Big Chicken

That's a big chicken. That in fact, is Big Chicken.

This is Big Chicken as a chick. He was a free rare breed chick that Murray McMurray Hatchery throws in with orders. He is probably a Buff Cochin. We didn't take much notice of him because we were concetrating on egg breeds. But he was distinctive from day one with his side stockings.


Big Chicken turned into a great rooster though. He was big, and he was relatively gentle with mild manners. He didn't overly dominate the hens and he didn't fight with other males. And he was good looking
When we were butchering Chickens and Guineas last fall, Big Chicken got a pass because we wanted to keep his genetics in our flock. He looked like he had a good size carcass, he had good disposition. And he was our only rooster anyway. We were going to look around for a rooster from an egg laying breed, but we like having some birds worth the effort of slaughtering. There is a downside, Buff Cochins are known for laying small eggs. We'll probably look around for a egg laying rooster for next year's hatching. But I'd like to selectively breed Big Chicken's progeny to keep a group of larger frame birds. We have stayed away from Cornish Cross in the past for a variety of reasons so I am glad we have found an alternative meat bird.




That's Big Chicken on the left, a Americana in the middle and a rockbarred on the right.


This is a next generation rooster from Big Chicken, a cross with a Buff Orpington probably. He is already showing the size that his father passed him. To keep the Buff Cochin characteristics strong in our flock, we'll have to pay more attention to selective breeding in the future. But Big Chicken will live on in our flock long after the last of the chicken soup is gone.