What breeding(s) are used to create commercial "cornish x rocks"?

[BonnieC3]

For a long time I believed what I call monster birds, the super fast growing chicks called "cornish x rocks" you can order were a cross between Standard White Cornish and Standard White Rock chickens. Then I was told it was a two step hybridization. Can anybody tell me the breedings (which breeds and which rooster-hen combinations) used to produce these fast growing hybrids? Thanks!

 

[galanie]

That is a closely kept secret. No one knows for sure but we are sure it's not "just" certain breeds but rather certain strains of breeds.

 

[Arielle]

Lines of each breed are carefully bred so that when crossed the result is a very good meat bird. I don't think genetic lines can be patented, might be wrong here, so the genetics are closely guarded. Usually four lines are involved, so I have read, making the original lines difficult to copy. If you look around on the first page of this meaties section, you will find a discussion on keeping cornishx longer than 8 weeks.

 

[Cedarknob]

This video will explain broiler breeding.

By the way, the first highly successful commercial cross was done by the Van Tress brothers and was a Red Cornish over New Hampshire hens; they were the over-all winners of a federally funded "chicken of tomorrow" contest [trying to come up with the best chicken for the cheap meat needed to feed America] held in 1948. Back when I was a kid, and we were without vaccines or modern medications for chickens, New Hampshires were often a breed of choice due to their disease resistance.

 

[BonnieC3]

Really interesting, thank you! Just wondering if anyone has tried a cross of which the name says: that is White Cornish on White Rock and if so, which breed was rooster and hen? I'm going to guess White Cornish rooster on White Rock hens. I'm planning on doing a little experimental breeding myself.

 

[El Exorcisto]

The parent stock of modern meat birds are most likely very distant from any real breeds you could find commercially. Look into the white chantecler for a pure breed derived from cornish and white rocks, along with white wyandotte, leghorn, and RIR. I defnitely would never offer any discouraging words about experimentation with breeding and hybridization. That said I doubt you have the budget or land to even begin trying to make a commercially successful meat hybrid from the ground up. Making a perfect dual purpose, or even a bird bred almost exclusively to be caponized, is a solid purpose.

 

[JohnsonHomestead]

I don't know if I stumbled on anything or not, but I had some white hens I bought as "heavies", they were from ideal poultry, no name just stock numbered, had black spots. Anyway, I hatched some of the eggs that were fertilized by a "Production Red", and they all grew very fast, if they had been crossed with a cornish game, I think the results would have been amazing. well thats my 2 cents on this old thread, lol

 

[LegginMF12]

The parent stock of modern meat birds are most likely very distant from any real breeds you could find commercially. Look into the white chantecler for a pure breed derived from cornish and white rocks, along with white wyandotte, leghorn, and RIR. I defnitely would never offer any discouraging words about experimentation with breeding and hybridization. That said I doubt you have the budget or land to even begin trying to make a commercially successful meat hybrid from the ground up. Making a perfect dual purpose, or even a bird bred almost exclusively to be caponized, is a solid purpose.

I am going to experiment with it. From my understanding it goes like this: You have a hen and rooster from breed A and breed B, you then breed Rooster A to Hen B and Rooster B to Hen A. Then you take the AB and BA offspring and breed them together. I think it may cause a doubling of a gene which causes the accelerated growth and higher percentage of meat.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I am going to experiment with it. From my understanding it goes like this: You have a hen and rooster from breed A and breed B, you then breed Rooster A to Hen B and Rooster B to Hen A. Then you take the AB and BA offspring and breed them together. I think it may cause a doubling of a gene which causes the accelerated growth and higher percentage of meat.

Experiment towards a meat bird like the modern Cornish cross?
Their breeding is way more complicated then that.