They are, however, one of the fastest-maturing heritage breeds, and their succulent, tasty meat is worth the wait. If you don’t mind slower-growing birds, Buckeyes are a better bet for hassle-free broilers. Big-time Heritage Broiler: Buckeye Meryl/Flickr As they reach greater sizes, their legs can give out, they easily overheat and they’re somewhat prone to heart failure, so you shouldn’t keep them beyond slaughtering age for breeding or as barnyard pets. However, their astoundingly rapid growth comes at a price. Also known as Cornish Rocks, Cornish Xs and White Broilers, these huge, hybrid birds are ready for processing as fryers at 5 to 6 weeks of age and as meaty roasters by the time they’re 7 to 9 weeks old. If you want lots of meat, and you want it fast, try Cornish Crosses. Big-time Broiler: Cornish Cross Cowgirl Jules/Flickr Hamburgs are listed in the Watch category of The Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List. They come in an array of colors, in standard as well as bantam sizes. They’re strong flyers, alert and flighty, but they make up for this by being prolific layers of small to medium white eggs, averaging 200 to 220 per year, even through the cold winter months. These small, sprightly birds are avid foragers and need room to roam Hamburgs don’t fare well in confinement. If you need lots of eggs but prefer heritage breeds, think Hamburgs. Perfect Heritage Layer: Hamburg Shutterstock They’re calm, friendly birds and great free-rangers, but they adapt well Pullets begin laying sooner than heritage breeds, producing 250 to 320 large to extra-large brown eggs a year. Cinnamon Queens are also nonbroody, so they don’t take timeouts to raise chicks. Poultry Picks Perfect Nonheritage Layer: Cinnamon Queen JohnidaDockens/Flickr.jpgĬinnamon Queens are top-notch hybrid layers with two notable attributes: They’re meaty enough to raise as tasty, tender fryers or broilers, and they’re autosexing-meaning the sexes are easily discernible directly from the egg. We developed this guide to identify some great breeds for various jobs and situations. This makes it easy to select breeds suited for the needs of you and your farm. Other smaller animals for beginners might include raising turkeys, pigs, or ducks.All breeds of livestock, including poultry, cattle, sheep, goats and hogs, were developed for specific purposes. Unlike some smaller animals, goats will require more green space and very strong fencing to ensure that they cannot escape. Goats are known for their silly and amusing antics.
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