cornish game hens

[Elke Beck]

How long does it take Cornish to grow to slaughter weight? Of course, they can't compare to the Cornish X's for fast growth because nothing does, but how do they compare to the slower growing broiler types like Red or Freedom Rangers that produce a nice, meaty carcass at 12 weeks?

 

[NJNick]

Hello
I thought you may have gotten them from Cedar or the guy in Florida. And maybe Al in Oklahoma. Well I am sure you can sell some at decent prices. It seems that it is very hard to get pure whites.

 

[kfacres]

How long does it take Cornish to grow to slaughter weight? Of course, they can't compare to the Cornish X's for fast growth because nothing does, but how do they compare to the slower growing broiler types like Red or Freedom Rangers that produce a nice, meaty carcass at 12 weeks?

To counterbalance prior thought- true, good quality Cornish are quite slow growing... but to sum it up best-- they'll still be twice as big as any DP bird at the same age.

I have no experience with the colored broilers, as they are nothing more than hybrid CX and DP type birds.

 

[kfacres]

Hello
I thought you may have gotten them from Cedar or the guy in Florida. And maybe Al in Oklahoma. Well I am sure you can sell some at decent prices. It seems that it is very hard to get pure whites.

big medicine enthusiast here.

 

[Elke Beck]

To counterbalance prior thought- true, good quality Cornish are quite slow growing... but to sum it up best-- they'll still be twice as big as any DP bird at the same age.

I have no experience with the colored broilers, as they are nothing more than hybrid CX and DP type birds.

Yeah, they won't work for me. I live in the city, and I have to raise my meat birds fast and get them in the freezer before there is any crowing or complaints from my neighbors. Too bad, those Cornish are beautiful birds.

 

[rick54]

I have found this thread to be most confusing with regards to the name given to this bird.
I am looking to get some Cornish Game Hens. These are the birds that I slaughter at 5 wks. old last summer and are exactly like the frozen Game Hens I find in my freezer case at my local grocery store.

Now I know some of the replies to this thread believe it's just a name thing in order to promote a gimmick to promote sales. I did check with McMurray Hatchery who I have bought my Cornish Game Hens from in past years, and they do list the following under Cornish.

Jumbo Cornish X Rocks
Dark Cornish
Cornish Roasters
Cornish Game Hens
White Laced Red Cornish

Now if this was just a name gimmick in order to sell chicks, why would McMurray go to all the added expense to list all these separate chicks and create such confusion? From my reading on this thread, one is lead to believe that the Jumbo Cornish X Rock, Cornish Roaster and Cornish Game Hens are all the same bird, only identified at different age levels, and thus the gimmick?!

What I'm looking for, is another source of supply for a true Cornish Game Hen, of which there seems to be no other supplier for this chick other than McMurray Hatcheries at the moment.

Does anyone know of any other sources of supply for Cornish Game Hen chicks?

Thank you!

 

[Sel Gris]

mrwinchester, it sounds terrible, but my spouse and I choose the birds to get "processed" first by choosing the noisiest, most obnoxious ones that pick on their brothers or sisters. I'm the only one who processes them (like you, I have a soft-hearted spouse), but it makes it easier.

One Cornish Cross was given grain to supplement forage, and made it to nearly six months old before he met his end. The people who ate him exclaimed that they thought he was a turkey, because he was so huge.

For nice, tender babies, you could get a baby scale and check their growth that way? Or just eyeball them, and harvest them a few at a time as you want game hens for dinner?