What meat bird should I go with?

[TyRi]

I will be posting this in the other groups to get the most eyes on it and don’t necessarily know where it goes so, apologies if that’s wrong! I recently have gotten 18 egg layer chickens Mar 2. Originally was supposed to be max of 10 so you may see where this is going lol. I have been nosing around for meat bird ideas since my fiancée has named and loves all the egg layers so no eating them! I was hoping for some suggestions or advice to what way I should go. I am leaning quail with how quickly they grow/ease of processing but have also pondered chukar or just meat chickens. More eggs/small eggs would also be nice for protein for chickens and dogs (if thats okay??) Also if i wanted to experiment, I have seen the stacked cages could I stack or have in proximity the quail and chukar? Figured to have them in rabbit hutch style unless I do more chickens. Also wide open to any and all suggestions I have talked about and may add as more thoughts enter! Thanks!

 

[AGeese]

I free range so couldn't advise you on confined chickens, but the minimum space per chicken would be larger than a rabbit hutch.

 

[TyRi]

I free range so couldn't advise you on confined chickens, but the minimum space per chicken would be larger than a rabbit hutch.

Oh I absolutely wouldn’t stick chickens in a rabbit hutch. I said i would do rabbit hutch style for quail!

 

[TesoroSena]

I will be posting this in the other groups to get the most eyes on it and don’t necessarily know where it goes so, apologies if that’s wrong! I recently have gotten 18 egg layer chickens Mar 2. Originally was supposed to be max of 10 so you may see where this is going lol. I have been nosing around for meat bird ideas since my fiancée has named and loves all the egg layers so no eating them! I was hoping for some suggestions or advice to what way I should go. I am leaning quail with how quickly they grow/ease of processing but have also pondered chukar or just meat chickens. More eggs/small eggs would also be nice for protein for chickens and dogs (if thats okay??) Also if i wanted to experiment, I have seen the stacked cages could I stack or have in proximity the quail and chukar? Figured to have them in rabbit hutch style unless I do more chickens. Also wide open to any and all suggestions I have talked about and may add as more thoughts enter! Thanks!

I have been breeding meat birds for around 3 years now, i have figured out that New Hampshire reds are my favorite. We started out with Cornish x but they had many health issues and honestly their meat wasn’t as good because they were too fat to get up and free range or eat grass or really anything. They were also kinda mean.
Later we turned to NHR and found they are so much better, especially if you eat more dark meat. They love free ranging, they roost, and are just as big. Instead of 10 weeks I recommend keeping for 12-14, they do grow to the same large size, but take slightly longer. Their muscle growth is mainly on the wings, thighs, and their legs compete with our turkey legs. Their bones are much bigger, the only downside is their breasts are not abnormally big. Their tenderloins are delicious though. Their meat quality is overall great.
As for the breeding side, they lay around 4-5 eggs a week, which is better than a lot of meat birds. Their fertility is also better since they are more active and not so fat they can’t mate. On the downside poppy butts are common with these, just as every other meat bird. Due to their large size and since I have a younger sister we were looking for chickens who would have a good temperament, and these chickens are very sweet. We spend time with them, yes, but they will come sit in your lap, even with their size.
If you have an specific questions feel free to ask me here or PM me!

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are three basic types of chickens people use for meat. One is the dual purpose. I don't know what "layers" you have, they may be dual purpose or special layers". Many of us go the dual purpose route and breed our own. With your wife dual purpose may not be a good idea. The dual purpose are slower to grow to butcher size and generally do not get as big as the other "meat" birds. This means that by the time you butcher them the meat has more flavor and texture. Some of us like that flavor. Some consider the boys to be "gamey" and do not like the taste. The extra texture means you have to be careful how you cook them or they could be tough. But you can breed and hatch your own. And any chicken can be cooked so it is not tough if you know how, even a rooster several years old.

Cornish Cross or Cornish X are the supermarket meat bird. You buy the chicks. Some people breed them but for most people that is too much work and still usually leads to failure. It is not easy. They are bred to reach butcher age at 6 to 8 weeks of age. The meat is tender enough to grill or fry. Some people like that flavor but for some of us it is too bland. If cost is your deciding factor these are the most cost-effective way to go.

Then you have the Rangers or colored broilers. These are bred to be butchered around 12 weeks of age. You can still fry or grill these but may have slightly more texture. These were specifically bred for foraging as the CX are harder to forage. Rangers also do OK on a straight feed diet. Some people breed them but you might want to limit feed. Some lines of Rangers have dwarfism in their genetics as it makes some of the parent stock easier to manage and feed. Some people keep some Ranger hens and breed them to a dual purpose rooster. That avoids the dwarfism issues and a Ranger rooster may get too big to breed dual purpose hens. The offspring are not as big as Rangers but are still better for meat than dual purpose.

If you hatch your own you need a plan for both boys and girls. I eat all of them. Some people only eat the boys and sell the girls to help pay for feed.

The CX poop a lot. They eat, poop, drink, poop then repeat, usually without moving around much. Be prepared to manage a lot of poop. Rangers poop more than dual purpose but if they forage much it could be spread out. If they eat more so they can grow faster they are going to poop more.

I do not do chukar or quail so will not comment.

 

[TyRi]

I have been breeding meat birds for around 3 years now, i have figured out that New Hampshire reds are my favorite. We started out with Cornish x but they had many health issues and honestly their meat wasn’t as good because they were too fat to get up and free range or eat grass or really anything. They were also kinda mean.
Later we turned to NHR and found they are so much better, especially if you eat more dark meat. They love free ranging, they roost, and are just as big. Instead of 10 weeks I recommend keeping for 12-14, they do grow to the same large size, but take slightly longer. Their muscle growth is mainly on the wings, thighs, and their legs compete with our turkey legs. Their bones are much bigger, the only downside is their breasts are not abnormally big. Their tenderloins are delicious though. Their meat quality is overall great.
As for the breeding side, they lay around 4-5 eggs a week, which is better than a lot of meat birds. Their fertility is also better since they are more active and not so fat they can’t mate. On the downside poppy butts are common with these, just as every other meat bird. Due to their large size and since I have a younger sister we were looking for chickens who would have a good temperament, and these chickens are very sweet. We spend time with them, yes, but they will come sit in your lap, even with their size.
If you have an specific questions feel free to ask me here or PM me!

Have you had any experience with quail? I am trying to weigh the space for meat chickens (plus more feed?) compared to quail (and if they eat less?) I believe we have a rooster in the 18 which is an amberlink so I have thought/wanted to hatch some eggs for fun so hatching eggs if we went meat chickens or quail would be perfect as well. I would imagine they dont but would meat chickens (i know it depends on the breed probably) need less space? What would the minimum space for them be? Do they need a coop as well or more of a hut? (Im sure that also depends on breed probably). The current 18 have a raised coop with around 300 sqft of run so would they need similar set up or can I pack them in just a touch more? Thanks so much!

 

[TyRi]

There are three basic types of chickens people use for meat. One is the dual purpose. I don't know what "layers" you have, they may be dual purpose or special layers". Many of us go the dual purpose route and breed our own. With your wife dual purpose may not be a good idea. The dual purpose are slower to grow to butcher size and generally do not get as big as the other "meat" birds. This means that by the time you butcher them the meat has more flavor and texture. Some of us like that flavor. Some consider the boys to be "gamey" and do not like the taste. The extra texture means you have to be careful how you cook them or they could be tough. But you can breed and hatch your own. And any chicken can be cooked so it is not tough if you know how, even a rooster several years old.

Cornish Cross or Cornish X are the supermarket meat bird. You buy the chicks. Some people breed them but for most people that is too much work and still usually leads to failure. It is not easy. They are bred to reach butcher age at 6 to 8 weeks of age. The meat is tender enough to grill or fry. Some people like that flavor but for some of us it is too bland. If cost is your deciding factor these are the most cost-effective way to go.

Then you have the Rangers or colored broilers. These are bred to be butchered around 12 weeks of age. You can still fry or grill these but may have slightly more texture. These were specifically bred for foraging as the CX are harder to forage. Rangers also do OK on a straight feed diet. Some people breed them but you might want to limit feed. Some lines of Rangers have dwarfism in their genetics as it makes some of the parent stock easier to manage and feed. Some people keep some Ranger hens and breed them to a dual purpose rooster. That avoids the dwarfism issues and a Ranger rooster may get too big to breed dual purpose hens. The offspring are not as big as Rangers but are still better for meat than dual purpose.

If you hatch your own you need a plan for both boys and girls. I eat all of them. Some people only eat the boys and sell the girls to help pay for feed.

The CX poop a lot. They eat, poop, drink, poop then repeat, usually without moving around much. Be prepared to manage a lot of poop. Rangers poop more than dual purpose but if they forage much it could be spread out. If they eat more so they can grow faster they are going to poop more.

I do not do chukar or quail so will not comment.

We currently have:
SL Wyandotte
Barred Rock
Blue Rock
Olive Egger
Pearl Star
Amberlink

We do believe one of the Amberlink is most certainly a roo.
I would imagine eating most of them as quick as possible but would like a few for breeding to replenish stock. A good reason I was leaning quail is they are a less personable so she wouldn’t get attached but maybe with the mindset of they are meat chickens, she may not pay much attention to them! Thank you for your response and information!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Do Rabbit.

If you stick w/ chickens, follow @Ridgerunner 's advice. Cx, Colored Broiler, or Ranger.

 

[TesoroSena]

Have you had any experience with quail?

I don’t own quail personally but a close friend does, I’ll try to answer your questions.

I am trying to weigh the space for meat chickens (plus more feed?) compared to quail (and if they eat less?)

I believe we have a rooster in the 18 which is an amberlink so I have thought/wanted to hatch some eggs for fun so hatching eggs if we went meat chickens or quail would be perfect as well. I would imagine they dont but would meat chickens (i know it depends on the breed probably) need less space? What would the minimum space for them be?

Maybe the same space… probably not less. I keep my 9 in a 7 by 4 coop and they have a large run for during the day. They like it. They don’t need particularly large space, especially if you only want a few. We sell our meat so we needed a good amount of birds.

Do they need a coop as well or more of a hut?

That depends entirely on what type of weather you have and what predators you have where you live. Quail I think would definitely need an enclosed coop, due to their size because they couldn’t fight back and would be very easy targets against predators. I’m not sure how hardy they are, but I know most meat birds are quite cold tolerant, and can put up with some heat, though some breeds can get heatstroke. Meat birds (full grown) could survive in a hut. We have few predators and we kept them in a hut with our turkeys for a while.

(Im sure that also depends on breed probably). The current 18 have a raised coop with around 300 sqft of run so would they need similar set up or can I pack them in just a touch more? Thanks so much!

You may be able to squeeze in more as long you are careful of hygiene. I know a lot of people do chicken tractors for quail, but I personally advise against it as quail are flighty and active birds. Quail may eat less depending on how many of them you have and how much they have to forage. Meat birds don’t typically forage as much as quail, so they do tend to eat more. I’m not sure how much food my friend goes through for quail food, but our 8 meaties go through a 50 pound bag in around 2 to 3 weeks.
I hope this answered some of your questions! Sorry I’m not of further help on the quail.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I only have experience with Cornish X and Rangers, but I've had a positive experience with those. They have been a good intro to processing for me, even coming from the suburbs and knowing nothing. People say the CX get too fat and can't move/get leg issues and whatnot, and that deters many people, but it's not true if you manage them well. I currently have 10 week old CX that are still scratching and pecking around in my yard, and actually RUN up to me when I go to feed them. If you're okay with not having absolutely unnaturally massive birds in 7 weeks, you can cut the protein and feeding times and have some more naturally growing birds. Same goes for Rangers.

I can't speak to quail or rabbits.