Brahma crosses for meat?

[Jandsloch]

Ok so silly me got an incubator and hatched 20 out of 21 chicks almost 3 weeks ago. I also received my order of rainbow rangers last week. My mixes are about a week older than the rangers. so far the mutts appear bigger (even as day olds the size was recognizable). So my question is has anyone ever used a Brahma over dual purpose hens for meat? What was the outcome? Either way I will be processing them all. Perhaps I need to weigh at different stages etc. for each bird/breed and see the difference. Maybe time will only tell. Just wondered if anyone has ever done it before lol. Mother mother’s are Barnevelder, dark and light Brahma, RIR, barred plymouth Rock, and a Cochin.

 

[speckledhen]

I don't do meat birds, but I will tell you that if the Brahma side is the main influence in how they grow, that breed builds frame way before it builds true bulk. I've raised them for years. They are huge, but they are very slow growers, generally. Hatchery stock does not grow as large as breeder stock (I've had both), though they may grow slightly faster, and breeder stock ends up huge, but they don't mature size wise until they are over a year old, even older than that, really. They are a lot of fluff and bone until they get some age on them.
Hopefully, someone who has done this will chime in for you.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Ok so silly me got an incubator and hatched 20 out of 21 chicks almost 3 weeks ago. I also received my order of rainbow rangers last week. My mixes are about a week older than the rangers. so far the mutts appear bigger (even as day olds the size was recognizable). So my question is has anyone ever used a Brahma over dual purpose hens for meat? What was the outcome? Either way I will be processing them all. Perhaps I need to weigh at different stages etc. for each bird/breed and see the difference. Maybe time will only tell. Just wondered if anyone has ever done it before lol. Mother mother’s are Barnevelder, dark and light Brahma, RIR, barred plymouth Rock, and a Cochin.

Brahmas are both meat and layer. Pretty much any chicken can be used for meat.

 

[Jandsloch]

I don't do meat birds, but I will tell you that if the Brahma side is the main influence in how they grow, that breed builds frame way before it builds true bulk. I've raised them for years. They are huge, but they are very slow growers, generally. Hatchery stock does not grow as large as breeder stock (I've had both), though they may grow slightly faster, and breeder stock ends up huge, but they don't mature size wise until they are over a year old, even older than that, really. They are a lot of fluff and bone until they get some age on them.
Hopefully, someone who has done this will chime in for you.

Thank your for your reply. My 2 Brahma hens are hatchery 1 from tsc and the other mpc...the mpc is huge at a year old. My rooster is 2 he came from a breeder and he’s a giant! Pic of Mr. Miyagi the rooster I love brahmas he is solid at this age. And yes they are slower to grow weight wise. He was solid at 6 months old. My original intentions for the incubator was to put him with my ranger girl (I kept for this reason) as ive read many articles ppl have done this and the outcome is the same as the rangers. But she molted for months and then passed as she was egg bound with that first egg after her molt. So I just threw eggs in the incubator lol

 

[Jandsloch]

Brahmas are both meat and layer. Pretty much any chicken can be used for meat.

Yes I knew this...i was looking to see if anyone had any info on these crosses....how long till process, what kind of meat....is it worth the weight in feed. Cornish cross process is 8-10 weeks....my rangers about 12 weeks...worth their weight in feed....but brahmas in general take way longer for process age. I don’t want to wait a year to process lol. It was either keep them for meat or give them to a woman down the road

 

[Ridgerunner]

Either way I will be processing them all. Perhaps I need to weigh at different stages etc. for each bird/breed and see the difference.

I have never had a Brahma so I can't help you with any experience with them. This is my general suggestion, see for yourself. We all have our own ways of raising them and our own personal preferences. Try it and see how it works for you.

Cornish cross process is 8-10 weeks....my rangers about 12 weeks...worth their weight in feed.... It was either keep them for meat or give them to a woman down the road

If you are comparing costs I feel real confident in saying these crosses will not compete with Cornish X or Rangers. Not even close. You'd have to have some other reason than efficiency to try these crosses. Maybe you want to breed your own instead of buying chicks. Or maybe you really like the meat better. I like to play with genetics so raising them to eat fits well with that. There can be lots of reasons you want to raise crosses but cost efficiency isn't one of them.

 

[Jandsloch]

I have never had a Brahma so I can't help you with any experience with them. This is my general suggestion, see for yourself. We all have our own ways of raising them and our own personal preferences. Try it and see how it works for you.


If you are comparing costs I feel real confident in saying these crosses will not compete with Cornish X or Rangers. Not even close. You'd have to have some other reason than efficiency to try these crosses. Maybe you want to breed your own instead of buying chicks. Or maybe you really like the meat better. I like to play with genetics so raising them to eat fits well with that. There can be lots of reasons you want to raise crosses but cost efficiency isn't one of them.

Thank you. This was info I was looking for. My experiences with the Cornish isn’t efficient for me as they just gorge on food. I loved the rangers as less feed even though a couple weeks longer and I could keep one to lay to breed with the rooster for future meat chickens as everything I’ve come across for that mix has been generally the same outcome as the rangers...but...she passed and I just had to use the incubator mom needed some pullets too...double excuse. Oh and I had to let my broody sit on eggs too haha I’m swimming crap we got an order ofrangers in last week. I suppose I may keep one of each mix and compare and see the difference and the rest give to the woman who wants them or the Amish

 

[gatrapper]

I have and stopped. They eat as much as my turkeys and grow so slow. Wasn't cost effective.

 

[Jandsloch]

I have and stopped. They eat as much as my turkeys and grow so slow. Wasn't cost effective.

The crosses or the brahmas themselves...I knew the brahmas are slow...wasn’t sure how it would go if crossed over a faster growing hen

 

[Jandsloch]

I have never had a Brahma so I can't help you with any experience with them. This is my general suggestion, see for yourself. We all have our own ways of raising them and our own personal preferences. Try it and see how it works for you.


If you are comparing costs I feel real confident in saying these crosses will not compete with Cornish X or Rangers. Not even close. You'd have to have some other reason than efficiency to try these crosses. Maybe you want to breed your own instead of buying chicks. Or maybe you really like the meat better. I like to play with genetics so raising them to eat fits well with that. There can be lots of reasons you want to raise crosses but cost efficiency isn't one of them.

The more I think....with the amount of $ I spend on birds and shipping (rangers) it may be still better with these...as long as they don’t take a year lol so I guess I’ll just keep a few and send the rest elsewhere