which non-broiler breed to raise for meat

[Junior]

i was wanting to try and raise about 40-50 birds to try and sell to a niche market as live birds.they want either black or red birds.no white or barred birds.
i was considering the new hampshire,rhode island red,or the black australorp.
the question i have is are those breeds alright or should i just go ahead and get a black or red broiler or even try the dark cornish.i was planning on ordering from cackle hatchery and the only "meat" birds they have in the catalog are the white cornish cross.
i also plan to order some egg layers so i want to order all at once and cackle seems to have the best prices.
any help or advice will be appreciated.
thanks,
Junior

 

[pringle]

I would just go for the black or red broiler they grow faster an you will make a better profit.If you cant I would go for dark cornishes.

 

[Farmington]

You may want to look into Buckeyes. They will take a little longer to fill out than broilers, but they will be a superior bird taste wise.

 

[dancingbear]

For meat birds to sell, (even live) I would go for the black or red broilers, unless the niche market you have specifically wants heritage breeds, and understands that they will either be really small, if they want them tender, or will need to be cooked in the crock pot, if they want them big.

The black/red broilers are ready in 10-12 weeks. DP and heritage, 16-25 weeks. Bear in mind you're feeding them this whole time.

Most people have no idea that all chickens are not like supermarket birds. So just make sure you and your customers are on the same page. It would really suck to sell all these birds, then have a bunch of angry customers because they didn't understand what they were buying.

Standard Cornish grow really slow, as do most dual-purp/heritage breeds. They will take longer and cost more to raise. I think they're worth it, but not everybody shares my opinion.

 

[Junior]

thanks for the help & advice.

it looks like i should go with a red or black broiler.
where do y'all order from? it doesn't look as if cackle has them. so what is a good hatchery to order from (good prices would be a plus too

)
again thanks for the help.
Junior

 

[dancingbear]

Ideal and Meyer both have them, I'm sure there are others. You might want to keep an eye on them and catch them when they run a special. You can get a great price break sometimes.

I think what happens is they have a certain number of eggs set to hatch, and if they don't have enough orders when they're about due, they run a special, so they don't end up with a bunch of unsold chicks. Ideal just had one, you have to catch them at the right time.

 

[Junior]

dancingbear,
thanks for the help.i really appreciate it.
Junior