What chicken?

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What chicken?

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mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 8:51 am Post subject: What chicken?
OK I've decided: having got ducks, I now want some hens too. Which should I go for? Good layers, tough (as in hardy), some table birds... Where do I start?

pink bouncy

Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 174

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 9:33 am Post subject:

If you're looking for birds to lay eggs and to provide meat as well, light sussex, maran and rhode island reds are the most popular.
I have maran growers at the moment, they are growing very fast and the cockerels are shaping up to be a good table size.
If you are wanting seperate breeds for meat and eggs, hybrid layers are great. They generally keep laying through the winter and do surprisingly well outdoors. Commercial meat birds also do well if they are allowed to live an outdoor life. They take a little longer to grow to table size but they still have lots more breast meat than a fattened cockerel does and taste much better than a factory farmed one.

High Green Farm

Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 349
Location: Mid-Suffolk

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 10:10 am Post subject:

pink bouncy wrote:

Commercial meat birds also do well if they are allowed to live an outdoor life. They take a little longer to grow to table size but they still have lots more breast meat than a fattened cockerel does and taste much better than a factory farmed one.

Anyone know of where I could get some commercial meat birds in Suffolk?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 10:17 am Post subject:

High Green Farm wrote:

Anyone know of where I could get some commercial meat birds in Suffolk?

Google came up with:
D.A. Poultry Products, 25 Johnson Road, Burrow, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. IP29 5DY. Tel: 01284 810779 Fax: 01284 810137.

High Green Farm

Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 349
Location: Mid-Suffolk

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 8:10 pm Post subject:
Thanks .....I'll try them

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 9:00 pm Post subject:

I have no experience with chickens at all, but when I get the space, I'm having white wyandottes, welsomers and dorkings, just because I like them! Himself will probably insist on a speckled hen too.

There are some good pictures here:

https://www.poultrymad.co.uk/chickens/orpington.shtml

and some good advice in the RC cookbook. Or at least I think it is - how would I know?! I just picked the ones that looked pretty!

Lots of people gave advice in the 'chickens with fluffy bottoms' thread too (which is where got the website from!)