Can you hatch your own Cornish Cross?

[mom of silkies]

Do you have pictures of that cross?

 

[phoenix-silkie]

You are really asking two questions here:

1) Can you get hatching eggs for Cornish Crosses (broilers)?

Yes. They cost you more than a day old chick, though, so you are not saving anything.

2) Can you rebreed a Cornish Cross and get subsequent generations of Cornish Crosses?

No. Cornish Crosses are hybrids and when you rebreed them, they do not produce more Cornish Crosses. You get random results. Not to mention they eat so much food getting to point-of-lay, it's hard to justify any savings.

okay i get this but do you know how they breed the Cornish cross
hen?
rooster?
i thanks every one so much i have been trying to contact hatcheries asking this question but they all didn't answer me. i'm so happy to fined this thread

 

[CrazyTalk]

Like greyfields said, Cornish Cross are a terminal hybrid - there are separate flocks kept for each grandparent position in the cross, and for each parent position. They're not a breed.

The specific genetics of these parent birds are closely guarded, and they're raised on biosecure facilities. Fences, guards, etc. We're talking about a huge industry here. If you want some of the source birds, the contracts deal in 10s of thousands of birds, and include provisions about buying food, housing, etc.


Just think of them like buying hybrid vegetable seeds - you get better growth, and a better product, but you have to buy new seeds every crop.

 

[phoenix-silkie]

thank you so much. i get that, so what would be the closest breeds to a cornish cross?
i herd the Sussex breed is close.

if i were to breed two breeds that would get me the closes to the cornish cross, in the way it grows in a short amount of time that would make me happy.

 

[mom of silkies]

okay i get this but do you know how they breed the Cornish cross
hen?
rooster?
i thanks every one so much i have been trying to contact hatcheries asking this question but they all didn't answer me. i'm so happy to fined this thread

You are really asking two questions here:

1) Can you get hatching eggs for Cornish Crosses (broilers)?

Yes. They cost you more than a day old chick, though, so you are not saving anything.

2) Can you rebreed a Cornish Cross and get subsequent generations of Cornish Crosses?

No. Cornish Crosses are hybrids and when you rebreed them, they do not produce more Cornish Crosses. You get random results. Not to mention they eat so much food getting to point-of-lay, it's hard to justify any savings.

Actually, I have successfully bred my CX hens to my CX roo, and gotten great meat birds, that are a little harder then CX's. (go to Cornish rock cross/black australorp thread for more info!)

 

[Bobs626]

This is a GREAT question that I would Def want to hear more about. I was considering keeping one of the Female Cornish Roasters and trying to breed her with either my White Leghorn Rooster or a White Rock Rooster or my WLR Cornish if he turns out to be a rooster to get some good broad breasted meat birds...Any suggestions???

It seems the hen has more influence on the outcome than the rooster.

Mating For Size and Shape:​

"In my experience the hen has far more influence over both the size and shape of the progeny than the male has. Take a broad-shouldered, deep-breasted cock and mate with narrow- shouldered hens, deficient also in breast, and the result of such a union will be but little, if any, improvement. Had, however, the tables been turned, and the hens possessed the size instead of the cock, far greater improvement would appear in the offspring."
https://cluckin.net/chicken-genetics-gene-table-and-breeding.html#mcetoc_1dnsqqrb80

 

[Mishkae]

The broiler industry maintains Grandparent Flocks, and Parent Flocks - because there's so many traits that are only good when they're heterozygous, and so many that are only good in the parent generation. My understanding is that the dame/granddame lines are actually small thrifty birds that lay a lot of eggs - and are genetic dwarfs. It's taken 50+ years of research and selective breeding to get these birds the way they are - you're not going to be able to unravel them in a couple generations - this is way more complex than what's going on with the pet side.

Truly I say. Truly. Genetics are easy to manipulate if you know what your looking for. Back In the 1920s they didn't have the technology we have today. Being able to eat yourself to the point of crippling obesity is a trait even the human body has accomplished. Just look at Sumo Wrestlers. It's all about what you eat. It boils down to what does your chicken eat. And how much. How often. Sure not all chickens will eat themselves to death but every breed you will eventually find one chicken who just can't get enough. So you pick that one to breed and over feed. Rinse and repeat. By the 3rd or 4th generation of selection you will have what your looking for.

 

[4WRanch]

You are really asking two questions here:

1) Can you get hatching eggs for Cornish Crosses (broilers)?

Yes. They cost you more than a day old chick, though, so you are not saving anything.

2) Can you rebreed a Cornish Cross and get subsequent generations of Cornish Crosses?

No. Cornish Crosses are hybrids and when you rebreed them, they do not produce more Cornish Crosses. You get random results. Not to mention they eat so much food getting to point-of-lay, it's hard to justify any savings.

This may have been the case in 2008, but I get cornish x hatching eggs delivered to Kansas City that have a 90% hatch rate for $1 per egg all included. Day old chicks delivered are $4 to $5. I get them from a big supplier (place that supplies the "tyson" farms), I had to beg them to lower the minimum order but they did and i just go in with a couple other homesteaders and buy the minimum (180 eggs). So this may have been true in '08 but we save $4 per bird hatching our own. Hatching cornish is the only way to go. Went from $14-$15 to raise one to butcher to $9-$10. Across 50+ birds its a huge savings.