what is the best meat bird that I can hatch myself?

[TimG]

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These crosses may serve your purposes well, but they will not resemble the commercial Cornish Crosses, nor match them in growth and size.

 

[chickensrfood]

I am no expert but wouldn't the standard Cornish be your best bet to breed as a self sustaining meat bird? The hens can even hatch their own eggs.

 

[TimG]

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They don't lay many of their own eggs, do they?

Also, I seem to think from my reading that good examples are rather hard to find.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

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TURKEYS

 

[Dogfish]

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TURKEYS

.....and turkeys are pretty cool birds, temperment wise.

 

[irf1983]

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TURKEYS

There's an idea. How old do turkeys need to be before slaughter? And do they need the same housing requirements as chickens? How do they coexist with chickens?

 

[Buster52]

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No.

 

[Buster52]

My standard reply...

I like the standard Dark Cornish due to their breast meat. Most often mentioned are standard Cornish, Delaware, Buckeyes, and Rocks (white, barred, etc.). All of these grow comparatively fast (compared to other standard and heritage breeds) and get to a decent size.

 

[irf1983]

Well i just spoke to JM hatchery and FRs cannot be bred true. Has anybody had experience raising orpingtons or standard rocks as meat birds?

 

[MrChicken207]

Quote:
These crosses may serve your purposes well, but they will not resemble the commercial Cornish Crosses, nor match them in growth and size.

Nor will they be as prone to some of the problems that commercial cornish cross have, especially if I feed them a slightly lower protein grower (16-18%).