A better breed than Cornish Cross?

[Lelilamom]

Our experience is the same as everything mentioned above.. We switched the Rangers and are quite happy with everything about them. Plus they were all nice - we raised them with some chicks I hatched and even though they grew twice as fast they weren't bullies to the littler ones. They do taste better too; we haven't had a mushy one yet. Since they don't spend their days laying in their fecal matter (they actually roosted at night) we don't have to skin them like we did with the CX..
We live in a subdivision so we had to cull the males as soon as they started crowing, at around 7 wks, and we culled a few pullets a week later (they were huge) and the rest at 10 wks. We have a small family so their size worked out for us.
We didn't do a sheet of exactly how much they ate, but it was only about 1/3 less than the CX (based on feed purchased for comparison) and it seemed like they drank more.
They were a lot easier to pluck as their skin isn't as thick as the sandal leather on the CX, and since they're a lot cleaner to deal with nobody was gagging while plucking.
They still eat, drink, and poo a lot more than our regular chickens, but it's a much more palatable faster return on the meat. And, we had zero deaths from start to finish.
We're never going back to the disgusting CX.

Wow, they start crowing at 7 weeks?! We are going to try these next spring. I'll keep that in mind and plan for it. We have a tight schedule on brooding/processing since we have only one brooding space for our chicks/broilers/turkeys. So we have to plan carefully when everything has to be done. Plus we rent a plucker and we have to rent that in advance (usually booking it before we even get the chicks!).

 

[Lelilamom]

Thought I'd post this. We decided to free range our Cornish Crosses this year. Two days into moving 30 around in a tractor and I said "Not again!" I improvised and they are happy birds, eating grass and not sitting in their mess. I'm a happy broiler-raiser.

 

[Lelilamom]

Update on our free range cornish x this year. I went out this morning to move their "tent" and found one dead of an apparent heart attack and another one who refused to move, eyes closed but breathing. They are just 6 weeks.

We dug a hole, buried the stiff one and dispatched the other one, only to find her filled with about 4 cups of icky, yellow smelly fluid. We disposed of her. Down by 4 for this batch. No longer a happy chicken raiser.

 

[pauleberly]

Update on our free range cornish x this year.  I went out this morning to move their "tent" and found one dead of an apparent heart attack and another one who refused to move, eyes closed but breathing.  They are just 6 weeks.

We dug a hole, buried the stiff one and dispatched the other one, only to find her filled with about 4 cups of icky, yellow smelly fluid.  We disposed of her.  Down by 4 for this batch.  No longer a happy chicken raiser.

A different breed of chicken is probably the best bet. A lot of Cornish X just have a bad blood line to them. Also , did you get the chickens from a local store or an online hatchery?

 

[Lelilamom]

A different breed of chicken is probably the best bet. A lot of Cornish X just have a bad blood line to them. Also , did you get the chickens from a local store or an online hatchery?

Our local Farmers Exchange gets them from a local hatchery about 30 miles away that does just Cornish and BBW turkeys. They're still a hatchery, but a much smaller operation than Meyers or Cackle. That being said, I've noticed the quality diminish every year. I'm seriously considering going to a different breed. Unfortunately, I'm running out of property for housing all the birds I have.

 

[pauleberly]

If quality is going down the drain, I would just finish up the batch you have and start over with a different breed. Maybe a Delaware or red ranger. I personally know people who raise Cornish hens (not mixs, just pure breed) and they forage, free range and have 0 problems.

I think in the long run you'll be happy to switch. Getting a good quality bird is always better, and your end product will show

 

[Lelilamom]

If quality is going down the drain, I would just finish up the batch you have and start over with a different breed. Maybe a Delaware or red ranger. I personally know people who raise Cornish hens (not mixs, just pure breed) and they forage, free range and have 0 problems.

I think in the long run you'll be happy to switch. Getting a good quality bird is always better, and your end product will show

Is there a reliable resource I can use for information on good meat bird breeds?

 

[pauleberly]

I sent you a private message

 

[CluckerCottage]

We have lost 3 CX's this year from apparent heart failure. Two from our first batch and one from our second batch.
As a matter of fact, my husband humanely dispatched one last evening that was just not gonna make it. We both felt terrible but it was the only thing to do. our hearts were heavy last night

I am not raising CX's anymore. Next year will be just Red Rangers and Dixie Rainbows, as I have some of them now that co-mingle just fine with my pullets and cockerel.
I had to house my CX's separately due to bullying-- the pullets pecked the poor CX's butts til they were bloody. It was horrific to say the least.

Sure you'll have to wait a little longer for other meaties to reach the weight you want but they don't have the health issues that CX's do.
To me, it's worth the extra $$ for feed and I don't have to deal with the losses like I do with CX's.

 

[Lelilamom]

We have lost 3 CX's this year from apparent heart failure. Two from our first batch and one from our second batch.
As a matter of fact, my husband humanely dispatched one last evening that was just not gonna make it. We both felt terrible but it was the only thing to do. our hearts were heavy last night

I am not raising CX's anymore. Next year will be just Red Rangers and Dixie Rainbows, as I have some of them now that co-mingle just fine with my pullets and cockerel.
I had to house my CX's separately due to bullying-- the pullets pecked the poor CX's butts til they were bloody. It was horrific to say the least.

Sure you'll have to wait a little longer for other meaties to reach the weight you want but they don't have the health issues that CX's do.
To me, it's worth the extra $$ for feed and I don't have to deal with the losses like I do with CX's.

I'm sorry you have had a poor experience. We're down by four ourselves, one we culled ourselves knowing she wasn't going to make it only to find she was filled with so much fluid, we disposed of the meat. I'm not happy about losing that money either in addition to dispatching a bird so early. But she was clearly suffering. We've raised hundreds of CXs at this point, so processing isn't as hard as it used to be. This is how we feed our family, and we thank every animal for giving its life to us.

BTW, I was born and raised in Rome, NY. My folks still live there.