The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Wen3 on August 20, 2015, 08:21:03 am
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Hi we have kept chickens for some years but only for eggs, what breed would you have for the table, or indeed for eggs and the table? We are in the process of getting our new home with 10 acres, so all advice welcome but be gentle lol.
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Big and chunky ones ;D Sussex and marens fit the bill as good table and egg producers. I know there are others and it probably comes down to personal preference.
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I think someone has previously said that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says that Wyandottes are the tastiest chickens. If so please come and take my 2 youngsters then I can get rid of the big nasty bullies!
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Ixworth, if you can find any. Good for table and lay as well.
(and you'd be supporting a rare breed)
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We have Silver Grey Dorkings for meat and eggs, but as with most 'multi purpose' birds, the carcass isn't as big as a meat bird, and they don't lay as many eggs as a egg bird. Exceedingly tasty though :-)
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TNN's, but they can be a real handful on account of going broody so often. Faverolles I have been told are great but don't mix with other breeds.
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Sorry what are TNN's? Have now found what they are, thanks
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We have Silver Grey Dorkings for meat and eggs, but as with most 'multi purpose' birds, the carcass isn't as big as a meat bird, and they don't lay as many eggs as a egg bird. Exceedingly tasty though :-)
Can depend on the strain. Ours are really chunky but I've seen much more slimline versions. I suspect some may have Cotswold Legbar crossed in for greater egg laying capacity.
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Just started with Wyandottes this year and looking at the boys, they are plenty meaty. As with any breed though, strain is important. We have good strains of Copper Marans and Rhode Red which make a meal for 5 of us but you're probably not going to get anywhere close to a Ross / Cobb with a pure breed. Indian Game is another one. I'm thinking of starting them next spring.
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Reputed to fight savagely with other breeds, so not for mixing, perhaps?
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MF is correct. My neighbour intro'd a trio of Indian game into his flock and blood and snot was flying. Crikey, they really mean it too. Neighbour had to separate the IG before someone got killed....and it wouldn't have been them!
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Interesting. OK with their own kind though? Are they aggressive to humans. I'm a hefty farmer's son but can't abide aggressive cockerels. They just get ended there and then (obviously out of sight of the other birds).
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Stereo!! You are a bloke!!! I thought you were a lady :-[
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Sorry what are TNN's? Have now found what they are, thanks
[member=144620]Wen3[/member] Transylvanian Naked Neck, I think :)
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Possibly the ugliest chickens in the world
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Reputed to fight savagely with other breeds, so not for mixing, perhaps?
I kept them for years alongside other breeds and never had any trouble!
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Reputed to fight savagely with other breeds, so not for mixing, perhaps?
I believe it depends on the strain, I have 2 different bloodlines of IG and I wouldn't say that they were savage. As with any breed, certain cocks won't get on but let's not forget their provenance. The reason why they did not make it into the pit but the table instead was due to their passive nature. We have the Cornish to thank for this accident and giving us one of the best table fowl.
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Stereo!! You are a bloke!!! I thought you were a lady :-[
Don't worry, I get that all the time.
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I have Salmon Faverolles, which am actually selling if you're interested, they do however need to not be mixed with other breeds such as marans, but sussex breeds are fine to keep them with. they where bred as a dual purpose breed for eggs and meat and they're quite big birds, so they will produce a nice sized carcase. Here is a link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faverolles_chicken
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I've always wondered about the crossing idea eg. IG x LS. Why is this done? Is it to produce a faster maturing bird? Or a better dual purpose bird? Do you get more meat than a pure IG? I'm assuming not as LS are single breasted. We eat all our cockerels but have taken to skinning and filleting off the breast and also legs/thigh as this is 100 times quicker than a full pluck and process and you still get 90% of the meat.
But I want to raise some birds for roasters. I could buy in hubbard chicks etc. but was wondering what pure IG are like for meat? Do you get more off them than a cross?
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Stereo, you get a faster maturing bird that is often bigger than a pure IG, these are not massive birds. Eg I have some pure IGs and some IG x La Bresse, the latter being much more developed than the former. I should imagine the latter will turn out bigger in the end.
It's also done to tone down the gameyness of the IG, which some may not like.
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Sorry what are TNN's? Have now found what they are, thanks
To save others having to google like I did, TNN is Transylvanian Naked Neck. Apparently.
Edited to say I've now seen nutterly_uts' answer to the same post...
We could do with [member=23925]chrismahon[/member] editing his original post to save us all googling and posting the same thing!
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TNN's are indeed Transylvanian Naked Necks. The National breed of Romania and, despite what Kimbo thinks, are to my mind one of the prettiest chickens you can get. Whilst the bare neck detracts somewhat, their graceful and delicate movements more than make up for it. They remind me of the 4 'Beatles' vultures in Jungle Book. Quite small birds really but incredibly strong, even picking up the hens can be a real struggle. Their lack of feathers makes dressing them for the table quite easy. They are surprisingly hardy but the hens, as previously said, can go broody almost on a weekly basis and stop laying which means eggs are infrequent, so 120 a year is the best you will get. They are one of the components of the French National broiler breed, the Cou-Nu, which is a vicious thing and about twice the size. The lack of feathering all over the body is the result of a naturally occurring feather depleting hormone which collects in certain areas under the skin. They can be very territorial and very noisy, constantly squabbling over the presence of another hen in 'their' nestbox, who they will try to remove even though they don't wish to lay themselves.
Ours are all black, although the natural colour of the cocks is black with dark brown wings and hackles. The French version is light brown, black or white, the latter of which is the only permitted show colour here. In the UK any neck feathering on the TNN is a major defect and can be the result of cross breeding. In France the Cou-Nu must have a ruff of feathers about 2/3rds the way down the neck and any lack of feathering there is a major defect.
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Stereo, you get a faster maturing bird that is often bigger than a pure IG, these are not massive birds. Eg I have some pure IGs and some IG x La Bresse, the latter being much more developed than the former. I should imagine the latter will turn out bigger in the end.
It's also done to tone down the gameyness of the IG, which some may not like.
Thanks. I've got some nice big Ixworth hens and have stopped breeding them but wonder if I should run them with an IG cockerel next spring. I moved them to a new house last night and they weigh a ton!
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Thanks for all that info [member=23925]chrismahon[/member] . What I was really hoping to get you to do was to edit this post (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=65447.msg531475#msg531475) and give the full name there, to save everyone who reads the thread having to look it up at that point!
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Naked neck x Silky gives you the gorgeously named Showgirl chickens :love:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0f/90/60/0f9060cd499ce5d7cb3f785ba4f49728.jpg
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Thanks. I've got some nice big Ixworth hens and have stopped breeding them but wonder if I should run them with an IG cockerel next spring. I moved them to a new house last night and they weigh a ton!
Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant mix. Be careful not to over feed your IG cockerel as it makes them lazy. They do not look big but they are like a canon ball. You could also try OEG, if you struggle to get IGs in your area, but they obviously don't mix too well with other cocks.