What Breed of chicken do I need?

[Chickengirl1304]

I want to use my chickens for meat and also produce eggs. Currently I have Rhode Island's red and also barred rocks. Are these chickens good to eat? They lay wonderfully so I love that aspect. If they are good to eat, how old should they be when I butcher? I was thinking it would work well when they're about 1.5-2years old as their egg production will slow. Any thoughts?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Broilers or fryers are best when the birds are young, at 17 weeks, give or take. Older hens make spectacular broth, and the taste is wonderfully rich, richer than store bought chicken. However, you'll likely want to cook an old bird slowly, slowly, slowly. Pressure cooking also works well.

 

[FirewifeJess]

From what I've heard and read about, older birds (2+ years) don't have great meat because it's tough by that age, but you could always cull the bird and throw it in the crock pot for some perpetual broth (I've been doing this a while a LOVE love love the health benefits of it); if you want to order some chicks to double as both egg layers and meat birds, I'd simply look into a fast growing dual purpose breed, like THIS DEAL here. HTH!