[Hevxxx99]

At long last, I've processed one of my Jersey Giant x La bresse cockerels.  It was a little before I wanted due to needing their space to get my hens under cover, and a couple more weeks fattening up would have made a difference.

i didn't cage or force feed them in any way. They were raised on grass with mostly corn feed. The one we just ate was delicious: shaped and tasted like a La Bresse (ie big legs and narrow breast) and weighed 1.97kg dressed. It fed 3 of us royally on breast meat alone so not bad.

Not exactly "fast food" as he was around 9 months old, but I didn't expect fast results as both breeds are slow growers.

I've got another hanging and a JGxMarans to pluck and compare as well.

[Dans]

Ok so the Leghorns didn't do too badly. 1.2kg, 1.4kg and 1.6kg. I'll try them as roasts. It's mainly leg and thigh that we eat here and they look decent enough in those areas.

We have an 18 month old here, she doesn't baaa at animals yet but she certainly loves helping out with everything. She was very interested in the killing, plucking and gutting  today.

Is room temperature ok to store eggs for incubating? I could always then eat them at the end of the 10 days if there's no one feeling broody. I'm actually looking forward to the first broody of the year! 

Dans

[Dave C]

That's the way Dans, start them young 

Oh don't start talking about hatching!
You will set me off   

To be honest I wouldn't take a leghorn and try to breed it into a table or duel purpose bird.
Would be quicker just incubating some purpose bred meat bird eggs, save you a lot of time and money and you will end up with more meat on your plate.
You can then use your large cockerel on any hens you decide to keep back for next years breeding.

[Dave C]

At long last, I've processed one of my Jersey Giant x La bresse cockerels.  It was a little before I wanted due to needing their space to get my hens under cover, and a couple more weeks fattening up would have made a difference.

i didn't cage or force feed them in any way. They were raised on grass with mostly corn feed. The one we just ate was delicious: shaped and tasted like a La Bresse (ie big legs and narrow breast) and weighed 1.97kg dressed. It fed 3 of us royally on breast meat alone so not bad.

Not exactly "fast food" as he was around 9 months old, but I didn't expect fast results as both breeds are slow growers.

I've got another hanging and a JGxMarans to pluck and compare as well.

They sound delicious Hev 

I think all these experiments are worth trying as you don't really know what your going to get but if your happy with the results is the main thing 

But would you do that cross again?

[Dave C]

Well I have the first victim of the lockdown.

One of my hybrid meat cockerels I kept back is having leg / hip problems.

I think it's due to being contained in his run and not free ranging, he is loosing his fitness and putting to much weight on his joints.
Luckily he is only my back up cockerel.

[Dans]

To be honest I wouldn't take a leghorn and try to breed it into a table or duel purpose bird.
Would be quicker just incubating some purpose bred meat bird eggs, save you a lot of time and money and you will end up with more meat on your plate.
You can then use your large cockerel on any hens you decide to keep back for next years breeding.

Oh I'm staying away from the Leghorns. This is a Rhode Island Red x Copper Black Maran hen. At least that is what the egg was described as, as she is pure white I do question their claim.

Dans

[macgro7]

What colour was the egg? Leghorns lay pure white eggs. Rhode island red have the same light brown as the supermarket ones and maran as lay very dark brown!

[Dave C]

Here is a simple genetic calculator to play with, I use it to give me a rough idea what colour outcomes I would get.

http://www.breedbook.org/?action=geneticscalculator&tab=CHICKEN

If you click on the cockerel and put in Red, click on the hen and put in Black Copper, it shows the off spring cockerels as Red and Pullets as Black patterned Red !

So not white, sorry.

[Hevxxx99]

At long last, I've processed one of my Jersey Giant x La bresse cockerels.  It was a little before I wanted due to needing their space to get my hens under cover, and a couple more weeks fattening up would have made a difference.

i didn't cage or force feed them in any way. They were raised on grass with mostly corn feed. The one we just ate was delicious: shaped and tasted like a La Bresse (ie big legs and narrow breast) and weighed 1.97kg dressed. It fed 3 of us royally on breast meat alone so not bad.

Not exactly "fast food" as he was around 9 months old, but I didn't expect fast results as both breeds are slow growers.

I've got another hanging and a JGxMarans to pluck and compare as well.

They sound delicious Hev 

I think all these experiments are worth trying as you don't really know what your going to get but if your happy with the results is the main thing 

But would you do that cross again?

TBH, no. They took far too long to mature and didn't have enough breast. They are very tasty though!

I think I'll go for standard day old meat birds next time.  Where do you get your's from: I see you're not a million miles from me...

[Dave C]

Yes I'm not far away Hev and I regularly get down your way with work so could sort you out with some when I start breeding 

If your looking for sustainable healthy birds,
I'm looking to do some slow growth birds, cockerels making 2kg dressed at 14-16 weeks, pullets are smaller but make excellent layers mine have laid solidly over the winter, these are healthy birds on free range.

Also crossing them with medium growth Farm Rangers both Cockerels and hens made 2 - 3 kg dressed birds in 14 weeks.

And both of the above will also be crossed with my Indian Game as another option.
P.S my IG cockerels also make 2kg dressed in about 16 - 18 weeks.

But if your looking for pure meat birds to process the lot in one go and not keep any for eggs or breeding then S&T Poultry or Cyril Poultry are your best bet.

 hopefully I will have a few choices  By the end of next year I should know the best combinations and I can concentrate on them and hopefully have a few less breeding pens. 

[irenemcc]

Not breeding for meat specifically more just surplus cockerels from my layers but just a wee observation. Was very suprised at just how nice and well filled my Scots Dumpy cockerels were. Nothing like a proper meat bird but even the banter had a decent covering.

[Victorian Farmer]

Ive tried 3 stains of Hubbards, ja57, ja87 & Colour yield. Colour yield is the slowest, but yields much more flavour with time & free range. These were for sale Christmas farm. Market fetching £18. So dave a nother idea for cash in lean times.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Well all in all my Leghorns ended up being an awful experiment. The boys are still small bug see thier last dawn tomorrow (I'll let you know what they weigh when I am done with them) and the one girl is laying me lovely white eggs at 35g each *sigh* I am really hoping the they increase in size as she gets older but I'm not holding out hope for large eggs.

On the other hand the hybrids that came from a mixed up ebay egg order matured into two boys giving me 1.4kg and 1.7kg roast chickens and a girl giving me 65g Brown eggs.

When I get bloodiest next year I am thinking of putting this hen's  (Brienne) under them as my Cockerel is a hefty big fella too.

Would that be foolish? I am utterly new to chicken breeding but on the face of it they are both big birds (she went straight into top hen position the day she joined the flock) and she is laying well. Do I just keep eggs at room temperature until I have a broody/enough for an incubator?

Dans

No one will stop you from trying to cross them! Just let them do it and see the results!
Yes you can store eggs in the cool place, but not the fridge as really low temperature can damage them.
Everywhere I read, the eggs start to loose their chances to hatch after 10 days. Any more time after that and they are less likely to hatch. However, I have hatched eggs which were waiting to start incubation for more than two weeks.
I want to get some Leghorns again! The one I had was laying the most massive chicken eggs I've ever had! Obviously as a young pullet her first eggs would be smaller. I've noticed the first end quality affects egg size a lot.

Btw i just read your blog! I reminds me of me feeding all my animals! When I realised my wife is giving birth, the first thing I did was to lock the hens so I don't have to worry about them later in the evening!
Now we have a 19 month old future farmer who starts to "baaaaah" in every shop whenever he sees picture of sheep goat or... dog lol
Plays with toy chickens and ducks and wears his little wellies when we go to feed the geese and rabbits.

i will second that we bought sheep 2 days after she gave birth

[Dave C]

Ive tried 3 stains of Hubbards, ja57, ja87 & Colour yield. Colour yield is the slowest, but yields much more flavour with time & free range. These were for sale Christmas farm. Market fetching £18. So dave a nother idea for cash in lean times.

I'm all for making some extra cash VF 

Thanks for the info, your right about the extra time and free ranging giving flavour, £18 per bird is a good price.
Wonder what the costs will on them birds was ?

[Robyn]

I've just replaced my Utility Light Sussex trio with a trio of well bred Cuckoo Marans, purely on the basis of their dark coloured eggs being more appealing, but I still intend to hatch some offspring for meat.

To improve breast meat yield and still retain the flavour, would you suggest crossing the Cuckoo Marans with an Indian Game cockerel or do you think that a slow grow Hubbard cockerel would be a better option for me?