Am I missing something here???

[chicklover 1998]

I don't know if anyone saw the video going around but a 12 yr old in tx grew some cX for 4h or something like that and one he didn't want to butcher and it is now about 23 lb. I think the last weigh in had, that poor bird was miserable so it is good to butcher them at 8 and to my knowledge you cannot get any cX eggs

 

[junebuggena]

If you manage to keep them alive long enough, they will lay eggs. They aren't great layers, but pullets are still capable of reproducing, just like any other chicken.

 

[weezy123]

We received ours as baby chicks and every thing I read stated after 10 wks from hatching was a good time to put them in the freezer. Once ours got about 8 weeks they just mainly sat. The breast were too heavy for them to walk very far. Over ten weeks it was stated that they could break their legs or other body parts since they grow very fast.
Its doable and enjoy the experience!

 

[LakotaWolf]

Yeah, my first run will be live chicks from a local dealer just up the road from me. After that, I'd like to be able to breed them. The question is, how do you get them to live long enough to mate with a rooster??? From what I'm reading they have heart problems after 8 weeks.

I'm thinking that if I cut their food intake after 4 or 5 weeks and let them free run, I can control their lifespan. Does this sound about right? Or, should I look into a hardier breed for a meat bird?

 

[junebuggena]

They must be kept on a very restricted diet, and they need to be encouraged to forage from a very early age. Even under the best of circumstances, they rarely live past a year old.

For sustainability you may want to try Pioneers, Red Rangers, or Dixie Rainbows. They are a bit slower growing, but they are more hardy.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yeah, my first run will be live chicks from a local dealer just up the road from me. After that, I'd like to be able to breed them. The question is, how do you get them to live long enough to mate with a rooster??? From what I'm reading they have heart problems after 8 weeks.

I'm thinking that if I cut their food intake after 4 or 5 weeks and let them free run, I can control their lifespan. Does this sound about right? Or, should I look into a hardier breed for a meat bird?

People raise cornishX all the time to laying age. They are actually very good layers, this is by design as the hatchery wants to hatch a lot of birds for sale. People also breed their cornishX in attempt to make their own sustainable meat bird. It can be done but know they will be nothing like the original chicks. The CornishX is a proprietary hybrid. Grandparents A&B and C&D's offspring are mated to produce the cornishX. The genetics are there to breed but will be in the range of the grandparents A through D, you'll not get the parent bird to mirror in offspring. Perhaps in aggressive culling and mating program you can come close in four years time. The cornsihX is a marvel in genetic management and nothing compares to it's feed to meat conversion.

 

[Nupe]

Yeah, my first run will be live chicks from a local dealer just up the road from me. After that, I'd like to be able to breed them. The question is, how do you get them to live long enough to mate with a rooster??? From what I'm reading they have heart problems after 8 weeks.

I'm thinking that if I cut their food intake after 4 or 5 weeks and let them free run, I can control their lifespan. Does this sound about right? Or, should I look into a hardier breed for a meat bird?

I doubt you'll have much luck with breeding your CX's together. Even with a restricted diet, by the time they reach breeding age, they're a walking heart attack. The offspring of hybrids can take on unpredictable traits from their lineage. A lot have tried on this forum over the years and I have yet to see a real success story on even the first generation of offspring before the thread fizzles. I've never seen a 2nd generation attempted.

If you could maintain 2 flocks, you can "hybrid" them yourself. They won't be as impressive as the commercial breeds but you'll get a decent carcass.

Delawares, New Hampshires and White Rocks are good heritage breeds for meat. They're decent on eggs too but the food bill will be higher. Or you could get fancy and try the Bresse. I've heard them called the ribeye of poultry. Don't forget to check around your local small breeders who work to optimize their stock unlike a hatchery focused on volume. Craigslist is a good place to look.