Cornish X - Laying like a champ!

[aoxa]

Aoxa, is there any update on your cornish x birds?
I have 3, 6 week old cornish x pullets now currently at 1lb. All their sibling are at 5-6lbs. I am restricting the 3'pullets feed and am hoping they will make it to lay eggs. I can't have roosters where I am so they will just be for eggs, no future generations with them.

No not much. The hen I held back is roughly 10 pounds. VERY large. She is bare backed and a very agile chicken unlike her mother. I have her in with my Buckeyes right now. She can roost 4 feet high without a ladder as well. I must get a recent picture as long as no one judges me on her naked back area lol

 

[chickenguy222]

Please post a picture, and I'll do the same with mine. These 3 have free ranged better than any chicken I've had before. They run all over our 3 acres.
They get just enough 20% chick starter to fill their bellies once a day in the evening. They also get a small handful of scratch grains in the morning, but they share that with our 7 layers.

 

[chickenguy222]

Here's my 3 cornish X at 9 weeks. The largest is right at 2 lbs.

 

[chickenguy222]

 

[chickenguy222]

These are the most active birds I've ever owned. They are such a pain to put up in the coop after free ranging, since they run so fast we can't catch them! Also, It rained all day so their feet are really muddy!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I have an adult CX hen that I'm going to need to isolate to see if she's laying. Fingers crossed! She's around 9mo right now, so she ought to be! But I have so many brown egg layers I can't tell hers apart.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Here's my 3 cornish X at 9 weeks. The largest is right at 2 lbs.

Wow...

That's cool, I have 3 week old CX that are bigger than that!

I'm curious why you are keeping them for layers? Just an experiment or is there another reason.

These chickens are amazing, they can gain weight like gangbusters or they can stay normal size. Not many chickens or any animals can do that


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[hesklj2008]

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to say thank you for sharing your knowledge about the Cornish chickens. I was at the farm store today and the clerk did a really great job of talking me OUT of buying any. I currently have a couple of sex links and a RIR and a buff brahma for laying, plus have a Cochin and an Americauna roo, and have 20 mixed Orpington and RIR eggs in my incubator. I am trying to focus now on more dial purpose breeds but also wanted to add some strictly meat ones-but like I said, the guy at the store convinced me they wouldn't be worth it. We are mostly free range (we just have to leave our chicken killing dog in the house), so I actually think these could work in our situation. I don't know if you are even still in the forums but again, thanks! If I have questions, is it ok if I message you?

 

[knjinnm]

So were you planning to use Cornish Rocks in your dual purpose plan? If so what was the clerks objection to using them?

 

[hesklj2008]

@knjinnmYou know, I am still not really sure. I honestly think part of it was because he thought I was dumb. And also I wasn't dressed like a farmer ha ha. We were in Town for my birthday so I had something other than my yoga pants and rubber boots on. He seemed very concerned that they are disgusting when they eat and also said they would attack and kill the other birds in the flock. I had been doing some research, though, and really felt like I could make a go of it just raising them like I do my others, because yes-we want meat birds. I have mostly dual purpose ones now, and most of the Roos that hatch from our eggs will be meat, but I wondered if adding a few of these would be better.