Western Rustics- How long do they live?

[PrairiePoultryMum]

I have purchased western rustics for meet birds but i am curious if i can keep a group of 4 of them for laying eggs to put in the incubator.
Is it just a matter of diet or should i cull at the 12 week recommended mark?
I would just like to stop purchasing meat birds if possible.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

I have purchased western rustics for meet birds but i am curious if i can keep a group of 4 of them for laying eggs to put in the incubator.
Is it just a matter of diet or should i cull at the 12 week recommended mark?
I would just like to stop purchasing meat birds if possible.

Where are you keeping them. If you keep them until they lay you will need a coop and nesting boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've never heard or Western Rustics. All I can find online is that Rochester Hatchery in Canada have them. I cannot find any real details so it's hard to know what is going on with them. My first suggestion is to contact the hatchery where you will get them and see what they say.

With what little information I can find they appear to be similar to what we call Rangers. But that's not enough information for me to be comfortable with any conclusions I might draw.

My second suggestion is to get some and try to breed them. See how they work out for you. Most meat birds are hybrids and do not breed true but they do have the genetics to make good meat birds. They should be better than the dual purpose breeds many of us use if you can keep them alive and hatch chicks.

 

[PrairiePoultryMum]

Where are you keeping them. If you keep them until they lay you will need a coop and nesting

Where are you keeping them. If you keep them until they lay you will need a coop and nesting boxes.

My meat birds always live in a coop with a run attached. I am not worried about housing them, I am curious if it ethical to keep them alive that long or should they be butchered.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first suggestion is still

contact the hatchery where you will get them and see what say.

That hatchery knows the Rustics' genetics. There may be some issues that might make breeding them problematic (for example, some Rangers have dwarfism bred into them, some don't)

I am curious if it ethical to keep them alive that long or should they be butchered.

Some people keep Ranger types (if those are Ranger types) to breed. My preferred method is to keep hens and breed them to a dual purpose rooster. You may need to restrict feed or rely heavily on them foraging for most of their food to keep them alive and healthy enough to lay eggs. Ranger types typically do not lay a lot of eggs.

If you feed them free choice with higher protein feed, they probably will grow so big they can break down or die. Feed restriction is probably a good idea.

As far as ethics, some people think they have been genetically modified by some type of gene surgery. They have not. They have been modified by selective breeding. Some think they are fed hormones. They are not. I don't know about Canada but in the US growth hormones for chickens were outlawed in the late 1950's. Growth hormones are not that easily given to chickens and with selective breeding they are not needed.

Chat with the hatchery and see what they say about keeping them for your goals. Maybe they will be helpful in telling you what you need to do to make your plan work. Or they may not even want to talk to you.