They were on 28% Game Bird starter/grower for almost 4 weeks, have just switched them to 20% starter/grower. The strange thing is the rest seemed to feather faster than normal, even with 90+ degree temps.
I noticed one out of 150 CornishX this morning with almost no feathers. The birds are over 4 weeks old, have been in a Salatin-style tractor for over two weeks. All the others look normal. This one chick has maybe 1-inch long wing feathers, but is essentially bald elsewhere. The feathering...
Is there any reason not to use a 7-wk old CornisX that was found dead in the tractor? (assuming it has not been dead long) I know I've cleaned and eaten doves that were dead for several hours before cleaning with no adverse effects.
I have 4 Delaware and 4 Rhode Island Red pullets that were hatched the last week in February (acccording to the seller). I got my first egg Aug. 3. They would have been approximately 22 weeks old then. I got 6 eggs from them Aug. 14, and 7 yesterday. So most, if not all are laying at 24 weeks.
But you could put a Cornish roo in a flock of White Rock hens, though, right? Would you still get the "almost" then?
For somebody raising them at home you would need to keep and maintain 2 flocks to be able to breed your cross. What the parents would eat year round would would really drive up...
I understand it wouild be hard to exactly duplicate the Cornish Rock X, but couldn't you come close breeding a Dark Cornish roo to a White Rock or Delaware hen? This would seem possible if, in fact, what we buy from hatcheries is actually a Cornish Rock Cross.