Starting my own meat birds dark cornish and cross with white rock

[maf2008]

I have heard so many stories about cornish cross problems and I live in a very hot climate.

I am planning on crossiing a dark cornish standard 8/9 lbs with a white rock 8/9 lbs

(male can be cornish or white rock over the opposite female)

What can I expect? I know that if I buy broilers year after year (most of them are eaten or die before breeding age) the cost is high and we want to produce our own food and not have to both buy/feed and pay for processing.....

Its cheaper to eat what you grow!

Any advise on what if this will give me a good meat bird OR what other breeds can I cross a dark cornish and white rock with??? all advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[lpatelski]

enjoying this thread. Question. Why not just breed dark cornish and eat them? Why cross with rocks/whatever? I am asking as I just got some dark cornish chicks, was planning to raise/breed them for meat birds.

Dark Cornish are great eating birds all on their own. I cross them for a better rate of gain/faster growing bird. I also like a lighter feathered bird for plucking.
Here are a few of my Dark Cornish/ CX cross birds:














Pure Dark Cornish (4 months)

50% Dark Cornish 50% CX (3 months)

 

[nicalandia]

I live in nicaragua(HOT HOT), and I am doing the same progect....I can´t get my hand on natural Cornish or Delawares or white Rock, but I can get my hands on production type RIR(for eggs) so I am feed restricting this very large corishX rooster and will be making the cross soon, I will keep you post, I am trying to make a HOW to breed your own bloilers with availabe resources, the least amount of money and space....

here is my plan...
the Parent line:
SIRE line:

in this we need a very large frame, broad breasted male: even if I had dark cornish at hand I still go with available ConishX males(not from the sex linked dwarf gene),for their fast growth, buy 20 chicks, feed ad libitum, at 3 weeks select the 2 fastest growing chicks(they will be boys) put them in a different place and start feed restricting them as shown in this hubbard link:
http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/managementguides/index.php?product=4


the DAME line:
for this line wee need, fast growth and good layer is a MUST....ALL I have at hand is Production Type RIR(brown egg layer) I have raised them and I know they grow like weed, have a decent size and are prolific layers of large eggs, all you need are about 7 hens...

I will be reducing the cost of having to breed the parents of the parents, I will just new chicks as the older ones become less productive, I will be doing this cross soon, and I will document all the progress....

 

[mdrake]

I have located and purchases a trio of LF white Cornish. Not much for layers and look like bantams compared to my Orpingtons, but the cockerel is just under 9 lbs. I get about 6 eggs per week. I'm only experimenting by adding a hen or two to the pen as I want to hatch out as many Cornish as possible now till August or so. I would like to over winter 2-3 cockerels and 12-15 pullets along with the original trio. Next year I may have some eggs for sale if your still looking for some.

 

[eldonrgv]

Sounds interesting i would love to see photos as they grow. I'm waiting till February on mine to hatch some LF white Cornish cock on some New Hampshire hens. Should be the premier meat chicken of the 1940's and 50's. I held back 3 Cornish cocks and about 12-15 Cornish hens along with the New Hampshire's. But I only have 2 cocks and 6 hens there.

Here are pics of my last 3 hatches two weeks old, one week old, and newborns from yesterday all together in my brooder/coop. Dark color are Dark Cornish/White Plymouth Rocks and light colors are Buff Orphimgton/Madisons.

 

[lpatelski]

Ok, before I start let me clarify that I'm no meat bird expert. I was trying to breed a sustainable meat bird until my coop was raided by some stray dogs but here are the weighs of my surviving 8 of 5wks and 4wks.

5 wk old 1.9 lbs


5 wk old 1.6 lbs

4 wk old 1.3


4 wk old 1.5


4 wk old 1.3 lbs



4 wk old 14.8 oz

4 wk old 14.9 oz


I don't know if they are doing good in weight since I didn't have a scale to record weight when they hatched. Also I was feeding them turkey starter the first two 50 lb bags then mixed their feed with cracked corn and were free ranging also. For next hatch I'm gonna have them caged feed turkey starter only, giving them also 16 hr light with timer and weighing them from newborn and updating weekly their growth.

Good luck with your project. I use Dark Cornish over a CX hen. I also use a high protein starter. You are on the right track. Your birds look good. I have to use vitamins in the water. Meat birds grow fast and at times they grow unevenly. Too much stress on the bone to muscle without a vitamin supplement can cause leg/joint issues.

 

[lpatelski]

Wow....they looked delicious. What 's hen you were using? Slow growth Cx or Jumbo Cx? I'm using Madisons DP hen and white Plymouth rock. Used RIR also but Madisons and WPR offspring look bigger. How old were your birds when those pics were taken?

I used Murray McMurray's Cornish Roasters - slower growing. My birds grow faster than heritage Dark Cornish, but slower than The CX type. The group meat pics are birds taken at Cornish game hen size ~2 pounds dressed weight. My 50%DC / 50%CX birds usually attain weight by 4 to 5 weeks. I like Cornish game size so this is what I am breeding for weight and age wise. They are nice and breasty, well proportioned at all stages of growth. This is what I am breeding my chicks to look like. Quail sized to adult - all look correct.




foundation Murray McMurray Cornish Roaster hens
Foundation Dark Cornish Cock bird

 

[mdrake]

I have used turkey starter years ago in 4-H on a 3-pen broiler project. Although the judge wanted to give me grand champion, I was disqualified on a technicality. Apparently my birds were over the max total weight. I had additional light at night for a few hours and the higher protein from the turkey starter. Sounds like your on the right track to some good eating.

 

[Hammer65]

I have done a bit of research on this and having a Indian Game (Cornish) as the Rooster means the egg laying ability is set by the Rooster which means not a lot of eggs being laid so a slow process. I have put a Brahma Rooster over a Indian Game hen means big fast growing chicks which will lay far more eggs. This is what I am finding unless it has just been a fluke but I doubt it. Cheers Paul

 

[eldonrgv]

I've had Turkens for years (my dad raised them my whole life) and they might figure prominently in my program.  I can tell you, on their own, the Turken is a very good meat bird and that's not just my opinion.  I still wan't to look at the first crosses before proceeding.  I'm still on the young side and I'm kinda following a program my dad started before his death.

Sorry bout your dad. I read about the Turkens on Sustainable Meat / Standard Bred Dual Purpose Bird Thread posts of Desertchick where she shows this amazing birds and their weights...no crosses just plain Turkens. I was hooked with the NN. Bought 35 at Tractor supply and ordered 15 more.