What is the difference between a dual purpose chicken and a chicken specifically bred for meat? We raised dual purpose heritage birds for 2 years, and enjoyed the process thoroughly! The great thing about them is that you can have a closed, sustainable flock (as long as you keep a rooster) and incubate eggs from your egg laying flock to make "meat birds". They were always hardy, foraged for bugs well in the chicken tractor, and fun to look at with all their different colors and patterns. But, fo