Pioneer Chicken
| Sex | Order | 1 to 24 | 25 to 59 | 60 to 119 | 120 to 599 | 600+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | $5.75 | $4.75 | $3.75 | $3.45 | $3.30 | |
| Female | $5.00 | $4.00 | $3.00 | $2.70 | $2.10 | |
| Unsexed | $5.25 | $4.25 | $3.25 | $2.95 | $2.35 |
The Pioneer Chicken is a slow-growing dual-purpose bird perfect for free-range and pasture-based farming systems. Developed over 15 years of selective breeding, this heritage cross was first established in the 1940s and has been continuously refined to improve meat quality, resilience, and natural foraging instincts.
Pioneers have a strong skeletal structure, excellent feed conversion, and superior meat quality, making them an outstanding choice for farmers looking for a bird that thrives in diverse farming environments. About 25% of the Pioneer Chickens have full feathering rather than the characteristic naked neck. This natural variation comes from their diverse heritage lines, but they are still true Pioneers with the same genetics, growth rate, and performance.
Pioneer Chickens feature auto-sexing coloration, white males and red females, allowing for easy and accurate sexing right at hatch.
| Mar 9 | Mar 30 | Apr 6 | Apr 13 | Apr 20 | Apr 27 | May 4 | May 11 | May 18 | May 26 | Jun 1 | Jun 8 | Jun 15 | Jun 22 | Jun 29 | Jul 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | ||||||||||||||||
| Female | ||||||||||||||||
| Unsexed |
• Available
• Not Available
• Limited Availability (<10 birds)
Why Choose Pioneer Chickens?
Slow-Growing for Better Meat Quality – Grows at a natural pace, allowing for well-developed muscles, a strong skeletal structure, and rich, flavorful meat.
Perfect for Free-Range & Pasture-Raised Farms – Strong foragers that actively seek out insects, seeds, and plants, resulting in a healthier diet and better feed efficiency.
Hardy & Low Maintenance – High heat tolerance, strong immune response, and robust natural instincts make them easy to manage with minimal intervention.
Dual-Purpose Versatility – Excellent as a slow-growing red broiler chick, but also capable of producing quality eggs if raised longer.
A Heritage Cross with a Legacy of Excellence – Originally bred from Transylvanian Naked Neck, Delaware, and Cornish Cross chickens, this breed has been progressively selected for superior traits year after year.
Breed Information
Growth Rate: Slow-growing, optimized for free-range and pasture systems
Meat Quality: Rich, flavorful, with excellent texture
Foraging Ability: Strong natural instincts, thrives in outdoor environments
Temperament: Hardy, active, and adaptable
Best For: Small farms, homesteads, and regenerative farming operations
Pioneer Chickens are the perfect alternative to commercial broilers, offering better meat quality, sustainability, and adaptability. Whether you need a superior slow-growing meat bird or a dual-purpose option for eggs and meat, the Pioneer is an ideal choice for any farm.
Customer Reviews of Pioneer Chicken
4.8Cristina H. | A great alternative to Cornish cross so far
So far, only 4 weeks in, I love these birds. The first three weeks I haven't had to change the bedding in the brooder, no smell and they don't eat nowhere near as much as the Cornish crosses. Now that they're getting bigger they are starting to smell a little bit more but they're ready to go outside so no biggie.. We have males so most are all white but two do have a heavy amount of black in the feathers and they just look cool. We are happy and excited to see how they finish out. I just bought more.
Laura W. | Great Meat birds
I ordered 8 my first go round with these birds, and I will not look back. These are not as slow growing as I thought they were, we aren't to 8 weeks yet and they are gigantic, however, I will never buy another cornish cross again. My CCs dropped like flies starting at week 4. Their bodies gave out with how fast they grew. My first experience with Pioneers and I have not had one issue. They are all healthy and happy and they actually MOVE around enough to seem to stay that way. I will be ordering pioneers again for my second round of broilers for the year.
Kira A. | Great addition to the flock!
Chicks were shipped Tuesday morning and I had them by early Wednesday afternoon. We live up north, so that was amazingly fast! The chicks were all lively and healthy and Metzer even threw in an extra. We gave the chicks to a broody turkey who took them on as her own, so we have 7 happy, healthy baby birds all being raised by a very happy turkey hen. Everything went perfect, from the seamless ordering to the fast delivery to their continued health and vitality several weeks later. I've ordered ducklings here before and I certainly will continue using Metzer as my Number 1 hatchery!
Joel S. | Fantastic Bird
We raised a a few batches of the Pioneer this year and absolutely loved them. A perfect cross between red and white broilers. It embodies the healthier, better on pasture, and more flavorful characteristics of a slow growing red broiler, while producing a superior meat to bone ratio and only a bit slower growth rate than the classic Cornish Cross. 10 stars!
Lightfoot Farmstead | Great!
Pioneers grow so well for a more heritage breed. We love this mix and how they are slower to grow, forage more like a laying chicken, but fill out like a cornish! Great alternative for someone not wanting to do cornish. Also the less feathers is always great on processing day.