Click to shop Day Old Meat Bird varieties.
Meyer Hatchery offers a variety of meat breed options. Use this helpful chart to determine what option is best for you. The age listed is weeks and weights are in pounds.
Breed | Process Age | Live Weight | Processed Weight | Feed Conversion | Skin Color | Plumage | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornish Cross Chickens | 6 - 9 | 6 - 9 | 5 - 8 | 1.8 | Yellow | White | Cornish Game Hens are Cornish of any gender processed at 4-5 weeks |
Pioneer Broiler Males | 9 - 10 | 6.3 | 4 - 5 | Yellow | Red | Particularly heat hard and very well adapted for foraging/free range | |
Rainbow Ranger Chickens | 9 - 11 | 5 - 6 | 3 - 4 | 2.7 | Yellow | Mix of red, yellow, gold, and black | Excellent free-range option |
Gray Ranger Chickens | 9 - 11 | 5 - 6 | 3 - 4 | 2.7 | Yellow | Mix of black, red, white, gold, some barring possible | Excellent free-range option; also known as "Kosher Kings" |
White Ranger Chickens | 9 - 12 | 6+ | 4.5+ | 2.42 | Yellow | Mostly white, with some with flecks of black | Excellent Cornish alternative -- heat tolerant, great at foraging, and excellent flavor |
Fry Pan Bargain Chickens | 16 - 20 | 6 - 8 | 4 - 5 | n/a | Various | Various | Mix of heavy breed roosters |
Red Broiler Chickens | 11 - 13 | 5 - 6 | 3 - 4 | n/a | Yellow | Red or red with black tips | Developed to have a longer keel |
Sasso Broiler Chickens | 10 - 12 | 7 - 8 | 6 - 7 | n/a | Yellow | Light tan and slightly barred or speckled | Unrelated to Ranger broilers with a similar "country feel" |
Broad Breasted White Turkeys | 16 - 22 |
Female: 23 - 29 Male: |
80 - 85% of live weight | n/a | White | White | Same breed raised by commercial producers |
Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys | 16 - 22 |
Female: Male: |
80 - 85% of live weight | n/a | White | Copper bronze, brown/black | The traditional Thanksgiving turkey bird |
Meyer Hatchery’s Signature Broad Breasted Black Turkeys | 16 - 22 |
Female: Male: 29 |
80 - 85% of live weight | n/a | White | Black | Plenty of meat but at more of a heritage size vs traditional broad breasted |
Meyer Hatchery’s Signature Broad Breasted White Turkeys | 16 - 22 |
Female: 20 Male: 29 |
80 - 85% of live weight | n/a | White | White | Smaller than traditional broad breasted white, lower feed consumption |
Duclair Ducks | 12 |
5 - 6 |
3 - 4 | 3.0 | White | White | Known for their rich elegant flavor |
Muscovy Ducks | 12 - 20 |
6.5 - 15 |
4 - 7.5 | n/a | White | Black/White | Meat is 98% fat free |
Jumbo Pekin Ducks | 18 - 24 |
10 - 13+ |
5 | n/a | White | White | For minimal pin feathers, ideal processing age at 7, 12.5 or 18 weeks |
Grimaud Hybrid Pekin Ducks | 20 - 24 |
8 - 13+ |
5 - 8 | 2.4 | White | White | A hybrid mix of Pekin lines |
Rouen Ducks | 20 - 24 |
5 - 7.25 |
Brown and Tan | Second only to Pekins and Muscovy in size with the most flavorful meat. | |||
White Embden Geese | 16 |
15 - 16 |
11 - 12 | 5.0 | White | White | One of the oldest, and tallest, domestic goose breeds |
Toulouse Geese | 16 | 14 - 16 | 10 - 13 | n/a | White | Shades of gray with the chest and abdomen a creamy white color | |
Pearl Guineas | 14 - 16 | 1.75 - 3.5 | 1.5 - 2.5 | 3.0 | Dark gray with white dots | Rich, dark, flavorful meat | |
Ringneck Pheasant | 15 - 19 | 2.7 - 3 | 2 - 3 | n/a | White | Brown with white, green, copper, and red markings | Very fine meat, feathers often used for jewelry and other crafts |
Chukar Partridge | 16 | 1.3 - 1.6 | 1 | n/a | White | Gray with brown and black markings | Succulent single-serving meat |
Assorted Jumbo Coturnix Quail Hatching Eggs | 6 - 10 |
8 - 15 oz |
6.5 - 10 oz | n/a | White | Varies | Dark meat full of flavor, fast-growing. |
*Feed conversion is the pounds of feed it takes to produce one pound of live weight gain.
These are results published by the breeder. Results vary according to management and environment.
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