For the Hubbard listing, I’d make the difference from the Ross birds very clear: these are your hardier, slower-growing winter meat chickens, rather than simply another batch of meat birds. I’d also soften “doing you a favour” into wording that makes the same point professionally — namely that you are arranging a special bulk hatchery order because customers have asked for them.

ANY CANCELLED ORDERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO A 50% RE-STOCKING FEE

Hubbard Meat Chickens for Sale – Hardy Winter Meat Birds

Hubbard meat chickens are our preferred choice for customers wanting to raise their own table birds through the cooler autumn and winter months. As the weather turns, we move away from Ross meat chickens and over to Hubbards, as we find them considerably hardier and much better suited to coping with typical English autumn and winter weather.

Unlike the fast-growing Ross birds, Hubbards are fully feathered and slightly slower to mature, making them a more robust option for the colder months. They still grow into an excellent-sized table bird and, given sufficient time and the right feeding, can reach around 4–5kg.

Expected Late September Availability

We are currently taking orders for our first autumn batch of Hubbard meat chickens and anticipate having them ready for collection during the last week of September.

Please bear in mind that these birds are being brought in specially. We need to build up enough customer orders to make a bulk order with the hatchery viable, so the exact collection date will depend on us reaching the required numbers.

We are essentially arranging this batch as an additional service for customers who would still like to raise meat chickens later in the year, rather than finishing with our final Ross batch. For that reason, advance orders really do help and allow us to gauge how many birds we need to bring in.

A Hardier Alternative to Ross Meat Chickens

Ross / Cornish-type meat chickens are exceptionally fast-growing birds and can generally be ready for the table at around 9–12 weeks. Hubbards take things at a slightly steadier pace.

That little bit of extra growing time has its advantages, particularly as we head into the colder months. Their feathering and more robust nature mean we find they cope much better with the changeable English weather than Ross meat birds.

They are therefore a great choice for smallholders, homesteaders and families looking to become a little more self-sufficient and raise their own chicken for the table.

Housing and Care

Although Hubbards are hardier than Ross meat chickens, they still need secure, dry, draught-free housing, particularly during wet and cold weather. Good ventilation, clean bedding, plenty of fresh water and an appropriate feed are all essential.

As with all meat chickens, their growth and eventual finished weight will depend on feeding, management and the age at which you decide to process them. If you are aiming for one of the larger 4–5kg birds, you will need to allow them the additional growing time to reach that size.

Order Your Hubbard Meat Chickens Early

Orders will be processed in the order they are received, and our hatchery order will be based on the level of demand we receive.

If you would like Hubbard meat chickens for the autumn or winter, we strongly recommend ordering or reserving your birds early rather than waiting until the expected September arrival date.

About Hubbard Meat Chickens

Hubbards are well-established meat chickens bred to produce a substantial table bird efficiently while offering a more robust alternative to some of the very fast-growing commercial meat strains.

For the smallholder, one of their biggest advantages is their suitability for a slightly longer growing period. They will not finish quite as quickly as our Ross meat chickens, but their better feathering, hardy nature and ability to cope with cooler conditions make them our preferred meat bird as we move into autumn and winter.

They are an excellent option for anyone who wants the satisfaction of raising their own meat chickens at home, knowing exactly where their food has come from and taking another step towards greater self-sufficiency.

Hubbard Meat Chickens – Pros and Cons

Pros

• Hardy and well suited to autumn and winter rearing

• Fully feathered and better able to cope with cooler English weather

• Can produce a substantial 4–5kg table bird

• Excellent choice for smallholders and home-reared meat

• More suitable than Ross birds for our later-season batches

Cons

• Slightly slower to mature than Ross meat chickens

• Require additional growing time if you want a particularly large finished bird

• Autumn batches depend on sufficient advance orders for us to place a bulk hatchery order

If you would like to buy or reserve Hubbard meat chickens, please order early. Once we have enough reservations to confirm our hatchery order, we will be able to firm up the collection date for our expected last-week-of-September batch.