Dual Purpose Breed

[Hen-Gen]

Last night a neighbour of mine asked me to recommend a breed of chicken. He wants plenty of eggs but also wants to rear the males for meat.
I'm minded to suggest White Wyandottes. Would anyone suggest other breeds and also does anyone know of a breeder of a production strain of White Wyandottes?

 

[dinosaw]

Depends on what he calls plenty of eggs of course, but Faverolle and Lt Sussex would be on my list for utility. Both lay close to the 200 mark with Faverolles having the advantage of laying through winter. Both produce heavy lads, Favs a bit heavier than Sussex. I've eaten a mature Faverolle and he was very tasty, never had Sussex. Favs would be harder to source though and don't do well in mixed flocks.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

I'd go for Sussex as well, although they make average flavour in my view (what I mean its quite good, its just I have eaten just as good yearling hybrid hens and also a commercial bird surprisingly, not sure what breed, here in Portugal they are scrawny and yellow from the maize once on the butchers block, so nothing like a sasso or other quick growing monster I think). But nothing else wrong with the sussex, they are robust and hardy and unfussy. The hens don't lay loads and loads, but enough. Just going on size, could dorking or welsummer do if you can't find dotte or sussex?

 

[Minorcafan]

I too would go for light sussex

 

[RichmondHens]

Light Sussex or Cuckoo Marans. Males in both get to good sizes if reared carefully. My marans hens are still laying daily and they are 2nd and 3rd season birds.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Thanks guys. Light Sussex it is then.

 

[Marigold]

Is climate an issue when choosing breeds, so far North? Had you considered 'real' Black Rocks from the Muirfield hatchery?
http://blackrockhens.co.uk

 

[Minorcafan]

It is the logistics of getting them to Shetland - not easy

 

[Marigold]

How would you get any breed not bred on the islands?

 

[Hen-Gen]

In my case I only ever need an unrelated cockerel so it's eBay eggs. Usually I buy 18 eggs in the hope/ expectation that I'll get one cockerel. But the ferry from Aberdeen is 13.5 hours overnight so live fowl can be brought up in the dark. We are then 2.5 hours from there.
The only time that I brought live fowl up my partner strawed down the back of his ute and the birds free ranged in the back of it. This worked fine because they could eat, drink and walk about as they pleased.