Orpingtons for meat?

[ajlynco]

I'd like opinions on how BYCers think RIRs and BRs compare with Orps and Austrolorps as meat birds. Does anyone have experience with these breeds?

 

[circlefivehomestead]

Quote:
oh me too!

 

[fledgling]

We tried many breeds and are going back to Orps. We tried Jersey Giants, RIRs, Barred Rock and Delawares.

 

[galanie]

I'd be pretty surprised if anyone preferred RIR as a meat bird since they generally are only used for laying. The other breeds mentioned here are more common as dual purpose. Australorps are probably good but their parent breed, the Orpington, seem better suited for a meat bird to me. Just my opinion. I'm sure it would depend what strain one is looking at. Definitely try to get at least part of your stock from a breeder rather than a hatchery though no matter what you settle on. The size difference can be astonishing, while laying ability really isn't hugely different in my experience when it comes to dual purpose birds.

 

[rarely bored]

Agree that breeder orps are much better than hatchery. I have my first breeder orps, they will be 10 weeks tomorrow, and they are 3/4, or a smidgen over that, the size of my full grown hatchery orps. And much prettier too!

 

[LilyD]

I was very pleasantly surprised when I processed my two excess roosters. Their breasts were decent but their dark meat was much darker than other birds I have done. Another thing that always surprises me with DP birds is how little fat they have on them even though they go longer than CRX. These birds were lean and mean (really mean lol) and there was very little fast on the meat. Even by 12 weeks for CRX they are pretty fatty probably because they do very little moving around and my birds (they are free range unless I want to collect eggs from them for hatching) are all over the yard and sometimes even get out of the yard although I would rather they didn't. My yard it pretty fenced in but occasionally one of the girls finds out that she actually can fly to get out. I would do orphingtons for meat if I had space for another coop. Right now I only have two coops, one full of layers and the other full of birds that I will be breeding for meat. Once the layers in the main coop get older and are ready to be processed I will be making one coop for Delawares and one for Light Brahmas.

Here are some pics of my breeding stock right now.

these were taken this summer and these are the younger breeder stock brahmas. They were about 12 weeks in this picture and already pretty hefty. I had 7 that I hatched out to add to the stock I have and kept one rooster and two hens. Before that I had pretty much just done CRX and whatever extra roosters I hatched out no matter the breed. These guys get around 12 pounds live weight so would make a nice table roaster.

 

[PiperStClaire]

Quote:
Not to change the topic, but how was your Ameraucana? I got a cockerel accidentally at 2 months, didn't start crowing or growing spurs until he was 7 months. Can't have roosters in my area so figured we'd have to butcher him, and they are listed as dual purpose, so I'm hoping he'll make a good meal or two...

Thanks!

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Grats! It does make a heck of a difference, doesn't it?