What breed of rooster?

[enel 1]

there are birds that grow out faster then others I have a dark Cornish roo that grew as fast as my white rocks and as big so he's a good one to breed with but I have others that do get big but much slower than some of my DP breeds. So if you can find a BQ pure dark Cornish as your roo then the offspring should be nice eaters.

 

[kfacres]

there are birds that grow out faster then others I have a dark Cornish roo that grew as fast as my white rocks and as big so he's a good one to breed with but I have others that do get big but much slower than some of my DP breeds. So if you can find a BQ pure dark Cornish as your roo then the offspring should be nice eaters.

My chicks start out small, tiny actually.. Most are hatched just barely bigger than a banty. They remain tiny until fully feathered out- and still remain tiny even after that point. About 2 or 3 months of age- they begin to take off and get chunky... Their size is illusional though- as they are hard feathered, and have zero fluffy.

I like my Cornish- and I would promote them to anyone wishing for a sustainable flock. I have a set of hens which trace way back to a set of hatchery hens (which I have been selling some eggs from)-- and they lay every bit as good as my BQ DP birds.

 

[enel 1]

My chicks start out small, tiny actually.. Most are hatched just barely bigger than a banty. They remain tiny until fully feathered out- and still remain tiny even after that point. About 2 or 3 months of age- they begin to take off and get chunky... Their size is illusional though- as they are hard feathered, and have zero fluffy.

I like my Cornish- and I would promote them to anyone wishing for a sustainable flock. I have a set of hens which trace way back to a set of hatchery hens (which I have been selling some eggs from)-- and they lay every bit as good as my BQ DP birds.

That's funny you say that because I got some DC eggs from a gal in NC and when they hatched I could of swore one of the chicks was a banty,I even told my ol lady that, I thought is was but all of a sudden it shot up like crazy and now is one of my bigger birds.they can be deceiving when there young. there also hard to sex when there young I have chicks that are 6 weeks old and I have one that is "kinda" feathering out like a pullet but its comb is turning a little red...i guess time will tell.

 

[debir1966]

Thanks for all the info! What about Black Broilers from Ideal Poultry? I have read they are slower growing and hoping that if I do not feed one of the roos growing food, he will do nicely for a rooster for my hens... and I love the pretty black plumage!

 

[DanIndiana]

I'm becoming more of a fan of the DP birds for meat all the time. Just because they're not the Cadillac of meat birds like the Cornish X, people sometimes act like they're worthless. I just culled some of our roosters at 14 weeks. They were right around 3 pounds dressed, and still tender enough to cook on the grill even. That's good enough for me. No huge breast of course, but one chicken was enough meat for my family of five for one meal. I just love the fact that they are hatched, raised, processed, and eaten right here. I don't think it gets any better than that. If I could plant some corn, etc. the total dollar costs could get close to zero. For me, it's much more fun than the 50 meaties I got waddling around that are like ticking time bombs.

 

[SIMZ]

From my limited experience our Black Copper Marans roosters have been great meat birds! They have lots of meat even fairly young. They are also very popular right now so it's fairly easy to sell extras if needed, too.

If you're looking for "nice" then it's probably hard to beat an Orpington. They're also decent for meat, pretty to look at, and can be very nice and calm. That's what we have for our resident rooster.

DanIndiana - I love the "ticking time bombs" description. Isn't that the truth? LOL