What is the best meat breed for me?

[al6517]

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X10
Good breeder quality standard Cornish will fit the bill perfectly for what you want. Hearty birds, great tasting meat and plenty of it. they will breed true, .........please stay away from anything hatchery sourced you will not get anything close to a real cornish and will be very disappointed.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
X10
Good breeder quality standard Cornish will fit the bill perfectly for what you want. Hearty birds, great tasting meat and plenty of it. they will breed true, .........please stay away from anything hatchery sourced you will not get anything close to a real cornish and will be very disappointed.

So Al, can you tell us where one can get some good breeder stock.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
X10
Good breeder quality standard Cornish will fit the bill perfectly for what you want. Hearty birds, great tasting meat and plenty of it. they will breed true, .........please stay away from anything hatchery sourced you will not get anything close to a real cornish and will be very disappointed.

So Al, can you tell us where one can get some good breeder stock.

I should have some good stuff available this coming spring, I am still hatching and culling and working with all of the better ones. I should have WLR's and Darks available, my whites aren't in the numbers I need to sell any just yet. All will be SQ with all the best traits and excelent bloodlines.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Don't know if you are interested in a dual purpose bird, but I'll share this, just in case you go this route.

I got some Rocks this spring and obviously, they are from different strains. One strain is a pretty, but somewhat slight modern laying oriented bird. The other strain is just plain, old fashioned, HUGE!!!! There are Rocks out there, White and Barred, that are really full bodied, old fashioned birds. I understand your wanting a modern meat bird, but thought I'd mention the old stand-by Rock.

 

[galanie]

Ah, if only we could just go down to the chicken store and get some of those great breed lines. It's funny, but when I was a child there was a hatchery in walking distance and you could pretty much do just that (in the 1950's). So sad that all those little places are gone now.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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I agree with Illia. Overall my favorite for a dual purpose (leaning on the meat side) is Sussex. I have found through trial and testing that the Sussex seem to have the biggest cavity and end up a larger carcass overall but they are slower growing and the egg size is only on the medium size. They are a very hardy bird for me and lay well in all extremes .

Dels, RIR's and Rocks (gosh don't forget the Rocks) and even Turkens which lay a very nice egg.

I have never raised Dorkings, good to know they are a good choice for dual purpose.

And AL-- PM me when you have eggs or chicks in the spring. Those would definitely be the way to go-- so hurry up already, I am no spring chicken myself !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[[.........Dorkings, good to know they are a good choice for dual purpose.......]]]]]

Polite correction. I recommended Dorkings as meat birds, not dual purpose.

 

[Jared77]

Why do you consider the Dorking a meat bird and not dual purpose? I'm not defending them, I've never kept them I'm just curious why you say that.

 

[Tracydr]

Interesting that you mention the naked necks. I used to have some and always thought they would make a good dual purpose bird, especially for hotter climates. They are a gentle, big breed, lay a nice big brown egg. They are a really big bird and mine always ranged well. They were hardy, too. They handled the bitter winds and fairly cold temperatures in OK without difficulty. I think they are often overlooked and considered a novelty but they have some highly desirable traits. Too bad they're so ugly only a mother can love them. Of course, the naked neck gen does make them easier to pluck.

Quote:
I agree with Illia. Overall my favorite for a dual purpose (leaning on the meat side) is Sussex. I have found through trial and testing that the Sussex seem to have the biggest cavity and end up a larger carcass overall but they are slower growing and the egg size is only on the medium size. They are a very hardy bird for me and lay well in all extremes .

Dels, RIR's and Rocks (gosh don't forget the Rocks) and even Turkens which lay a very nice egg.

I have never raised Dorkings, good to know they are a good choice for dual purpose.

And AL-- PM me when you have eggs or chicks in the spring. Those would definitely be the way to go-- so hurry up already, I am no spring chicken myself !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Citron_d'uccle]

I have found a local breeder that I am told is very reputable. He is currently offering Barnevelders, Speckled Sussex, Golden Sexlinks, Barred Rocks, and RIR from 4 to 8 weeks in age as well as some that are 6 months old. Any ideas?