All-rounder
The term “dual-purpose chicken” refers to breeds that are both good meat suppliers and good egg layers. Ruskies are usually heavier and are poorer flyers due to their weight. Dual-purpose chickens are often calmer and less lively animals.
The ulterior motive of our ancestors with such breeds was that, on the one hand, they wanted relatively good egg-layers. But at some point they also wanted a tasty roast or a sumptuous soup chicken. This is how, for example, the Bielefeld Kennhuhn came about. With a laying performance of almost 230 eggs a year, this chicken can really compete with its laying hen sisters. But it also has a decent carcass weight of up to 3.25 kg.
Normally, the male chicks of laying hybrid hens are killed shortly after hatching because there is nothing to be done with them. However, in contrast to the laying breeds, Zwierassen can also be fattened well. They are utilized as a source of meat and therefore the male chicks are allowed to live. At around 3 weeks of age, they are then separated from their sisters and fattened for later use as meat. However, the industry has only recently started doing this again. Nowadays, many people are increasingly concerned with the issue of animal-based food. This is because pure laying hybrids or meat hybrids are naturally more profitable for large corporations.
There are no dual-purpose hybrids - or at least not yet - so the industry has to make use of the good old breeds.
Here are some examples of dual-purpose breeds:
Amrock
BielefelderKennhuhn
Deutsches Langschan
La Flèche
Sulmtaler
Vorwerk