What are meat birds

[Auntsally]

What breeds? I have a mix off chickens mainly for eggs and cause I like the look off them they are my pets two Opingtons and 4 Cochins and mixed breeds not sure what they are but they just look like the traditional chickens my Opingtons are new only 6 months old have not laid anything yet but only had them two days my Cochins 3 off them are 6 months the other 12 month I’ve had them a week no eggs there either are these what you would call meat birds instead off layers ? I’m just happy to have them cause they look cute snd nice would like though a egg or two from them like my others give me loads off eggs could be cause these new ones are new or young or just meat bird sorry I’m just curious what you would call a meat bird , I’m not wanting them for meat if they are , but it might explain why they are not laying any eggs

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Cochins and Orpingtons are called dual purpose breeds. They can lay and will have some meat on them.

Meat birds are generally Cornish or crosses with them as they are meatier breeds, and mature more quickly. Any chicken can be eaten. It's just different degrees of meat produced by different breeds.

 

[Auntsally]

Cochins and Orpingtons are called dual purpose breeds. They can lay and will have some meat on them.

Meat birds are generally Cornish or crosses with them as they are meatier breeds, and mature more quickly. Any chicken can be eaten. It's just different degrees of meat produced by different breeds.

Thanks for your quick reply

 

[3KillerBs]

The Cornish X meat chicken is a multi-line hybrid developed over decades to produce the most possible meat in the shortest possible time with the greatest possible feed conversion efficiency.

Any chicken can be raised and eaten for meat, but some turn feed into meat more effectively than others and no animal in the history of the earth has ever done that better than the modern Cornish X.

There are other common meat birds, noteably the assorted "Rangers" or "Colored Broilers", which have been bred with more emphasis on suitability to pastured conditions. They take longer and consume more feed in reaching the same butchering weight, but some prefer them because they suit either their philosophy of chicken keeping or their management system better than the Cornish X do.

 

[RUNuts]

What breeds? I have a mix off chickens mainly for eggs and cause I like the look off them they are my pets two Opingtons and 4 Cochins and mixed breeds not sure what they are but they just look like the traditional chickens my Opingtons are new only 6 months old have not laid anything yet but only had them two days my Cochins 3 off them are 6 months the other 12 month I’ve had them a week no eggs there either are these what you would call meat birds instead off layers ? I’m just happy to have them cause they look cute snd nice would like though a egg or two from them like my others give me loads off eggs could be cause these new ones are new or young or just meat bird sorry I’m just curious what you would call a meat bird , I’m not wanting them for meat if they are , but it might explain why they are not laying any eggs

Yes, all chickens can be eaten. The meat birds are bred for speed and feed conversion. We eat the others too.

If you are in the northern hemisphere with the waning light, your 6 month olds may wait for spring to lay. The 12 month olds may be getting accustomed to the new place. Are any molting?

My 12 have started molting and I didn't get eggs yesterday. Got 3 this morning, and haven't checked this evening. Feathers everywhere.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting question. As usual I can't give a simple answer. "Meat Bird" doesn't always mean the same thing to everyone on here. To me there are three different types of meat birds.

1. They might be called Cornish X, Cornish Cross, or Cornish Rock. It is not really a breed but more of a type but that is just being precise, doesn't really matter. This is the chicken you probably buy at the store. As mentioned above, excellent meat production, often ready for butcher at 6 to 8 weeks depending how you feed and manage them. You do not raise these for egg production, they are the meat specialists. They grow so fast it can be hard to keep then alive past 8 to 10 weeks of age.

2. Often called some kind of Ranger but can have other marketing names. Also not a breed but a type. They develop slower than the Cornish Cross and were developed to take better advantage of pasturing. They still are a very good meat bird. You also do not raise these for egg production. They are meat specialists but not as much and are more durable than Cornish X.

3. There are so many different breeds of Dual Purpose I'm not gong to even start mentioning them. These are the more typical "homestead" or "farm" chickens you often see on TV or in movies that farmers raise. They provide a fair amount of eggs and a fair amount of meat, but are not anywhere close to the efficiency of the Cornish X or Rangers for meat or the egg laying chickens for eggs. Just a good all-purpose chicken. I raise these as my neat birds

Nor all dual purpose are breeds either. Many of us raise mixed breed chickens as dual purpose. Some might be crosses of specific breeds, some may be what we often call barnyard crosses or mutts. Dual Purpose covers a lot of territory. To complicate it even more, with many dual purpose breeds you may have full sized chickens or bantams. Bantams are miniature versions of full-sized fowl of that breed. If your Cochin and Orpington are full-sized they would be considered dual purpose. If they are bantam I would consider them decorative. They still lay eggs and you can eat them, but that's not what people would typically raise if meat or eggs were the only considerations.

Then there ae those not considered meat birds. The Commercial Layers are also not a breed but a type. They have been developed purely for egg laying. They are excellent at converting what they eat into eggs. Their small bodies do not produce much meat. Some breeds are better for laying than meat, like the Leghorn.

Another broad category are the decorative breeds. They were developed more for beauty or uniqueness than egg or meat production. Many are bantam but certainly not all. Some might have strange feathering like Silkies or the long tail like the Phoenix. Some may have strange features like the Polish crest around the head.

You can eat any of them. They all can lay eggs or there would be no eggs to hatch but some of these don't produce much meat and do not lay many eggs and some lay really small eggs. These are very broad categories. There is a lot of crossover between them. There are specialists, like the roosters raised for their feathers to make fishing lures. You just can't cover them all.

When someone on here talks about "meat birds" I don't always know what breed or type they are talking about. You might notice some of us ask for clarification because you do raise and manage them differently. At the end of the day all these are chickens but, man, what a variety!

 

[Auntsally]

Yes, all chickens can be eaten. The meat birds are bred for speed and feed conversion. We eat the others too.

If you are in the northern hemisphere with the waning light, your 6 month olds may wait for spring to lay. The 12 month olds may be getting accustomed to the new place. Are any molting?

My 12 have started molting and I didn't get eggs yesterday. Got 3 this morning, and haven't checked this evening. Feathers everywhere.

Hi yes I’ve got the older one 12 months she’s moulting

 

[Auntsally]

Interesting question. As usual I can't give a simple answer. "Meat Bird" doesn't always mean the same thing to everyone on here. To me there are three different types of meat birds.

1. They might be called Cornish X, Cornish Cross, or Cornish Rock. It is not really a breed but more of a type but that is just being precise, doesn't really matter. This is the chicken you probably buy at the store. As mentioned above, excellent meat production, often ready for butcher at 6 to 8 weeks depending how you feed and manage them. You do not raise these for egg production, they are the meat specialists. They grow so fast it can be hard to keep then alive past 8 to 10 weeks of age.

2. Often called some kind of Ranger but can have other marketing names. Also not a breed but a type. They develop slower than the Cornish Cross and were developed to take better advantage of pasturing. They still are a very good meat bird. You also do not raise these for egg production. They are meat specialists but not as much and are more durable than Cornish X.

3. There are so many different breeds of Dual Purpose I'm not gong to even start mentioning them. These are the more typical "homestead" or "farm" chickens you often see on TV or in movies that farmers raise. They provide a fair amount of eggs and a fair amount of meat, but are not anywhere close to the efficiency of the Cornish X or Rangers for meat or the egg laying chickens for eggs. Just a good all-purpose chicken. I raise these as my neat birds

Nor all dual purpose are breeds either. Many of us raise mixed breed chickens as dual purpose. Some might be crosses of specific breeds, some may be what we often call barnyard crosses or mutts. Dual Purpose covers a lot of territory. To complicate it even more, with many dual purpose breeds you may have full sized chickens or bantams. Bantams are miniature versions of full-sized fowl of that breed. If your Cochin and Orpington are full-sized they would be considered dual purpose. If they are bantam I would consider them decorative. They still lay eggs and you can eat them, but that's not what people would typically raise if meat or eggs were the only considerations.

Then there ae those not considered meat birds. The Commercial Layers are also not a breed but a type. They have been developed purely for egg laying. They are excellent at converting what they eat into eggs. Their small bodies do not produce much meat. Some breeds are better for laying than meat, like the Leghorn.

Another broad category are the decorative breeds. They were developed more for beauty or uniqueness than egg or meat production. Many are bantam but certainly not all. Some might have strange feathering like Silkies or the long tail like the Phoenix. Some may have strange features like the Polish crest around the head.

You can eat any of them. They all can lay eggs or there would be no eggs to hatch but some of these don't produce much meat and do not lay many eggs and some lay really small eggs. These are very broad categories. There is a lot of crossover between them. There are specialists, like the roosters raised for their feathers to make fishing lures. You just can't cover them all.

When someone on here talks about "meat birds" I don't always know what breed or type they are talking about. You might notice some of us ask for clarification because you do raise and manage them differently. At the end of the day all these are chickens but, man, what a variety!

Thanks ! for the info very interesting read, thanks again for takeing the time explaining it for me I’m learning so much on here

 

[Weetamoo93]

A lot of great replies, but are you asking if they are "meat birds" due to lack of eggs? If so, no. Even breeds selected for meat will lay eggs, just not in the quantity of breeds selected for eggs.

@RUNuts post is probably why your chicks aren't laying, among other potential reasons. Chickens naturally slack off in winter due to less light, a remnant of their ancestral breeding season. Moulting takes a LOT of energy, so if they are in moult the energy that would be used to lay is deferred to a new cover of feathers. The reason they are not laying could even be a question of nutrition or genetics.

I think your question is more: "Why aren't my chicks laying yet?" which is better answered in the Egg-Laying and Behavior section.

 

[Pye Wacket]

I kept Buff Orpingtons and I used them for both eggs and meat. They are more like the chickens I used to get as a kid. Today's commercial Frankenchickens, half a breast is the size of a whole breast from a big "old-style" bird, LOL!