Cross-breeding for meat production

[VeeinNC]

I started a small homestead last year and our goal is to be self-sufficient.
Now wanting to produce my own poults for meat chickens.
I've already got two beautiful Black Jersey giant roosters I'd love to start with.
Suggestion for a nice cross-breed?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I started a small homestead last year and our goal is to be self-sufficient.
Now wanting to produce my own poults for meat chickens.
I've already got two beautiful Black Jersey giant roosters I'd love to start with.
Suggestion for a nice cross-breed?

I'd cross with Brahma, or Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock.

Easter Egger would be another good one to cross.

I cross breed for meat alot.

Best cross I've done so far was Brahma X Easter Egger.

Second best cross is Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock X Buff Orpington.

 

[Tre3hugger]

NHR cock over Delaware hen gives you big, sex linked babies. Eat the boys, sell the girls.

 

[NatJ]

I've already got two beautiful Black Jersey giant roosters I'd love to start with.
Suggestion for a nice cross-breed?

Jersey Giants tend to grow slowly, so I would cross them to something that grows quickly.
Maybe Plymouth Rock (Barred or White), or Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire or Delaware.

You could buy female chicks of several breeds, and weigh them several times as they grow. Then use the fast-growing ones for breeding, and eat the ones that grew more slowly.

If you are judging how fast a chicken grows, definitely weigh them (or at least pick them up and compare how heavy they feel), because some breeds have lots of fluffy feathers that make them look bigger-- but those feathers are not the part you're going to eat!

 

[nicalandia]

You can cross the BJG roosters with Cornishx hens, Red broiler hens and Dark Cornish for good carcass

 

[Geena]

I crossed Blue Orpingtons with Cornish X and Red Broilers to make my meat mutts. They've worked out quite nicely for us. This year's breeding group.

 

[nicalandia]

I crossed Blue Orpingtons with Cornish X and Red Broilers to make my meat mutts. They've worked out quite nicely for us. This year's breeding group.
View attachment 2942412

Impressive, are those the F1s of the Orpiington x Colored broiler or the F2 of the CornisX cross?

 

[AgnesGray]

This year we're hatching bresse for that purpose. Dark cornish is also on the list as well as white cornish. We currently raise Bielefelders for meat and their meat is very hood, but they're slow to mature. Eventually may try some crosses of these four breeds.

 

[Geena]

Impressive, are those the F1s of the Orpiington x Colored broiler or the F2 of the CornisX cross?

They are a blend of all, 6 generations on now.
I started here-

F1 Orpington/ cornishX

and

F1 Orpington/ red broiler

 

[nicalandia]

Those are Huge.. How heavy do they get at 12 weeks of age