Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[Charlottechicken]

Right, I've surprised myself this year, and found I am happy to dispatch birds.

 

I would love to hatch more next year as I will no doubt need a couple more layers to keep my flock going. However, I want to dispatch any cockerels for the table but the birds I had this year were at least half Marans and were so gamey and firm they were almost inedible. We intend to use them in curries and casseroles though so no waste, but I wanted something a little more edible and more like bought chicken (but in a good way).

 

Many years ago my grandad used to have day olds and grow them, and apart from dark thigh meat they were lovely succulent birds. I really don't remember what breed they were, but they were a dual purpose bird.

 

Any suggestions appreciated, otherwise it'll be another half dozen pot luck eggs in the incy next year

[Griffin]

I've hatched Sussex & Dorkings for the table, now 20 weeks and 25 weeks respectively and not a peep out of them yet. I have to say I'm disappointed in the Dorkings, I expected them to be bigger than they are. They're beginning to fill out a bit though so we'll just have to wait and see. I've just tried to hatch some more Light Sussex but the eggs were all infertile I might give Indian Game a go.

[Lewis]

I was going to suggest Light Sussex aswell - they were always good layers at the farm and the cockerels always seemed to disappear every so often

 

If it was meat bird hatching eggs you were looking for TAJ might be the one to speak to

[Redwing]

Ixworths are supposed to be a top notch dual purpose bird

[Jools]

I think you'll find anything traditional a little gamey tasting compared to the chicken you can buy in shops or the meat bird hybrids. Surplus cockerels take a good six months before they're ready for eating which is at least twice as long as "meat birds".

 

Light Sussex and / or Rhode Island Reds are good all round utility breeds being great layers and eaters too. And if you use a RIR male on LS females, they're sexable as day olds.

[Egluntyne]

My Light Sussex cockerel was delicious. He was around the 20 week mark when he was culled.

[Charlottechicken]

I think you'll find anything traditional a little gamey tasting compared to the chicken you can buy in shops or the meat bird hybrids. Surplus cockerels take a good six months before they're ready for eating which is at least twice as long as "meat birds".

 

Yes, I left the cockerels as long as I possibly could, the first one was dispatched at 27 weeks and I'd swear he was the chicken equivalent of a racehorse. No fat, dark meat all over, including the breast meat, and tasted like duck. The meat texture was incredibly firm too, despite him living his life in the Eglu run. Second one was much more recognisable as chicken, and we haven't tried the third one yet, the meat does look a lot paler though, so maybe the extra weeks have aged it correctly

 

Egluntyne, I think you have just swayed it towards the light sussex

[Jools]

I can highly recommend LS boys, they are delicious! I asked my neighbour if I could have a few of his surplus cockerels to raise for meat last year ..... and he turned up with 26! Fortunately he said I could free range them in his field too.

 

I could only eat the breast meat though because the rest was far too strongly flavoured for me. However, it's the only meat I've eaten in around 20 years, so that may explain my palate.

 

I'm growing fonder of Sussex as a breed full stop. I have a quartet of Silver Sussex bantams now and they are both beautiful and productive.

[laurmurf]

I hatched some Speckled Sussex this year: the girls have gone to live with HENthusiastic and we're planning to eat the boys. They are getting to be a brilliant size - ENORMOUS legs - so they're going to be Christmas dinner! They are very very stupid and they sit down all the time; despite having the option of free ranging they'd rather just sit in the run, only being tempted out with corn

 

they're also very pretty!

[TAJ]

I was going to suggest Light Sussex aswell - they were always good layers at the farm and the cockerels always seemed to disappear every so often

 

If it was meat bird hatching eggs you were looking for TAJ might be the one to speak to

 

I hatched some colouryields & county golds in September - these take about 12-14 weeks, we had some last year and certainly taste good and fill out quickly, but still act like chickens. They are used commercially for the free range meat market. Last year we also had some other meat birds - they tasted fine, but were ready in about 8 weeks and just ate - they hated walking (resting halfway down an eglu run to catch their breath!). I wouldn't have them again, the final meat was good and quick, but they just didn't act like chickens and grew too quick for me.

 

The trouble with buying the dual purpose traditional breeds is that they do take a lot longer to mature and by this time the dark meat will be a lot more gamey due to the muscle development. I have a female Dorking - I was told she would take 2 years to get to full size, so though they are dual purpose/heavy breed they are not quick to mature. Also I could never cope with a pretty cockeral being killed - a boring looking meat bird is much easier to dispatch (OH does that bit)

 

I can give you the details for the meat bird hatching eggs supplier (they can post eggs), plus they sell day olds. I got 11 successfully hatched from 12 eggs. At 6½ weeks I think I have 5 cockerals and 6 girls, judging by combs & rattles.

 

Tracy

[The Dogmother]

I have two county golds in the freezer, from a friend who had 'excess'. I despatched and prepped, then froze them. Roasted one at the weekend, which was delicious with soft tender meat. They had both been slowly grown in large grass paddocks, weren't what I would consider overweight and were the 20 week mark.

 

Dual purpose birds will be more gamey and drier; I tend to joint those and pop them in the slow cooker.

[laurmurf]

This is an interesting thread - I hadn't thought about what the flavour or texture of my sussex might be by dispatch time (probably another 4 weeks away, (they'll be about 23 weeks). Do you think they'll be too strong for roasting by then? Only casserole?

 

might have to change my Christmas dinner plans.....

[Jools]

No, they roast beautifully, you just need to do it a little differently that's all - forget about the 20 mins per lb plus 20 mins rule!

 

Mine were all around the 26-ish week mark but I have no idea of their weight. I use a covered roasting tin and give them maybe an hour in a hot oven (Aga top oven), then a couple(ish) of hours in a warm oven (Aga bottom oven), all with the lid on to keep the moisture in. The meat is deliciously moist and tender cooked like that ............ mmmmmmmmm I'm hungry now!

[TAJ]

I have two county golds in the freezer, from a friend who had 'excess'. I despatched and prepped, then froze them. Roasted one at the weekend, which was delicious with soft tender meat. They had both been slowly grown in large grass paddocks, weren't what I would consider overweight and were the 20 week mark.

 

Dual purpose birds will be more gamey and drier; I tend to joint those and pop them in the slow cooker.

 

The county golds are supposed to be a bit quicker than the colour yields by about 2 weeks - mine are mixed and a couple are a cross of the two. Plus the boys get bigger quicker. We usually only kill a couple at the most in a weekend, so ours will all go over a few months - neither us or the freezer would cope with 11 at once!

 

Tracy

[Lesley]

This is an interesting thread - I hadn't thought about what the flavour or texture of my sussex might be by dispatch time (probably another 4 weeks away, (they'll be about 23 weeks). Do you think they'll be too strong for roasting by then? Only casserole?

 

might have to change my Christmas dinner plans.....

 

We grow the meat birds for up to 9 months! - I was worried at first about roasting them, thinking they may be too old, but they were fine. We grow them slowly, even though they are bred to grow fast.

 

We despatched 2 on Saturday - one that was about 25 weeks old weighed 6lbs and the other was about 19 weeks and weighed nearly 4 lbs.