Thinking of getting more chickens

[Jesusfreak101]

My husband and i have discussed getting more chickens for meat solely as we have 18 egg laying hens. Seven of which are dual purpuse. We have 100foot wide and about 200 feet long area for them to be in. (Guessing based off fencing we used). Now we have to build a another coop or make it bigger either way we can do that. My question is how many can we get if we want the free ranging with the others as much as possible? I still feed ours growers feed, scratch(mostly grains very little corn) left overs, veggies and fruits. Oh and what breed will be the best chicken to get?

 

[keesmom]

Well, what sort of meat bird are you looking for? If you want the maximum amount of meat in the least amount of time on the least amount of feed, the Cornish X is hard to beat. They are ready to butcher around 8 weeks of age and are the same breed as the commercial chicken available in grocery store. However they are susceptible to heart and leg problems. Restricting their feed to just 12 hours a day and pasturing the birds can reduce those problems.

Red and Black broilers are slower growing alternatives as are Freedom Rangers. I have raised Freedom Rangers for the past 2 years and have been happy with them. They take a little longer (12-14 weeks), do not have the same health problems as the Cornish X, and have more flavor.

Then there are the dual purpose breeds. They do not excel in either the meat or egg department. They fall in the middle with good egg production along with decent meat production. It takes much longer to grow them out for meat, and there will be far less than you would find on a Cornish X. But they make outstanding stocks, soups, stews and canned chicken.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

We already have some rir and bar rocks they very young about two months old. I want to get some sole meat birds because i not going to kill a bird that will give me eggs as long as they produce. I know delewares are out in meat because my husband gets attached to those to easly we have three, two are hens and he adores them one a rooster and i feel bad as it is that he going to freezer boot camp because of aggression. My husband loves him but he been forced to choose between us (my two year old and me, he attack me not her thankfully) and the rooster. So i kinda want a almost a bird thats not friend but i like them being easy to catch.

 

[donrae]

Try a small batch of Cornish cross, like only 5 or so. See how you like them. 5 is manageable to raise and to butcher in one day. If you're happy with them, get a few more. If you're not happy with them, go with a slow broiler like the Rangers or some colored broiler from different hatcheries. There's no "perfect" bird, it's going to be what works well for you at this time. That said, being in Texas you'll probably not want to try Cornish cross in mid-summer, they don't handle heat well. Late fall or early spring would be best.

When planning your number of meaties to get, also keep in mind freezer space.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Thats a good ideal, i just dont know mich about meat birds.