what is your favorite dual purpose bird

[roverjohn]

Quote:
Hey, I had a thought... hatcheries sell layers... and they sell the crosses for meaties... wouldn't it actually be in their favor to make good, but small, layers so that folks think the only way to get decent meaties is by ordering meatie chicks from them each year? Just an errant thought, and we all know I'm a paranoid nut... but still... an interesting theory. Wonder if any of them have ever thought of it even?

You're not paranoid. I'd bet their meaties are raised on a grassy knoll.

 

[knittychickadee]

Quote:
Can you compare your experiences with the Buckeye vs the Barred Rock? Hows the egg production and size on your buckeyes?

This is my first year with the Buckeyes and I have just started getting eggs in the last couple weeks. So I don't have much to tell you yet on that side of it. The Buckeyes are called dual purpose, but I think they lean more to the meaty side of dual purpose over the egg laying side. I don't know if it's possible to have both a great layer and great meat bird, one sides going to suffer a little I think. I wanted the Buckeye because they have a bit bigger breast than the Barred Rock (they are supposed to be built somewhat like the older 1905 looking Cornish) and they have a pea comb which will be nice with my winters. They are also supposed to be inclined to go broody and that was a plus for me, great foragers, plus I've found them to be very protective of each other. They've kicked the hind end of a couple cats that have gotten into their pasture, and a young hawk that cornered one against the fence ended up loosing a clump of his feathers and leaving without a dinner when the other cockerels in the pasture came to the rescue and attacked him. And let me tell you those Buckeye boys can make an eerie noise when they are upset.

Here's a couple pics of Buckeyes, one rottiseried and one not cooked yet-

 

[Jared77]

Thats what I'm after too a meatier bird with a decent rate of lay. I'm trying to do my research so I can make contacts with breeders this fall/winter to start this project in the spring. I don't expect a great rate of lay, just enough to incubate and hatch around 100 chicks in the spring with say no more than 8 hens. I don't think thats unreasonable. Those then go in the tractors in the horse pasture, then to the freezer in the fall. The rest of the year we have eggs to eat/sell/trade. That's our ultimate goal is to be self sustaining with regards to our livestock and our total number of breeders down too to be more cost efficient. As I said before not having to raise layers and meaties sepereately just a small flock of DPs as we're only feeding us.

I've honestly looked at a number of breeds. Delawares, BAs, BRs, NHs, Chanteclers, Wyandottes, Welsummers, Barnevelders, RIRs, Sussex, Marans, Buckeyes, Dominiques, I've even thought to cross a red broiler with a RIR just to get a more stable well fleshed out bird that lays a large egg. Trust me I've thought waaay too much about this

Its just nice to get some feedback from people who have experience with a certain breed because the hatchery stock lacks any real flesh, just a good rate of lay so hearing from people who have these breeds is always helpful.

 

[ShadyHoller]

Knittychickadee, those Buckeyes you pictured look to me like they have just about the perfect carcass proportions. Could you tell us how old they were at slaughter? My experience with traditional DP breeds (and with various cross-breeding among those traditional breeds) is that they mostly have narrow breasts with jutting keel-bones. I'd love to get some birds who plump out like that.

Still, my favorite is the Delaware/RIR cross... but I guess I already said that.

 

[knittychickadee]

The one on top was 14 wks and the bottom one was 16 wks. The ALBC (American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) spent several years doing a recovery program with Buckeyes, and they really culled hard for good, meaty growth in 16 weeks. Two of the strains I got have the ALBC strain in them.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Knitty- how are your Buckeyes at laying?

 

[speedy2020]

Have anyone order Delaware from Sandhill Preservation? If yes, how fast they are growing and laying egg?

 

[DIYSeattle]

I am looking at the same program for a dual purpose bird. I am trying to get the biggest meat, most eggs, quiestest and least flighty bird that I can find.

I keep comong back to Delawares, Welsummers, and Marans, BR, BA, RIR, and WR. Maybe a hydrid of these like the Delaware x RIR would work for me out of the most common breeds. I am in the city so I am on a much smaller area than most of you guys. I am also more limited in keeping breeding stock. I like the look sand meat build of the Buckeye and would like to have them but they dont lay as well as I would like from waht I have read and heard. Maybe crossing a Buckeye with a White Rock. I have more research to do to but its interesting reading what others are thinking also.

I also didnt want to keep ordering chicks, and being on a smaller area I cant order 200 chicks at a time which makes shipping a problem as even 25 is too many at one time for me unless I can find someone to go in with on. Still though Id rather work on my own than rely on an outside source for something that I can grow myself. It wont be as big and fast growing as the cornish x but it will hopefully have more flavor than the cornish x.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

My White rocks that i got last spring were a good dual purpose bird. They layed eggs the most frequent, also they tasted really good at 1 year old. The only problem is, that they are very aggresive with the other birds.

 

[DIYSeattle]

I think Rocks are aggressive with other birds. RIR are aggressive to a lesser degree arent they?