Want Heritage Chicken 's that are good for meat, help?

[Nicholie Olie]

@ ScottnLydia thanks so much for all the information, was super helpful. And thanks to everyone for responding! Sorry for such the late reply, was busy doing some research >

 

[aoxa]

I like creating my own cross. Anything with barred rock is my go to for meat. I just love the breed, and when I crossed them to my cochin hens, I had some great girls and some very fast maturing boys who never crowed at all, and were very friendly. I butchered them between 19-21 weeks. I have some more growing up now.

 

[Island Roo]

I like creating my own cross. Anything with barred rock is my go to for meat. I just love the breed, and when I crossed them to my cochin hens, I had some great girls and some very fast maturing boys who never crowed at all, and were very friendly. I butchered them between 19-21 weeks. I have some more growing up now.

I was going to I cross my Brahma roosters with my Columbian Rock girls. Or does it work better to use a Rock rooster with a "something else" hen?

The Brahmas has been good meet birds for me at 20 weeks. This is my first batch of Columbians and they are growing quite fast.

I'm just learning about breeding / crossing...

 

[delisha]

You can't beat a White Rock as a dual purpose bird. It is a great bird for ranging. It can put on most of its weight just by foraging. They are a great economical bird. Good layers and mothers. I have crossed WR with just about every thing and have not been disappointed. They are a hearty breed. I have some WR that are 6 years old and still producing like clock work. A beautiful bird.


These are WR crossed with BR at 7 weeks they are the size of an average bird.

 

[aoxa]

I was going to I cross my Brahma roosters with my Columbian Rock girls. Or does it work better to use a Rock rooster with a "something else" hen? The Brahmas has been good meet birds for me at 20 weeks. This is my first batch of Columbians and they are growing quite fast. I'm just learning about breeding / crossing...

Well the brahmas are very similar in build to the cochins, so I don't see why not. Rocks are wonderful dual purpose birds. Whatever colour you like best in them works well. I like barred, but it is slower growing than say a white rock.. At least from what I've heard. I've also read that Silver Pencilled is slow growing. I used a rock rooster to my cochin hens. He is larger than all my other Plymouth Rocks, and does not have great barring, but has a temperament that I really wanted to replicate - and sisters that lay comparable to a red sex link. I tried to only collect my biggest cochin hen's eggs (she is very precise where she lays), and have hatched out 20 of these guys this year. My boys weighed close to 7 pounds dressed.

Here is the father with a 15 week old son on the left.

The girls at the same age.

 

[blaundee]

White Rocks. Always need those on a list such as you are making.

May I ask, why White Rocks? (I have the same thoughts as the OP, something that can be regenerated- but I'd like something that isn't too slow growing,a nd that gets big for the amount of feed I'll have to put into it- and I can't free range my birds, too many predators)

 

[blaundee]

What about Aseels? Has anyone here eaten them, or crosses of them? I have a nice trio of the large Aseels (not the little show birds, these are the big 10lb fighting birds). The rooster was 9 lbs last fall when he was about 8 months old, I havent weighed him again but he has grown taller and stronger since then. The hens are large and heavy, too, and I would like to cross the rooster on my hatchery layers (Rocks, Australorps). He is heavier than my Cochin roosters, and grew faster than the Cochins, though they reached breeding age several months sooner than he did. (I was told that Aseels dont reach full maturity until they are 3 years old, where most other birds reach full maturity by 2yo)

 

[aoxa]

What about Aseels? Has anyone here eaten them, or crosses of them? I have a nice trio of the large Aseels (not the little show birds, these are the big 10lb fighting birds). The rooster was 9 lbs last fall when he was about 8 months old, I havent weighed him again but he has grown taller and stronger since then. The hens are large and heavy, too, and I would like to cross the rooster on my hatchery layers (Rocks, Australorps). He is heavier than my Cochin roosters, and grew faster than the Cochins, though they reached breeding age several months sooner than he did. (I was told that Aseels dont reach full maturity until they are 3 years old, where most other birds reach full maturity by 2yo)

I don't know about aseels, but my cochin crosses grew super fast. They were double the size of their hatch mates at 15 weeks. Nearly double.. I had them with naked necks and pure barred rocks, and both were much smaller.

 

[kingsfarm]

am living in a hot climate, Louisiana, barred rocks are a "cajun" chicken from of old...have just bought 20 pullets...Have 2 beautiful HUGE buff orpington roos to mate them with....what can I expect from this.? Looking for the "basic" breed for my flock...Not too happy with the orp. hens....RIRs do better for eggs...not meat ..Had ISAs..will cull them as the cooler weather comes in...so far I think thats it for a southern little farm. I keep 3 game hens , they are the Broodies personna..Ha. I can depend on them and they really are hardy-free rangers, scrappy little things when protecting their chicks...THEY STAY..Ha.
anyone else from Louisiana, what breed do you use...(I was advised about the barred rocks I sure hope the info is correct or will send to freezer camp) advise please

 

[aoxa]

am living in a hot climate, Louisiana, barred rocks are a "cajun" chicken from of old...have just bought 20 pullets...Have 2 beautiful HUGE buff orpington roos to mate them with....what can I expect from this.?  Looking for the "basic" breed for my flock...Not too happy with the orp. hens....RIRs do better for eggs...not meat ..Had ISAs..will cull them as the cooler weather comes in...so far I think thats it for a southern little farm.  I keep 3 game hens , they are the Broodies personna..Ha.  I can depend on them and they really are hardy-free rangers, scrappy little things when protecting their chicks...THEY STAY..Ha.
anyone else from Louisiana, what breed do you use...(I was advised about the barred rocks I sure hope the info is correct or will send to freezer camp)    advise please

What's great about your situation is you can make a sex link cross out of this. I'm sure there will be a good size to them as well. Depending on where your flock originated. They weren't from hatcheries were they?