Breed:Cornish Cross
Size: 8 lbs.
Harvest Age: 6-10 Weeks
Pros: Cornish game birds, when crossed with another breed, are an excellent and hearty bird for your dinner talbe. They are easy to contain and very docile for a game bird. They are also the earliest ready for the slaughter unlike other breeds which take significantly longer.
Cons: They best production comes from the crosses, not the pure birds. They do not lay much, and they are a bit uncommon.
Breed:Delaware
Size: 6.5 lbs.
Harvest Age: 12 Weeks
Pros: You will receive a good lay of eggs from these birds and may decide to keep the hens on as layers. They are very docile and excellent at being around people. They are also cold-hardly layers and early maturing.
Cons: You may want to keep them as layers, and they are not ready for slaughter till about twelve weeks. They are also relatively uncommon.
Breed:Rhode Island Reds
Size: 6.5 lbs.
Harvest Age: 8- 12 Weeks
Pros: These are amazing layers, so you should get a huge number of eggs before the slaughter. They are hearty in the cold and are easily adapted to free range or confined conditions. Hens tend to be docile while the roosters are a bit more aggressive.
Cons: High laying may convince owners to forego meat and focus on eggs. These chickens tend to be on the small side; they are also early maturing which can lead to a tougher bird.
Breed: Langshan
Size: 7.5 lbs.
Harvest Age: 8-12 Weeks
Pros: This is a larger bird that is adaptable to both free range and confined conditions. They are quite active for their size and slow to mature; but they are not calm or docile. They are good layers so you may get a good number of eggs from them as well before the slaughter.
Cons: Fairly uncommon and not docile. They also have feathered legs which can require a bit more care and consideration in raising them.
Breed: Dorking
Size: 6.5 lbs.
Harvest Age: 8- 12 Weeks
Pros: These birds fatten easily which gives them the good range for slaughter readiness that they have. They are also slow to mature which means that it takes them longer to become tough and boney. They are not a great layer, but the do lay fairly well so you will also get a nice supply of eggs from your hend.
Cons: A bit of a smaller bird and quite uncommon.
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