At Meyer Hatchery, we’re always on the lookout for great broiler options for our customers, and the Sasso Broiler Chicken is one of our top meat chicken choices. This hybrid is perfect for those who prefer a slower-growing alternative to the Cornish Cross Broilers. Despite their slower growth, Sassos are heavy-bodied birds that pack a lot of meat on their frames. Typically, Sasso males will reach an average of 5-6 pounds live weight by 10-12 weeks of age. Their light tan feathering, often slightly barred or speckled, adds to their uniqueness.

Raising Sasso Broilers: My Experience

This spring, we decided to raise 15 Sassos from an early April hatch. From the moment they arrived, we cared for them very similarly to how we do our layer chicks. We offered them free access to 20% protein medicated chick starter and kept them in a brooder inside for the first few weeks. We moved them outside to a tractor during the day at a little over three weeks old since the temperatures here were consistently in the high 70s or 80s. They were outside in their tractor full-time by five weeks. Once they were a bit bigger, we let them free range during the day while still having access to their food in their tractor. We kept them on a 20% protein grower feed once we had moved them off chick starter at about four weeks old. Typically for a ranger broiler you would want to lower the protein to 18% at 3-7 weeks and then 16-17% protein until process (see our Poultry Feed Guidelines, here), but the 20% feed is what we had available at our local feed store and thus what worked the best for our set up.

Activity and Behavior

One thing that stood out to me with the Sasso was their activity level. These birds grew quickly but comfortably, and they were always on the move. By six weeks, they even started roosting at night, which surprised me, and they continued to roost their entire lives. I hadn’t realized that meat birds would do this, and I loved that they got to live their lives in such a natural chicken fashion. They were friendly and would run up whenever we brought out food. Despite all being roosters, they were never aggressive toward us or our other birds, and I never worried about their behavior around my children.

Processing

When it came time to process them, our simple setup made 15 birds the perfect number. We don’t have super fancy processing equipment or a huge freezer, and 15 was absolutely manageable. Due to busy schedules and some rainy weather, we ended up waiting until the birds were almost 13 weeks old. By then, they weighed between 6-7.5 pounds live weight. We were pleased with their size, especially considering the hot Georgia weather as we moved into July. I was definitely concerned the hot weather would negatively impact their growth.

Overall, raising Sassos was a great experience. They were active, friendly, and provided excellent meat. I would definitely raise these birds again and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a robust and flavorful broiler option.