. Good luck with your controllable range!

 

[cactusrota]

I am wondering what breed of sustainable chicken meat is in your oven right now? Grocery store bought I'll guess. Have you created anything worth sustaining? There is a large number of standard bred dual purpose breeds readily available to work with. The Cornish x was a great creation and had become the major meat producing bird breed we are currently still eating, Surely not what grandma used to make eh! The desire to raise my own utility breed for personal use has been my goal.
I read a growth rate chart with several breeds mentioned and one very popular breed caught my attention by the comment attached to it. Tastes good at any age! The article was in reference to heritage breeds. Heritage breeds fall within a category and specific time period. It dictates the makings and guidelines of such breeds classified as heritage breeds. I found that all these birds were used for dual purpose and also, they were mostly slow growers. In other words, they at not 8 week or 12 week fryers!
I like a nice plump chicken that carries its weight distribution throughout its body to the legs and thighs. Nothing should go to waste, right? Utility breeding was done by many farmers taking different stock types and cross breeding them until they produced a suitable table fare for either eggs or meat, or both. The effort was to reproduce their prototype with a repeat model. Welcome dual purpose and heritage breeds. Thanks to those dedicated farmers and entrepeneurs. Who cares about the spelling, thanks.
So we know birds are slow growing outside the Cornish masterpiece that is deteriorating in the food chain. Its just a matter of coming to grips what to create or choose that is already made. Tastes good at any age was one of my choices for crossbreeding and utility breeding. This spring I will use the best of that breed from my coop and cross with another fine specimen in hopes of a suitable bird worthy of table fare to eat and produce eggs.

This is pretty much my goal. My own personal "landrace" with our 5 acre property being the "land" part.

My husband is allergic to eggs. He can eat them if they're blended into cake mixes and such, but because of that we don't go through that many eggs. But I refuse to buy eggs at the store. So my focus is going to be 30% egg production and 70% meat production, give or take. I also want a bird I really like looking at, so color/pattern/physique is still important, too.
We've been on the road as semi owner-operators for the last few years, but we're quitting that, so I'm basically starting from scratch. I'm not new to chicken keeping, but selective breeding will be a fun new adventure for me. I found this group looking for some reports on how peoples breeding projects worked and how different crosses dressed out for the table. But so far it's seems to mostly be what eggs were incubating and what plans people had with no updates.
Here's hoping there'll be more updates this year!

 

[lpatelski]

Just put 20 eggs in 3/12/17 @ 7:30pm. They will be moved to the hatcher 3/30/17. Dark Cornish over DC/CX mix.