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Dual Purpose Chicken Breeds
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Aug 6, 2024
Dual-purpose chicken breeds are a great choice for most homesteads. We discuss the benefits and challenges of raising dual-purpose breeds and the importance of picking the right breed for your situation. Read More: https://thefarmerslamp.com/best-dual-purpose-chickens
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Hi, welcome
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Today I want to talk with you about the best dual purpose chickens for backyards and homesteads
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If you're pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle, then dual purpose breeds are going to be great for you
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They're going to lay a solid foundation for your food supply. They're going to provide meat and eggs
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That's what a dual purpose breed is. They do well with meat and they do well with egg production
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We're going to talk about our top picks. We've raised all of these breeds in zone eight
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and in zone five, five A, I think is where we are right now
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They do, they've done well. They did better in the South in zone eight
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However, that's going to be the, you know, the truth with anything
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It's a more temperate zone down there. The biggest thing you have is the hot weather to deal with
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So let's get talking about dual purpose breeds chickens. If you do not want to raise your chickens for meat
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if you're not interested in butchering your chickens for meat, then you're going to be want to be focused
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on egg layers. And we have other articles and then our book
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TFL's Guide to Successful Chicken Keeping, we examine over 28 breeds and we break them down for you
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as for egg production and what they need. So if you are looking for more information on that
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please check out our book. The dual purpose breed, like we've already said
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provides meat and eggs. They are hardy heritage breeds. Heritage breeds have healthier and are healthier
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and have better dispositions than some of the hybrids that are available today
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They have longer lifespans. They can usually always be free ranged with little to no commercial feed
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The meat to feed ratio and the egg feed to egg ratio
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is very economical in these breeds. Dual purpose chickens, if they're a heritage breed
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they will get broody and they will hatch out and they can hatch out twice a year
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We actually had a black Australorp hen who through unusual circumstances had to take the eggs
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from another hen's nest and put them with her. And she hatched all 24 eggs and she raised all 24 chicks
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And it was just amazing to watch. So these heritage breeds are going to be able
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to do that for you. The ability to reproduce cuts down on your costs
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as your hens get older or you cull some. It's just, if they can reproduce naturally
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if they're good brooders, good mothers, then that's a great way to increase your flock
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without putting a lot of money in it. Also, you can use the extra eggs in the meat
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if you're part of a bartering system, or as things change here in our country
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the bartering system is making a comeback in a lot of areas
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So that's another way for you to use them. I was given a talk, it's probably been 15 years ago now
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about choosing the right chicken breeds and how to feed them. And the man in the audience said
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a lady had asked me a question about the relevance of traditional methods
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And he stood up and said, I'm tired of hearing people like you talk about old timers
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and how they did things. We don't have the same birds and we don't have the same feed
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and I'm tired of hearing about it. Well, it really caught me off guard
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And so in my best Southern accent, I said, bless your heart
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And depending on which word you add the inflection on or you stress, the bless your heart saying
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has four different meanings. So he understood my meaning and he did not disturb me anymore
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But the truth is when we raise heritage breed chickens, we are continuing to preserve the breeds
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that our ancestors had. We can raise them the way they did
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I mean, the chickens don't really change with the times. Okay, we do, but our chickens don't
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I have two breeds that my grandmother had and I do feed them like she did
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We also have a breed that my husband's grandmother had. And the truth is we choose our pigs, our cows
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our chickens, we choose heritage breeds because we want to preserve them
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A lot of them, if you check the Livestock Conservancy and we have some articles on heritage breed animals
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on our website, we have pigs and chickens and you can check those out
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but some of them are listed as critical. Some of them are, two of the ones that we are raising
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are also recovering now because people are putting forth the effort to keep the lines pure and to continue to breed them
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You know, our ancestors, he was right. A lot of the breeds have been interbred
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and focused on different egg production or just meat production. Our grandparents did not have to worry about GMOs
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They didn't have to worry about organic versus non-organic feed. They just didn't have those issues
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and they free-ranged their chickens. They gave them garden waste, you know, not really waste, but you know
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products out of the garden, kitchen scraps, things like that. And we do that, ours free-ranged
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And then she also gave them a little cracked corn in the morning and a little cracked corn in the evening
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And we do that. That's if, you know, if we don't have our own corn, we do buy organic cracked corn
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And I just give them a little bit in the morning that gives me a chance to see them
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They stay used to me. And then I've trained them to the white bucket
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and you can read about how to train them to the white bucket in the sister post that I will share in the link below
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And when I go out in the evening with that, excuse me, with that white bucket
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they will come running from the woods, from the creek, everywhere, because I shake the white bucket and say
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come on girls. And they see that white bucket and here they come. So they know that that is their feed
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So what are our top picks for the best dual purpose chickens
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Our first one is the black Australorp. Now my husband and I have a little disagreement
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He thinks the black Australorp is a notch above our second choice, which is my favorite breed
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But I give into him because they consistently lay 360 plus eggs a year
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So I give into him on that. They have beautiful black iridescent feathers
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They make a great addition. They're just beautiful to watch out walking
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all around the farm. They're very friendly. This is one of the breeds that my grandmother had
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She had them when she was growing up back in the early 1900s
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So they've been around, they've been in our family for a while. Not these chickens, but you know, this breed
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They make the best mothers. I mean, really of the breeds that we've ever had
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they are the best mothers. The rooster is very watchful and he's very protective
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He can be aggressive, but as you know, breaking an aggressive rooster is quite simple to do
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You just have to be consistent. We have an article on that also
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Black Australorps are often seen as meat birds because they are large
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They're one of the larger dual purpose breeds. They dress out between five and eight pounds
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depending on whether it's a cockerel or hen. They are excellent free rangers
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They're good foragers and they're alert to predators. The roos are very alert to predators
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The hens will start laying large brown eggs around five months of age
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And they are the best winter layers that we have. They don't have many egg abnormalities
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I don't think I've had one Black Australorp hen that laid shell-less eggs and we culled her, of course
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because she wasn't productive. But she, that's the only one I can think of this
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in my memory. You can read our Black Australorp chicken breed article
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on the Farmer's Lab. Number two, Speckled Sussex. Now this is my favorite breed of bird
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Alongside the Black Australorps, like I said, it's our second favorite. It's my first favorite, his second favorite
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They're just beautiful. They're just, and every molt that they go through
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their feather patterns get more beautiful. They're very friendly. They don't mind you picking them up
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watching them take their chicks around, you know, and all the different colors
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It's just entertaining to me. I just love them. Now the roosters are not only colorful, but they are heavy
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They are exceptionally protective and very vigilant. Now I don't find them to be any aggressive tendencies
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like the Black Australorp roos can. The hens start laying large, light brown eggs
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to kind of a beige color about five months. They're resilient through the colder months
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They don't lay as well through the colder months as the Australorps, but they still lay pretty well
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I've never had, like with the Black Australorp, I've never had an egg-bound Sussex hen
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Their health is robust, but we do have some articles. I'm not saying that they can't be
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because anything can happen in this world. I've just never experienced it with this breed
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but we do have articles about egg abnormalities and egg abnormalities and egg-bound hens
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on the farmer's lamp if you need that. The Sussex are substantial in size
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They weigh between seven and nine pounds dressed out. So depending on whether you have a cockerel or a hen
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they're very active foragers. They're always on the move. They are actually recovering
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as are the Australorps on the ALBC website. So we also have an article dedicated
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to Speckled Sussex on the farmer's lamp if you want to read more about them
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Our third choice is Rhode Island Reds. Now they hold a special place in our flock again
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because my grandmother and his grandmother had Rhode Island Reds. So they're excellent layers
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They're truly outstanding. They start laying a bit earlier, a week or two sooner
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between four and a half to five months is when they start laying. They're very consistent throughout the year
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They produce large brown eggs. They originated in Rhode Island. So it's not as rare as others, but it holds its own
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It's not on the ALBC list because of its robust nature and adaptability
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They've been around in America for a long time. Okay. Now we have honorable mentions
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The Buff Orpingtons. The Buff Orpingtons are delightfully beautiful. Our granddaughter has them
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She's seven and she loves her Orpington hens, but she has lost a few to predators
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because of their light color in our area. They're easily spotted by the eagles and the hawks
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They lay around 250 eggs a year. And so they're decent egg layers
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They're heavy birds. They dress out between eight and 10 pounds. So they lay fewer eggs than the other three
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but they dress out a little heavier. The New Hampshire Red. It's different than the Rhode Island Red
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The New Hampshire Red grows faster. It stands out because of its ability
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to produce a lot of meat faster. You can actually harvest these birds at 16 weeks
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where with the Australorp and the Sussex and the Rhode Island Reds, we always wait until they're 20 weeks old
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because they're a little heavier. But these are ready at 16 weeks to be used for meat
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They lay approximately 175 eggs a year. So they're on the lower end of egg laying
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So if you lean more toward meat production and you're not so concerned about having that many eggs
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a year, then that'd be a good option for you. The Jersey Giant
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Now, this is the largest chicken breed that I know of. And I've done some research
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when I was writing this article to see if I could find a larger one. And I could not
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You see these pictures on the internet of these great big, huge birds. Those aren't real birds
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They originated in New Jersey in the late 19th century. And they were developed by crossing Asiatic breeds
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like the Black Java and the Dark Brahma, and Dark Cornish, and the Black Langshan
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I think those are the four breeds. They're designed to be substantial meat birds
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They're slightly larger than the White Giants. Despite their size, they do not have an efficient feed to meat ratio
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compared to smaller, faster maturing birds like the Cornish Cross. Those are just meat birds
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So they require more feed and more time to reach maturity, which may not suit your homestead's needs
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You know, with proper management and free ranging and feeding strategies, they're a viable option
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They're just so big that they're nice to look at. They lay around 200, as you can imagine
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extra large brown eggs a year. So if you're looking for meat and eggs
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and you want something a little different, they would be a good choice for you. The Barred Plymouth Rock is number four
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in our honorable mentions. Some of my earliest memories involve collecting fresh eggs on my grandmother's farm
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and watching Plymouth Rock chickens dash around the yard. It was just one of those that we loved
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It's a result of crossing Dominicas and Black Javas. It adapts into different zones
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So they're nearly around the world. It's a staple in many backyards
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For those reasons, it just adjusts well to wherever it is. Not only are they the best part of the dual
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I can't even talk this afternoon, one of the best dual purpose chickens
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but they mature at around 20 weeks. They are great foragers and they lay a steady supply
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of eggs throughout the year. Black Stars is our last honorable mention
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They're a dynamic crossbreed. They result from a Rhode Island Red and a New Hampshire Rooster with a Barred Rock Hen
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They share many traits with their cousin, the Red Star. They are sex-linked chickens
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And a sex-linked chicken is one you can look at as soon as they hatch and say
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that's a male and that's a female because they hatch out different colors
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depending on what they are. They're not only easy to raise, but they boast and very efficient feed to egg ratio
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They're economical for backyard people. The hens particularly prolific. They lay around 22 weeks of age
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Excuse me, 250 to 300 eggs per year. The pullets at maturity at around 22 weeks
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weigh around six pounds. So they're a good choice. While I cannot say, get this bird for your homestead
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I can't make that decision for you. I can tell you what works for us
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And I hope that these options that we've given you have make it easier for you
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You can check out our guide to successful chicken keeping. There's links on the farmer's lamp in this article
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the article for this video, you can go over there. Do you have breeds that you're currently raising
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that you would keep raising if you could choose again? If so, share with us what they are
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Which ones are your favorite? Which breed is your favorite? And share some stories with us behind it
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We love hearing from you and learning from you. Until next time, safe and happy journey
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