Meat chicken breeds vary in weight and how quickly they reach maturity. Whether you want fast-growing Cornish Rocks, slow-to-mature Jersey Giants or anything in between, these ten meat chicken breeds are sure to please.
#1 Cornish Rock
The Cornish Rock is undoubtedly the most popular of the meat chicken breeds and can reach butcher weight as quickly as six to eight weeks. Their white feathers and fast growth rate make the breed an ideal meat chicken.
Cornish Rock chickens require a specific, high-protein diet to help sustain them and promote fast growth. While they are the most popular of meat-breed chickens, they are also the most likely to suffer health conditions due to their obesity and fast growth.
The average dressed weight for Cornish Rock chickens should fall between five and six pounds.
#2 New Hampshire Red
New Hampshire Red chickens are often thought of as a dual-purpose breed versus meat chickens, but there is a reason that New Hampshire Reds made our meat chicken breeds list.
Bred less than a century ago, the breed was originally bred for meat production. Hens are good layers, but since their main purpose was meat production, many chicken owners prefer to order straight run chicks, keeping the hens for eggs and raising the roosters for meat.
New Hampshire Red chickens reach butchering age at twenty weeks of age and produce a dressed weight of four to five pounds.
#3 Delaware
The Delaware was first created in the twentieth century to be a meat breed. Even though today it is often overlooked as one of the meat chicken breeds, their mostly white feathering, yellow skin and quick maturity make them an iconic meat breed.
Delaware meat has a slightly sweet, succulent taste, with a firm texture. Delawares reach butchering age at about twelve to sixteen weeks of age.
Ideally, pullets should dress out at about five pounds, cockerels about seven.
#4 Jersey Giant
The slowest grower of the breeds listed on the meat chicken breeds, the Jersey Giant is an excellent table bird for those looking for a slow grower with excellent quality meat.
Considered to be a premium meat chicken, the Jersey Giant has dark meat and an excellent lingering taste. In fact, Jersey Giant is the only chicken to produce brown colored meat.
Jersey Giants are slow growers, reaching market weight around the age of nine months. When dressed, a single Jersey Giant can feed a family of four.
Did you know? Jersey Giant capons (a castrated rooster) can reach twenty pounds or more.
#5 Plymouth Rock
One of the most popular chickens kept today, the Plymouth Rock chicken easily earns a spot on the top meat chicken breeds list.
The barred variety of this breed is known for its slightly dark and juicy meat with a tender texture. When comparing the taste of commercially raised Cornish Rock chickens to the Plymouth Rock, the Plymouth Rock wins hands down.
Plymouth Rocks reach butchering weight between sixteen and twenty weeks. While this may seem long when compared to the Cornish Rock, it is believed that the slower growth and longer life contribute to this breed’s superb flavor.
Plymouth Rocks are dual-purpose, so often only the roosters are raised for meat.
#6 Red Ranger
The Red Ranger is at the top of the meat chicken breeds list to excel at reaching market weight quickly, with the ability to thrive on pasture. The breed excels at foraging, helping to cut down on feed costs while still raising good-quality meat birds.
Red Rangers should not be allowed to free range as they can not move as quickly as lighter-weight breeds, so they are more easily picked off by predators. Housing Red Rangers in a chicken tractor allows them the ability to forage while keeping them safe from a predator attack.
Red Ranger meat has a more savory and richer taste than commercial raised chickens. The breed has a quality carcass and desirable meat.
These dual-purpose chickens reach market weight (five to six pounds) between the ages of eleven to thirteen weeks. However, if looking for even better quality meat, allow Red Rangers to reach twenty weeks of age before butchering for a more flavorful meat.
#7 Speckled Sussex
The Speckled Sussex was the official meat chicken of England before the Cornish Rock chicken was created. These days, Sussex isn’t considered to be one of the popular meat chicken breeds, and is usually kept as laying hens and pets.
Speckled Sussex produces a tender and juicy meat. The meat is a pinkish white, unlike other American-raised breeds that produce a slightly darker meat. While the meat has superb quality, they are slow growers and can take up to eight months to reach butchering weight.
Despite not producing the preferred colored meat, Americans overlook the less desirable color for the superb taste of a Sussex.
Speckled Sussex chickens are a dual-purpose breed. Hens are often kept for egg-laying purposes, while roosters are butchered. Sussex reaches market weight between the ages of five and eight months.
#8 Buckeye
The Buckeye chicken is often overlooked when considering meat chicken breeds, but this Ohio native offers the hobby farmer a lot of bang for their buck.
Another dual-purpose chicken, Buckeye hens are good layers while the roosters make excellent table birds.
Buckeye roosters mature fairly quickly for a dual-purpose breed and reach butchering age between three and five months.
The meat of a Buckeye chicken is firm and flavorful. Roosters should reach about seven pounds before being processed, producing a dressed weight of five pounds per rooster.
One thing that sets the Buckeye apart from the other meat chicken breeds is that when a hen has started to decline in egg production, they can be turned into stewing hens.
#9 Naked Neck
Naked Necks are the easiest of the meat chicken breeds to process. Due to their lack of feathering, Naked Necks are easier to pluck than other breeds.
The Naked Neck has an excellent feed-to-meat conversion due to its lack of feathering. With fewer feathers to grow, chicks grow quicker than other dual-purpose breeds.
Naked Necks reach butchering age when roosters reach seven to eight pounds live weight and hens five to six pounds. The meat has a rich flavor and is considered by some enthusiasts to produce the best-tasting meat.
#10 Bresse
The Bresse is the rarest of the meat chicken breeds featured, but this chicken has much to offer meat producers.
Bresse meat has a buttery flavor and tender, juicy texture. The meat has a complex flavor compared to other meat chicken breeds that resembles a slight beefy taste.
The average weight of a dressed Bresse varies depending on the age of the chicken when butchered. Bresse chickens, butchered between the ages of eleven and fourteen weeks, average three pounds. While Bresses harvested at sixteen weeks of age produce a five-pound dressed weight.
Meat Chicken Breeds Summary
No matter your priorities—fast growth, flavor, or dual-purpose utility—there’s a meat chicken breed to fit your needs. With these ten top choices, you can confidently raise birds that will provide delicious, homegrown meat for your table.
This article about meat chicken breeds was written for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines. Click here to subscribe.
