The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Daleswoman on July 12, 2016, 09:58:19 pm

Title: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: Daleswoman on July 12, 2016, 09:58:19 pm

We are currently eating our own pork, bacon and lamb and soon will have a freezer full of beef as well. Plus we rear our own turkeys for Christmas and are happy to despatch a duck every so often for a treat.

The only meat that we eat and don't produce is chicken - I always try to buy free-range; but would like to shift to producing our own but my partner thinks it would be too much like hard work. I want to give it a try nonetheless, as I think meat chickens often get a raw deal and ours would have a lovely, carefree, happy, free-range life until they were killed.

What breeds would you recommend for the table, what age should I buy them (no incubater here) and what age should we expect to kill them?

Thanks!

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: Bramham Wiltshire Horns on July 12, 2016, 10:02:32 pm

Hi there
Have a look on the thread further down it has a lot of pages but some good info on there
I have LS and LSxIG first time progeny but all over 1kg after 9 weeks

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: dr241000 on July 12, 2016, 10:03:48 pm

Have u seen this.
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=74454.0 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=74454.0)

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: Bramham Wiltshire Horns on July 12, 2016, 10:06:16 pm

That's the one ha
I have put on some spreadsheets of how the birds are growing this will help select my breeding flock

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: dr241000 on July 12, 2016, 10:07:33 pm

Sorry it was the same as Princessrubyk's. :P

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: farmers wife on July 12, 2016, 11:45:23 pm

Yes Im going to have a go but it'll be in the spring now as we pasture raise.

Title: Re: Hen breeds for meat
Post by: Dave C on July 13, 2016, 10:26:16 am

Hi FW sounds like you have a nice setup  :thumbsup:

I think the breed would depend on whether you want a sustainable flock ie, breed yourself keeping hens for laying and cockerels for the table in which case go for something like a Light Sussex or other Duel purpose breed you like, or whether you are looking for purely a meat crop ie, buy in day old chicks rear them all and process at desired weight, in which case I would go for hybrids which finish in half the time of traditional breeds.
There are also hybrids which are designed to free range, they take a few more weeks to finish but are much healthier than the Ross/Cobb supermarket Frankenstein chickens.

Yeah have a look on that other thread and join in with the crack, you will see they are quite easy to rear.

Dave.