What I would love to see

[becky3086]

That would be the same with me but I still think that would give us some idea of which dual purpose chickens we might like to try for meat.

 

[MissPrissy]

Dual purpose does not mean the same thing as dual purpose did before the introduction of broilers in the grocery store in the 70's.

Nearly any large heavy breed is labled by the hatchery as 'dual purpose'.

Most people who cross and breed out other birds for meat don't lable them dual purpose as the standard is lost in this day and age.

Raising a 'dual purpose' breed with the intent to have good meat and eggs is a waste of one or the other. No dual purpose breed will give you good meat to bone ratio at an early enough age to make it effective to bother breeding them. By the time the females are laying age they are approaching the age when their meat will be good only for stewing. Once their laying days are over again you only have a stewing bird.

Simple because a birs is not big and white won't make is not a broiler either. Broilers actually come in many colors. It is the commercial birds and big hatchery birds that are mostly white as most Americans are turned off by the pigment left in the skin of a dark feathered bird.

 

[becky3086]

I really don't care what we call them. I just mean birds that aren't broilers.

 

[MissPrissy]

Any photo of large fowl on BYC meets your criteria then.

 

[DuckLady]

So is the best way to explain it is not that a dual purpose bird is dual purpose as an individual, but as a flock as a whole?

Is that right? I have been confused about that as well.

You order say 50 straight run buff orps from the hatchery as they are a "dual purpose bird" and you decide the all roos are for processing and say you are keeping 12 hens for eggs and perhaps future stewing. And you raise them accordingly.

It is not to say Henny Penny over there will make a tasty roaster once her egglaying days are over. But young cockeral here will make a nice dinner if fed for that purpose and processed at 16 weeks (or whatever is proper).

You choose a breed as an all around dual purpose and then catagorize them further depending on your needs.

Right? huh?

 

[becky3086]

Ugg! Ok, put it this way

. I would love to see any birds that you have processed that aren't broilers before and after they are processed so we can get an idea of what besides broilers might make a good meat bird.
Not everything has to be a debate of what a chicken is called.

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:
Not a debate here at all. Just offering detailed explanations so you (and others learning here, like me) can make good choices. I like to know as much as I can to learn better.

 

[MissPrissy]

Non-broiler chickens I have processed -

Blue/Black/Splash and Buff Orpingtons

Red Sex Links

We have also done Partridge Rocks, Cuckoo Marans, Barred Rocks.

They all look the same around 10 - 14 weeks when dressed.

If you have seen or dressed one you have seen everything there is to see.

No one is trying to debate with you but I think you are expecting to see something that just isn't there.

 

[becky3086]

Well, I have seen and dressed several and they certainly didn't all come out the same. No they don't look like cornish but some are definitely better than others.
Thanks for the pictures. That is what I was hoping to see but I am not expecting anything. Just want everyone to be able to see for themselves what these birds look like dressed.

 

[77horses]

Nah. In my opinion, I wouldn't want to see a dead bird after it's killed. that's just my opinion anyway.