The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Russpig on December 23, 2020, 05:39:03 pm
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If you were to have only one breed of chicken what would it be taking the following into consideration?
For both eggs and meat
Ability to sit and hatch own eggs
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Sussex - buff are slightly heavier than light you are looking for meat but both are good layers. And beware of hybrid versions of the light. A true Sussex is quite a solid square shaped bird without being fat, hybrids are lighter framed.
Cuckoo marans - will mature at slightly lighter table weights (cockerels) but still a good meal. Males more aggressive (to each other) approaching maturity than Sussex.
Broody wise I would go for Marans over Sussex but it is all down to strains. Some Sussex strains are very broody but I have had more success with using marans for hatching.
Check out breed standards of both and buy from reputable breeders.
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Very good suggestions.
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We invested in an incubator early on and have never regretted it - every year at least one batch of chickens hatched, also geese and this coming year hopefully ducks - it has paid for itself several times over already. As to raising meat birds, we have found that buying in a batch of meat birds at day old provides roast chicken for a couple of years, and then we eat the spare cockerels from the home-hatched egg layers as curries and stews (only taking legs and breasts off the birds). I have mainly Maran hens and they lay very well, but for a roasting bird are a bit scrawny (after you have gone to the effort of plucking and gutting...)
The only breed I have seen mentioned as a good all-rounder is the Ixworth, but I don't think there are many breeders around.