Meat Birds

[walldanzig]

Hi all

Im thinking of raising some birds purely for the table and was wondering what people think would be the best breed for this.

[BUFFS]

can i use this thread to continue and ask would they be cared for differently and as you said what breeds?or hybrids?

[walldanzig]

oooh good questions would also love to know those answers

[Bramble-Poultry]

my personal favourite is a dorking x indian game, or light sussex x indian game as this pairing gives you a double breasted gene.

You will need to remember that the birds will take longer to mature, at least 20-24 weeks. If you want a reasonable bird that also lays, then go for a maran or light sussex as these are dual purpose.

as for keeping, the trick is to give them room, but too much as they run off the weight. allow 2 square metres of ground per bird (actually free range dimension!) and the same standard of housing.

alternativly you could give them a barn raising, where you rear them in a large shed with one side removed and a wire run off that. put in a good layer (min 18" deep) straw and raise them in there until slaughter. The deep litter system is where the litter is constantly turned by the birds and must be kept dry. once the birds have gone off to slaughter, all the litter is removed and the yard cleaned out and set up again, and ready to recieve more birds.

This system benefits from the hybrid broiler that is ready for table at 12 weeks. after a longer period with the pure breeds the litter gets knackered too quickly. good hybrids are sasso, about £1 each plus shipping, but they will need heat as they will be under a week old

[smokingdragon]

Hi

Last September we bought 6, 4 week old Ross Cobb's and were put them into a similar enclosure to our layers.

At first when I let them out of their coop they would virtually fly from the door, but as they grew they got more acquainted with the feeder!

They would sit in the sun and occasionally eat tasty snacks the layers loved. As time went on they got more into their food but we did not feed them overnight and treated them as normal chickens.

After approximately 12 weeks old a couple began to show an awkward limp so they were dispatched to the freezer. The remainder lasted another 2 weeks before they were getting too big to get in and out of the coop.

The biggest weighed 5.5Kgs dead weight, the smallest 4.5Kgs.

We let them hang for 3 days before prep and the meat was stronger tasting than supermarket fare and lots more of it.

Although they don't behave like normal chickens, I would keep them again.

Cheers

Simon

[kirsty b]

I was looking into it last year and read that Ixworths are a good dual purpose bird.

Was thinking of getting some to raise for table this year. Will see how I get on dispatching any cocks I have from these hatches first.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Ross Cobbs are bred specifically for meat and as such over a certain age they get too big to support their own weight and often get leg/hip problems, they are a nice tasting bird though but not one to raise over about 14 weeks.

As a first foray into meat birds you could try hatching some sussex, eat the boys and keep the girls, which is how we started (except we used dorkings)!!

[its hilly]

Can I ask too, if keeping pure RIR, or hybrid cockerals (thinking of my surplus boys) what age do they kill out at? And do you put them on special feed, or is it corn?
By the way Bramble is it the game bird that gives the double breasted gene, or the combination? Err I mean would IGx anything else still work..or just those particular breeds.

[smokingdragon]

Depends on how annoying the cockerels get!

Non genetic freaks take a lot longer to mature. I think about 24 weeks is a minimum for most normal breeds.

When raising for meat you can feed them on growers pellets which have a high fish protein content, so about a week before the cull feed them on corn so the meat isn't fishy!!

[Bramble-Poultry]

it seems to be the particular combination of the game bird to certain other breeds. Dorking and Sussex are the normal ones, but i think that in america they have experimented with other native breeds.

I believe (and correct me if i am wrong) but somewhere in the Ross Cobb is Indian Game blood, mainly because the wide gait if the Indian Game gives a wider breast muscle.

The RIR should make a reasonable bird for the table, slower grown as it is the basis for teh Sasso Free Range meat bird.

[moola]

I've experimented with pure breeds and modern hybrids and I think whatever you go for basically depends on how you would like to cook them and what sort of flavours you like.

Pure breeds and crosses of, tend to have a stronger flavour - some verging on gamey (Ixworth leg meat is very dark and scrummy) but alot of people find that roasting them can be tricky. They tend to have heavier less fatty meat esp if free ranging so you would need to make sure that you added corn into their diet in the last couple of weeks prior to slaughter. Generally speaking, kill out is at 20 weeks although Ixworth's are best left until 26 weeks ish.

The modern hybrids - such as Ross Cobbs/Coloryields and Hubbards have been devp to produce white meat. They make superb roasting birds. Ross Cobbs finish earliest - 8 wks if you keep them cooped up (I assume you don't) but 10-11 weeks plus really if you don't, weight about 7-8lb. COloryield - take about a fornight longer and Hubbards about 16wks.

I have found the coloryields to be the nicest tbh - lovely friendly chooks and very pretty too.They eat like monsters and poop like crazy. In my mind it is best to give them as much space as possible - personally I don't want to be eating a chook that cannot eat or peck around in a fairly poop free zone. They tend not to scratch so I had mine just lazying around in the garden. It felt really good to see them lying around in the sun just enjoying life.

For chicks you will need a brooder and you will need to clean them out probably 2 x a day. They can start going outside in good weather from about 3 weeks as they form feathers very quickly. Get them off of chick crumb at about 5 weeks onto growers. Plenty of fresh water everyday.

The cockerels grow faster than the hens. The modern hybrids are not aggressive so you can rear boys together.

To everyone starting out I would suggest keeping numbers down in for your first attempt - say 4 or 6. Get into a routine and keep husbandry tip top. When it comes to slaughter and dressing I would say, as a beginner, do not attempt more than 2 in a day. It is a bit stressful for the first time - there is lots to learn but once you have done it, it is fine. We slaughter in the early morning prior to putting feed out - having a full crop is a pain when dressing.

I would also add that if you are intending to rear them and allow children to have access, then the modern hybrids are best - they tend to be calmer than the pure breed cockerels. Hope this helps. x

[walldanzig]

Thanks Moola thats spot on the Ross cobs seem to be the ones that are mentioned the most so those are what I will look at. I have culled a chicken in the past because foxy bit her toes off and it was the kindest thing to do I convince myself to do it then the OH pips up on no not that one I like that one so Im not going to tell her.

[Munch]

Can anyone reccomend where to get hatching eggs from for table birds?

[Snadger]

Can anyone reccomend where to get hatching eggs from for table birds?

If you want them soon although it can be hit and miss, you could try eBay! Decide which breed you want then search by name!

[Glutton4...]

Can anyone reccomend where to get hatching eggs from for table birds?

When one of my Batties went broody I did a 'nearest' eBay search, as I didn't want to risk the eggs being damaged in the postal system, and I asked the seller if I could collect. I got a mixed bunch, and had a 10 from 12 success rate. I would do the same again.