Updated: Chicken Pictures Needed! Dominique, Australorp, Buckeye....

[Cimmaron]

Are you still in need of some Modern Bantams?

Yes!

 

[Redhead Rae]

Neat birds! I've only had the hybrid "Cornish" meat birds. Are heritage Cornish also good layers? Would they be considered dual purpose? Having so much fun learning more about different breeds!

They are definitely NOT dual purpose, although, I will be keeping a few "second string" breeder girls with my laying flock. They lay pretty well during the spring and late summer 3-4 eggs a week, but they are the first to stop laying in the winter and the last to pick up in the spring and they stop laying during the hottest time of the summer for about a month. I think they lay about 100-150 eggs a year.

If you order from a hatchery, you are not going to get well bred Cornish birds. They usually cross them with a layer breed and breed them back to pure Cornish stock for 7-8 generations to get decent layers. In the quest to make them better layers, they lose a lot of what makes them great meat birds. This is what one of my cockerels looked like when I had him slaughtered. They have a LOT of leg and thigh meat as well as a good amount of breast meat.

 

[Cimmaron]

(pic heavy! )
LeghornView attachment 1664250
black tailed white japanese bantam henView attachment 1664255 View attachment 1664280
Australorp hen
View attachment 1664301
SQ Black Jersey Giant hen
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(Not the best pic but here's the size difference of my Jersey giant roo and Australorp roo. Both are the same age)
View attachment 1664288
SQ Serama rooster
View attachment 1664259
View attachment 1664283
Serama hens
View attachment 1664260View attachment 1664290 View attachment 1664291 View attachment 1664292 View attachment 1664293 View attachment 1664284
(size difference between a Serama(Pullet) and Easter egger(Pullet) Both 2 weeks old)
View attachment 1664289

Sussex speckled hen
View attachment 1664286
Welsummer hen
View attachment 1664295

~Jaime

Lovely pictures! Thank you so much!

 

[Cimmaron]

They are definitely NOT dual purpose, although, I will be keeping a few "second string" breeder girls with my laying flock. They lay pretty well during the spring and late summer 3-4 eggs a week, but they are the first to stop laying in the winter and the last to pick up in the spring and they stop laying during the hottest time of the summer for about a month. I think they lay about 100-150 eggs a year.

If you order from a hatchery, you are not going to get well bred Cornish birds. They usually cross them with a layer breed and breed them back to pure Cornish stock for 7-8 generations to get decent layers. In the quest to make them better layers, they lose a lot of what makes them great meat birds. This is what one of my cockerels looked like when I had him slaughtered. They have a LOT of leg and thigh meat as well as a good amount of breast meat.
View attachment 1665650

Thanks for the info! Wow, that guy had a lot of meat on him, makes my dual purpose roosters look like toothpicks

 

[Redhead Rae]

More about why I got Heritage Cornish.

I was really disappointed in how little meat my DP cockerels (Buff Orp, New Hampshire, Delaware) had on them. So I started looking around. I wanted something I could breed and not have to depend on a hatchery for meat. I've found two breeds I like for meat. Cochins, which have a good amount of breast meat, but still not a lot of leg and thigh meat (but they lay better, 150-200 eggs a year) and the heritage Cornish. I'm thinking about trying a few good layer breeds that aren't commercial Leghorns or production reds and raise birds for meat and birds for eggs.

 

[lilmillefleur]

Broody silkies

mille fleur d'Uccle hen

buff brahma bantam

 

[Cimmaron]

More about why I got Heritage Cornish.

I was really disappointed in how little meat my DP cockerels (Buff Orp, New Hampshire, Delaware) had on them. So I started looking around. I wanted something I could breed and not have to depend on a hatchery for meat. I've found two breeds I like for meat. Cochins, which have a good amount of breast meat, but still not a lot of leg and thigh meat (but they lay better, 150-200 eggs a year) and the heritage Cornish. I'm thinking about trying a few good layer breeds that aren't commercial Leghorns or production reds and raise birds for meat and birds for eggs.

That's a great idea, I'd like to try them when I have more space to separate different breeds! Have you tried Andalusians for eggs? They're probably the best layers I've had and so pretty!

 

[Cimmaron]

Broody silkies View attachment 1665654
mille fleur d'Uccle hen
View attachment 1665652
buff brahma bantamView attachment 1665653

Pretty birds, thank you!

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Black Minorca pullet

 

[Redhead Rae]

That's a great idea, I'd like to try them when I have more space to separate different breeds! Have you tried Andalusians for eggs? They're probably the best layers I've had and so pretty!

I'm thinking about getting some Black Penedesenca hatching eggs. I've heard they are pretty good layers, but have good meat for being good layers. Plus they lay nice dark eggs.