Breeding Chickens?

[Ireland-or-bust]

Hi,

im looking to get some chickens for eggs and for meat.
all i can get here are golden comets. which are a hybrid.

can you breed hybrids with each other? or with pure males?
i dont know if i can get comet cocks, i have only had hens.

I want to keep a stock for eggs and let them breed for meat
sometimes.

mark.

[henut]

Hi, hybrids tend to be bread for either egg production or eating. The ones that lay eggs tend to not have white coloured skin. Have the golden comets got white skin are they a dual purpose bird??

If not it may put you off eating them.

[Goodlife1970]

Hi Mark,I dont think that hybrids would be any good for meat production as they are bred for egg laying and are very lightweight,they also dont tend to go broody (although we had a Warren hen hatch out a brood last year to prove the exception!) It may be better to mate the hybred hens with a heavier cockerel,Light Sussex/RIR or to buy in day old chicks to fatten (as we do) that are bred especially for the meat trade.I have tried several different breeds/crosses and to be honest have found the Ross Cobb or Sasso to be the best for flesh to bone ratio and if reared on a varied diet the flavour is excellent. There is a tendancy for them to "go off their legs" should they be overfed as they will eat contiunually so keep an eye on quantities of foodstuffs but my birds reach 6-7lb dressed out without having to stuff them silly and they taste like CHICKEN not damp cardboard!

[Ireland-or-bust]

hi,

im not sure what colour the skin is actually.
i think its white, based on the legs anyway.

i can get comets easily but not sure about any pure breads.

i would like to get some for eggs and some for meat.
i hav eno idea what to get now.

ps i used to live in barnsley, but i left....:-)

mark

[Shirley]

in my limited experience...

we've only kept light sussex, and recently buff sussex... well apart from some egg birds (bovans nera) that got eaten by the fox, who has no real preference for breed... chicken, chips and peas and he's happy!

I seem to recall that Hugh Fearnley-Eatsitall recommended a light sussex/silver dorking cross as a good table bird.

You can always buy hatching eggs and put them in the incubator... .lots on ebay etc. Check feedback of sellers carefully though. We had good success with some duck eggs from ebay. I've just ordered some goose eggs too.