Many of us, unsatisfied and even disgusted with the treatment and quality of animals in the food processing industry, have begun homesteading as a way to reclaim food responsibility. On that journey, we discover the joy of raising meat chickens as a small-scale declaration of independence.
Chickens are an ideal animal to start with when it comes to raising your own meat. These birds require relatively little infrastructure, can reach butchering weight in under a year, are easy to raise, and require a much smaller investment for the novice than a herd of cow, goats, or sheep.
In addition, the flavor and nutrition of a pasture-raised, free-range heritage roast are mind-blowingly superior to the saline-injected, packaged parts of mass-produced meat you find at the average grocery store.
But what meat breed is best to start with? If you don’t know much about chickens, you may be scratching your head as you read throughlists of names and types. And it would be really disappointing to raise a batch of chickens, dreaming of drumsticks and roasts, only to realize you had chosen a breed developed for making eggs, not meat. Though all chickens are edible, of course, the difference between a heavyset, muscled Jersey Giant breed, and a svelte egg-laying Leghorn are significant.
Hopefully, this article can help you with your decision. In the following breeds, you can benefit from the thoughtful decisions of thousands of chicken breeders from the past. Through generations of careful and selective breeding, big, well-muscled meat chickens were created that both convert feed into delicious meat, and are downright beautiful as they meander through a pasture in the meantime.
1. Jersey Giant
- Personality:Docile, friendly, content
- Average Eggs per Year:170 extra-large brown eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:15 (or more) pounds male, 11 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Very slow
Once upon a time, both turkeys and chickens were selectively bred to become the premiere “table bird” for American families. The turkey eventually won popularity as the bigger bird, but left in its wake was the Jersey Giant — the biggest chicken breed in the world. Gentle and content not to roam far from home, these huge chickens will visually dominate the coop.
While you’re waiting for these meat chickens to get big enough to butcher, they’ll happily forage the backyard, lay huge eggs, and be generally pleasant creatures to share life with. If you choose to keep these meat chickens, keep in mind that their size may require some adjustments to the coop (such as lower perches and bigger nesting boxes) to accommodate it.
2. Orpington
- Personality:Sweet, friendly, personable
- Average Eggs per Year:200+ large brown eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:10 pounds male, 8 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Medium-fast
奥平顿鸡是在英国几波狂热的“鸡热”之后出现的。当现实的人们开始厌倦那些在展厅里游逛的、羽毛轻薄、有褶边或长尾的鸟时,这只慷慨大方、有三种用途的鸟是一种明智的反应。
Good at laying, delicious as a meat chicken, able to forage for its food, willing to brood its eggs, and friendly as a pet, there is little to say that isn’t in the Orpington’s favor.
3. Naked Neck or Turken
- Personality:温和,友好,奇怪!
- Average Eggs per Year:110+ light brown, medium-sized eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:8.5 pounds male, 6.5 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Average
Yeah, Naked Neck chickens look really weird. They’re the sphinx cat of the poultry world with lots of bare, wrinkly skin to show off. With a funny toupee of feathers, the signature bald neck, and a drafty tail area, they make for easy plucking on freezer camp day.
Despite sometimes being called “Turkens,” these featherless fowl aren’t an unholy blend of turkey and chicken — they’re 100%Gallus gallus domesticuswith mysterious origins in Transylvania and a nifty habit of being naturally resistant to most poultry diseases. You’ll certainly have an interesting conversation piece with a flock of these bald, not-quite beauties strutting around the backyard.
4. Brahma
- Personality:Calm, quiet, gentle
- Average Eggs per Year:120+ medium-sized, brown eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:12 (or more) pounds male, 10 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Slow
Before the Cornish Cross hybrid became the default chicken meat breed, there was the Brahma. Once known as the King of Chickens, this huge, calm chicken strides through the coop with a regal air. With its signature feathered feet and legs and a fluffy array of feathers, the Brahma is well-insulated against the cold but may need some extra shade in the worst of summer.
These meat chickens are eager eaters and slow growers, so raising them for the table is a labor of love for the family, but not necessarily a profitable means of supporting the homestead.
5. Dorking
- Personality:Calm, gentle, mild
- Average Eggs per Year:160 medium white eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:9 pounds male, 7 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Very slow
The Dorking has been an esteemed meat breed for a long time — so long, in fact, there are ancient Roman writings about the unique, 5-toed fowl. This breed in particular is acclaimed as the most flavorful and delicious of the meat chickens — though it can be argued that any breed of naturally raised, homegrown bird tastes really good.
It can take up to two years for a Dorking to reach full maturity, so appreciators of the slow food movement will certainly earn their stripes raising these historical meat chickens.
6. Sussex
- Personality:Personable, bold, inquisitive
- Average Eggs per Year:250+ large, brown or tinted eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:9 pounds males, 7 pounds females
- Growth Rate:Average
Named for the British county where it originated, the Sussex is an active, eager member of the backyard flock. Though it falls on the meat side of the chicken spectrum, it is a fantastic egg layer for a meat bird and is often still laying when the rest of the flock has wound down for the winter.
它乐于觅食,乐于跟随你四处觅食,乐于在田野里巡游寻找零食。它可能是你第一个鸟群的完美鸟。有人说苏塞克斯鸡在“最美味的鸡”的竞赛中可以与Dorking媲美。你必须亲自向他们提出你对这件事的看法。
7. Cornish
- Personality:Active, talkative, potentially aggressive
- Average Eggs per Year:160 small, tinted eggs
- Average Butchering Weight:10 pounds male, 8 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Slow
The sight of a Cornish hen — also called the Indian Game — is proof enough this breed was intended for meat. With a broad breast and ample leg muscle, it’s clear why this breed in particular was selected to help produce the production strains of Cornish hybrids that are used for industrial chicken farms.
But these fierce-faced meat chickens are happiest when they get to act like any other chicken, pecking and scratching through leaves and preening their white or metallic plumage in the sunshine. With “Game” in the name, you have a tip-off that these birds have a fighting streak. Though every rooster deserves to be met as an individual, this breed may produce males that are especially aggressive, so keep your wits about you.
8. Cornish Cross
- Personality:Sedentary, hungry
- Average Eggs per Year:N/A
- Average Butchering Weight:10 pounds male, 8 pounds female
- Growth Rate:Freaky fast
我把这种混合鸟留到最后,因为它是一种复杂的鸟,值得讨论一点。它们是上面列出的康沃尔品种的杂交品种,通常与白普利茅斯和其他品种的专有混合物杂交。这些各种各样的杂交品种,统称为康沃尔杂交或康沃尔X,是绝大多数工业和国内鸡肉生产的首选肉鸡。如果你告诉别人你在养肉鸡或肉鸡,人们会认为你养了一群康沃尔十字鸡。
这种混合体以惊人的速度增长。许多传统品种需要一年的大部分时间才能达到屠宰体重,而康沃尔十字犬只需8周就能达到。这种以闪电般的速度达到可屠宰体重的竞赛仅仅是为了体型而进行密集繁殖的结果。
Cornish Cross meat chickens are able to convert feed into muscle faster than any other breed, and they are the most economical choice for large-scale poultry raisers who have to balance feed costs with profits. They are so food-focused that their feeding regimen needs to be carefully controlled so that they don’t overeat themselves to an early death.
然而,这种高度集中的繁殖计划以鸟类的活力、智力和寿命为代价实现了其生长目标。康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds康沃尔Cross birds
所以问题就来了:如果你想养鸡在当地市场上出售,不管你喜不喜欢,你都必须养这种鸡。撇开饲料经济的考虑不谈,丰满的胸脯、粗壮的大腿和鸡腿,以及柔软的肉质,是普通消费者在购买鸡肉时所期待的。如果你要多干几个月的活来养传统的鸡——尽管味道和营养可以说是更好的——我敢保证你会很难找到任何买家,他们可能会认为这些鸡太小了。
For the self-sufficient homesteader who just wants to raise healthy meat for their family and isn’t worried about a strict deadline, however, the Cornish Cross is a somewhat myopic choice. If these meat chickens do make it to adulthood — something often hampered by their excessive growth rate and resulting susceptibility to heart attacks — they are prone to parasites, don’t want to brood their own eggs, are sensitive to heat, and unmotivated when it comes to foraging for food (resulting in higher long-term feed costs).
So if youonly raise Cornish Cross — even if you give them pasture and the outdoor space they need to be as healthy as possible — you may form the impression that all chickens are lazy, greedy, unintelligent, unpleasant birds that are prone to sickness and death despite your best efforts.
Final Notes
I recommend that you do your homestead a good turn and try out multiple heritage breeds or hybrids for meat, and find out how healthy and strong chickens can be. After all, if you have the opportunity to raise your own food, especially after going through all the effort to create infrastructure, learn about chicken raising, and commit to butchering your own meat, why would you want to scrape the arguable bottom of the genetic barrel and merely choose quantity of meat over quality and sustainability? Yes, heritage meat chickens take longer to mature and don’t get as massive, but maybe, that’s a good thing.
So, do you raise meat chickens? What are your favorite breeds, and how do you raise them? Do you agree with my position against the Cornish Cross, or do you disagree? Please chime in. I welcome any conversation in the comments below!
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