Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[NotAFarm]

Steve, Did your WLRs come from Schlecht? How much did the cockerel you culled weigh? at what age? I thought about trying these as a slow-grow meat bird but wondered about size. I tried the Freedom Rangers this year and liked them. I have a group of CX that will go to camp in two weeks but it may be the last of them I do. I've had good luck keeping them healthy but they are just so ......hmm what's the word..........unnatural? Anyway, I was wondering what you'd think of them. I like your idea of a meat bird from blue/green egg layers.
Later, Mary

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

steve - I would use him, those long shanks are what I'm looking for!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

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She could have been....

 

[SteveH]

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Yes , they came from Schlecht . They're very slow growers and yielded only very slightly more than the EE cockerals of the same age . I would say they need a full 6 months or more to grow and it must have been around 5 months when I butchered . My old hanging scales would not balance so I didn't get a weight ; I just last night ordered a new digital scale . They are excellent foragers , often leaving the feeders early to go looking for natural foods ; if you don't mind waiting for 6 months + to get a smaller bird for the table the cost would probably actually be less . However , since 3 breeds were fed together I don't actually know what each ate .
ETA : I checked ; it was 19 and 1/2 weeks when I processed them and the carcass was no larger than a 7 week CX and had much less meat . The drumsticks were roughly equal in meat , but much longer and more narrow than a typical commercial bird . Taste was excellent on the one I fried [ an EE ] : the others were great too but cooked as chicken and noodles isn't really a good test IMHO

 

[SteveH]

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Yeah , I figured you would like him because of those stilts LOL . Actually two out of three of my EE cockerals had legs like that also but a little less breast meat ; not that any were over burdened with breast meat when I butchered . The other EE was shorter and a little thicker , but his drumsticks and thigh bones were still much longer than a commercial bird .

Unlike those shy Ameraucana , this boy went to work as soon as he was turned loose . I'm now only averaging an egg every other day off all 4 CX pullets ; sure hope they pick it up . I've got one that will stop eating her daily ration , start singing an egg song , go sit in the box for 30 minutes , then return to the feeder without laying . I think she's intentionally teasing me . Plus of the last 5 I checked only 2 and 1/2 were fertile . [ I got a double yolker with one yolk fertile and the other not

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[Germaine_11.20]

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Hahaha I just read this... and Jeff don't be so quick to move out here, she calls ME baby too!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

ah germain

I thought we discussed that at the butchers today????

 

[SteveH]

I weighed some chickens today and highly recommend the Berkley digital hanging fish scale . I only wish I had not shared the Walmart link the day before I ordered ; they were sold out by the time I ordered and I had to pay more then Walmart's price due to shipping

This boy was 2 ounces shy of 17 pounds before being fed ; he'll be 6 months old next Tues and on restricted feed since 4 weeks of age :

The smallest CX pullet weighed 12 lbs and the largest 6 oz more .
The Speckled Sussex were a little disappointing , just under 5 lbs at 7 months ; and the Gold Laced Wyandottes , though visually larger , averaged a pound lighter . I really wanted to weigh the White Laced Red Cornish , but they're harder to catch and I already had them all skittish from the screaming of the others . They look quite a bit smaller than the month older SS , but the hard feathers fool you and they have more meat under their feathers than the fluffy girls . I had also found the Farm King tote bag will barely fit a CX cockeral and the side walls are easily ripped by their toe nails ; I'll have to find a better bag . [ The bag was only $.99 , and everything you could fit in it was 20% off , so I'm not complaining . ]

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

he is big and nice looking, I hope you have him for a long time, but I'm betting not . . . not to be pessimistic or anything

 

[SteveH]

I hope you have him for a long time, but I'm betting not . . .not to be pessimistic or anything

Yeah , I'm figuring on 5 years or less

. Looks like he's made it

Seriously , I was only hoping to get them mature enough to breed , and that one or more would be capable of breeding . I'm getting a few [ and I mean very few , with no blue eggs so far ] fertile eggs from both pens and will try incubating some soon . With winter approaching I've got to decide if I want to keep incubating this winter or take a break and wait 'till warmer weather is getting closer . I'm prepared for the possibility that I may have to buy more day old CX in late Jan and try the crossbreeding phase of this project again next year . That's if I'm still alive ; nobody's guaranteed a life past this moment [ that's in His hands ] so worrying about how this project may go would be a complete waste of today .​