Meat Chickens
Meat chickens, also called broilers, are selectively bred for high-quality meat. Nowadays, this is accomplished by crossing different breeds for their desirable properties, like high growth rate and resistance to disease, making them more popular than classic heritage meat breeds like the Plymouth Rock, Naked Neck, and Orpington.
Such selective breeding is known to cause health issues in the breeds, including heart congestion, skin lesions, and skeletal malformations. Despite these challenges, the industry rears over 20 million broilers annually, with the US producing approximately 9.22 billion.
What Makes a Chicken Good For Meat Production
- High Dressing Weight — After removing non-edible parts like skin and internal organs, the dressed weight of a good meat chicken can be up to 75% of the carcass’s live weight.
- High Feed Conversion Efficiency — A good meat chicken should be able to gain more weight on less feed. For example, in the United States, a broiler consumes 1.75 pounds of food for every pound of weight it gains.
- Fast Growth Rate — Commercially bred broilers have a minimum slaughter weight of 4.4 lbs, which they reach at about 5-7 weeks.
- Low Activity Levels — Chickens that require less stimulation, which means they do not need to forage outside or perch atop high places, are more cost-effective. This is because they can always be kept indoors in a warm environment to focus on their rapid weight gain.
List of Different Meat Chicken Breeds
| Breed | Meat per Chicken (in lbs.) | Weeks to Reach Slaughter Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Cornish Cross | 6-8 | 6-8 |
| Kosher King | 8-9 | 7-8 |
| Brown Broiler | 5-8 | 7-9 |
| Ginger Broiler | 5-7 | 8-13 |
| Freedom Ranger | 5-6 | 9-11 |
| Cornish Roaster | 8-9 | 12-14 |
| Chantecler | 3-7 | 12-16 |
| Naked Neck | 6-8 | 12-16 |
| Cochin | 8-11 | 12-20 |
| Bresse | 4-7 | 16-20 |
| Delaware | 3-6 | 16-20 |
| Plymouth Rock | 4-7 | 16-20 |
| New Hampshire Red | 6-8 | 16-20 |
| Dorking | 7-9 | 19-22 |
| Dark Cornish | 8-10 | 20-22 |
| Orpington | 8-10 | 20-22 |
| Cornish | 8-10 | 20-22 |
| Barbezieux | 4-5 | 20-24 |
| Brahma | 6-8 | 24-32 |
| Jersey Giant | 10-13 | 32-36 |
FAQs
Some of the best chickens for beginners include the Cornish Cross, Jersey Giant, and Bresse. These breeds are easy to handle and grow reasonably quickly.
Their diet needs to include at least 22-24% protein in the first 1-4 weeks. As the chicken reaches its market weight, the amount can be decreased by 18%.
