I raise harlis, and honestly, they are definitely not the best breed for meat production.
Mine grow more slowly than any meat breed or mutts I've raised no matter what I feed. :lol:
Growth rate isn't part of the breed standard, and won't win points on the table, so there isn't too much demand for breeders to work on fast growing harlis. The same goes for type, it's just not an important part of the breed.
I still raise my harlis primarily for meat, because they are pretty, very hardy, and I appreciate that they have been allowed to be more natural in their growth and type than most breeds. In other words, I like them, so that's what I raise.
I've had silver foxes and crosses that could get to 5 lbs by 8 or 9 weeks, up to 8 lbs at 16 weeks old. Good meat breeds are out there; I've just never seen a harli litter come close to a commercial meat breed.
I butcher anything I'm not keeping by 12 weeks, because slower growing kits are too highly inefficient in feed for a meat program. Most kits will be over 4lbs by that time, and some up to 5. Anything smaller isn't a keeper anyway...so..
If you want to breed for sale to show breeders, clarity of markings is the main thing breeders want, along with an absence of white marks on japs, and no genetic nonsense like curled tails or pinched hips.
For brood animals, where the markings fall isn't nearly as important as the darkness and clarity of the lines.