Cornish X sourcing recommendations? Also management recommendations welcome.

[FunClucks]

I'm trying to grow and process some meat chickens for the first time. Would like recommendations for which Cornish Cross strain to purchase, and from where. I've heard that different strains have different qualities. If this goes well, I'll probably do it again. If it goes poorly, I may not. The options I'm considering and my management plan are below.

• Rural King (sources from Hoovers Hatchery) - day old chicks off the shop floor.
• Purchasing shipped day old chicks or hatching eggs from a hatchery - I've checked out several hatcheries but am confused about which strain of Cornish X would be best for me to try.

I have (will have) a 10ft by 30 ft by 6ft tall fixed enclosure (covered combination open-air coop/run) that I can subdivide as/if needed. Space will open up in the coop around mid-May to mid-June. I live in north Alabama, so from May-Aug or June-Sept is when I'd be raising the Cornish X. Temps will be in the high 80s-90s for most of the time, and may occasionally reach 100F. Humidity is generally high. I have transparent tarp for the entire run, and will add a dark tarp to provide plenty of shade as needed (moderate tree cover). Ventilation is excellent, as it's basically a large dog kennel completely covered in hardware cloth with a 3 ft apron. I plan to provide 12 hrs of food a day (put it out in the morning, bring it in in the evening), and I can vary the food location to encourage them to walk around. Water will be in 5 gallon buckets with horizontal nipple drinkers set up on cinderblocks. I plan to feed the Purina Meat Bird non-medicated crumbles. ~6" deep of tree service wood chips for the run floor, I will scatter a small amount of scratch each day to encourage them to mix the poop into the bedding, and to walk around. Occasional treats like cut up apples or garden veggies on hanging chicken skewers.

I like the flavor of grocery store chickens, but wouldn't mind something with more flavor. I don't like anything gamey. I'm interested in Cornish Cross because the birth to harvest time is the shortest, and I might be able to do more than one batch this year if this first attempt goes well. I don't free range my eggers (in a separate coop), and I won't free range these guys due to the high predator load. I also don't have enough open flat ground to move around a chicken tractor that would be large enough for ~20-25 chicks.

I plan to process them by hand (no plucker) by myself around 8-10 weeks, and I estimate I'd process about 4-5 a day? It would take about two weekends to get a batch processed.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think @Isadora raises CX but I could be mistaken

 

[NatJ]

I'm interested in Cornish Cross because the birth to harvest time is the shortest, and I might be able to do more than one batch this year if this first attempt goes well.

For your purposes, Cornish Cross probably are the best.

But any kind of chicken CAN be processed at that age. They just won't be as big.

No matter what age you process them, Cornish Cross will be bigger than any other chicken of the same age. That would be true at age 4 weeks, 8 weeks, even 4-6 months if you manage to keep the Cornish Cross alive and healthy that long.

 

[Isadora]

I think @Isadora raises CX but I could be mistaken

You are not mistaken!

Yes, we've raised CX the last few years.
We've tried three different hatcheries, Metzer, Meyer, and Welp. I'm not familiar with there being different strains of CX, but the batch we got from Metzer did the most poorly. We did brood that batch differently than rhe other two (in an outdoor building on dirt) instead of in our basement but otherwise everything was the same. Could have been the different brooding environment or just a coincidence, idk.

Seeing as you're in Alabama, I would raise them during the cooler weather, as cool as is reasonable. They are not heat tolerant at all. They need lots of ventilation, shade, and water, and sometimes it's still not enough and some will have a heart attack or heat stroke/exhaustion of some kind.

I love your thinking about feeding 12 hrs on and 12 off. That's what we did, as well. Our birds were definitely more lazy than our layer chickens but we haven't experienced leg issues or extreme laziness that I've seen others report and I attribute that to not giving them free access to feed 24/7.

You may think now of processing at 8-10 weeks but be open to processing sooner. Sometimes they get bigger quicker than you think or some may not be doing as well in the heat so best to get them processed earlier.

 

[FunClucks]

You are not mistaken!

Yes, we've raised CX the last few years.
We've tried three different hatcheries, Metzer, Meyer, and Welp. I'm not familiar with there being different strains of CX, but the batch we got from Metzer did the most poorly. We did brood that batch differently than rhe other two (in an outdoor building on dirt) instead of in our basement but otherwise everything was the same. Could have been the different brooding environment or just a coincidence, idk.

Seeing as you're in Alabama, I would raise them during the cooler weather, as cool as is reasonable. They are not heat tolerant at all. They need lots of ventilation, shade, and water, and sometimes it's still not enough and some will have a heart attack or heat stroke/exhaustion of some kind.

I love your thinking about feeding 12 hrs on and 12 off. That's what we did, as well. Our birds were definitely more lazy than our layer chickens but we haven't experienced leg issues or extreme laziness that I've seen others report and I attribute that to not giving them free access to feed 24/7.

You may think now of processing at 8-10 weeks but be open to processing sooner. Sometimes they get bigger quicker than you think or some may not be doing as well in the heat so best to get them processed earlier.

Good thoughts, thank you!!! So raising them in the middle of summer in AL is probably not the best choice. That sucks, because that's when I know my coop will be available. I'll have to see if I can move some things around.

These are the different strains I'm aware of. Just from a website, not from experience.

A few of the hatcheries I've found that offer them are not ones typically mentioned here, and there are different prices for say, the Jumbo Cornish Cross vs. the regular Cornish Cross, or the Cornish Rocks, and I'm wondering if the difference in chick price is worth it. Minimum orders that I've seen are 25 chicks, so it adds up.

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com...ercial strains,and sometimes has black flecks.

 

[arizona_chicken_noob]

I was under the impression that Cornish Cross is patented or at least there are very few producers (and many resellers). Actual breeders would be companies producing the strains that @FunClucks mentions from very specific (and secret) lines.

Does that hold water?

 

[Molpet]

There's several companies that produce different versions of CX. Ross and Cobb are two that comes to mind

CX poop a lot, more than heritage turkeys.
2016 I got a half a dozen from Big r. They got them from townline hatchery.
I let a broody raise them and they were so messy.

 

[wolfwalker]

I've raised batches of Cornish from 3 Hatcheries. Welp, Privatt and McMurray.

At 8 weeks those from Welp hatchery had the highest processed weight. Males ended up between 8.75 and 9.5 pounds. The Females ended up between 6.5 and 7.5 pounds. Lots of breast meat and a decent amount of leg and thigh meat.

Privatt birds were process at 9.5 weeks because I miscounted a date. Males weighed between 7 and 8.25 pounds, most near 7. Females between 5 and 6 pounds. These birds had an extra week and a half.

McMurray birds were processed at 8 weeks. males weighed consistently within a half pound of 7.5 pounds. Females weighed in between 5.5 and 5.75 pounds.

Commercial flocks are now harvested at 6 weeks.

Taste wise, all birds were better and more flavorful than commercial birds. Those raised last year in a chicken tractor on pasture were far superior in taste than any others, but they also weighed almost a pound lighter that those confined

 

[FunClucks]

I've raised batches of Cornish from 3 Hatcheries. Welp, Privatt and McMurray.

At 8 weeks those from Welp hatchery had the highest processed weight. Males ended up between 8.75 and 9.5 pounds. The Females ended up between 6.5 and 7.5 pounds. Lots of breast meat and a decent amount of leg and thigh meat.

Privatt birds were process at 9.5 weeks because I miscounted a date. Males weighed between 7 and 8.25 pounds, most near 7. Females between 5 and 6 pounds. These birds had an extra week and a half.

McMurray birds were processed at 8 weeks. males weighed consistently within a half pound of 7.5 pounds. Females weighed in between 5.5 and 5.75 pounds.

Commercial flocks are now harvested at 6 weeks.

Taste wise, all birds were better and more flavorful than commercial birds. Those raised last year in a chicken tractor on pasture were far superior in taste than any others, but they also weighed almost a pound lighter that those confined

How did you feed your Cornish? I've purchased a batch from Welp, and their recommendations on their website aren't what I was expecting as far a protein goes. Not sure how to reconcile these with the main contenders here at Tractor supply. If I exceed the minimum protein will the chickens have issues?

The best options I can see at my local tractor supply include:

1. Purina All Flock (Flockraiser) crumbles, 20% protein with grit on the side - this plus oyster shell is my current feed for all my eggers.
2. Purina Meat Bird Non-Medicated Crumbles, 22% protein.
3. Nutrena Naturewise Meat Bird, 22% protein crumbles.
4. Nutrena NatureWise 18% Protein Starter Grower Crumbles Chick Feed, 50 lb.
5. There's also Dumor All Flock pellets, at 17% protein, but doesn't have as much vitamins or amino acids or something as the Purina All Flock.
   
   

 

[wolfwalker]

How did you feed your Cornish? I've purchased a batch from Welp, and their recommendations on their website aren't what I was expecting as far a protein goes. Not sure how to reconcile these with the main contenders here at Tractor supply. If I exceed the minimum protein will the chickens have issues?

View attachment 3376670

The best options I can see at my local tractor supply include:

1. Purina All Flock (Flockraiser) crumbles, 20% protein with grit on the side - this plus oyster shell is my current feed for all my eggers.
2. Purina Meat Bird Non-Medicated Crumbles, 22% protein.
3. Nutrena Naturewise Meat Bird, 22% protein crumbles.
4. Nutrena NatureWise 18% Protein Starter Grower Crumbles Chick Feed, 50 lb.
5. There's also Dumor All Flock pellets, at 17% protein, but doesn't have as much vitamins or amino acids or something as the Purina All Flock.
   

I fed Meat bird 22% protein start to finish.

I fed, under continuous light, unrestricted, meaning feed in front of them at all times, for the first 5 days. it is important to keep the feeders full at all times.

After that I only allowed them to eat what they wanted for 12 hours and went back to a normal daylight cycle so they had night time darkness.

For the birds I kept confined in a large pen I also put an ounce of nutri-drench into the waterer every Sunday. each day I would top the water so it would dilute what was left. emptying out and scrubbing the waterer on Sunday before I repeated the whole process. I had no leg or health issues at all. For those on pasture, I did not add Nutri-drench at all and never noticed leg or health issues.

I have a thread on the meat bird forum where I weighed feed to birds every week back in 2020.