Anyone breed their own cornish x's?

[kfacres]

read my BYC page... I am quite content, as is my customer's... with the quality of breeding cornish I produce.

 

[Bettacreek]

There are SOO many misconceptions about cornish cross. Things people swear are true and "law" are simply wrong. I tire of hearing about how stupid, lazy, worthless, gross, stinky, etc, etc cornish cross are. Well... ANY animal is going to be lazy, gross and stinky if closed in a small space, not required to move and all they do is eat, sleep and crap. Treat them with a little bit of respect and you'll see the true beauty in them. Mine free-range better than any of the other chickens here, far better than wyandotts, leghorns, barred rocks, light brahmas and the majority of the ameraucanas. Mine are not disgusting. While, yes, they've got big poops, they don't choose to wallow in their poop, they only do so if they were forced to do so. Mine are clean, were never bald, never poopy, etc. They are also far from stupid. They've never had health issues either. They are big, but they are robust if cared for properly.

Same goes for the broad breasted turkeys. People swear that males will crush females and they cannot reproduce without AI. I suppose nobody told that to the BBB tom and royal palm hen who produced my dominant tom for my flock. Certainly, if a BB tom would crush a larger hen, that royal palm hen should have been a pancake and my boy, Hoover, should be non-existant, eh?

Anyways, enough people have bred them already. Mine are currently trying to breed, or the hens are anyways. Big roo hasn't gotten the sexual urges yet. When I pick him up, occasionally, I'll get a hen or two that will run up and assume the position. I breed mine because it feels "right" to raise my own. As for breeding costing more, it depends entirely on how you do it. Mine free-range all day and come to bed at dusk. I don't pay for feed. They forage for the majority of their feed, plus then get brewery grain from the local pub. Compare free food, free bedding, etc, to paying $50 every year to get just 25 birds. Even if it does cost more, many people feel better knowing where their food came from, how it was treated, etc. It's called self-sufficiency, and for some, pride is better than saving a few bucks.

 

[kizanne]

Depends on the results you want, and your purpose for doing it. If it is to save money. You probably won't. If you want to be independent from hatcheries and do not expect the same results they get then it is a great project. There are several on this board that are raising and crossing chickens for meat. They usually aren't cornish cross but some dual purpose. Just remember you can get a decent size bird but you won't get 7 pounds in 7-8 weeks.

 

[delisha]

I started with Cornish X years ago. I kept 3 hens and a rooster, butchered the others out. Like a poster on here I did not contain them, they free ranged. They did grow large and the male took quite a while to mature. The hens had chicks by other roosters three months before the rooster sexually matured. I kept 2 hens and one rooster from the first year and bred the hens back to the Cornish x rooster. One of the original hens did not make the first winter. I bred the original rooster to his daughters and bred back the original hens to sons and his daughters the second year. So it was father to daughters and son to mothers. Offspring back to original rooster. I had fertility issues with the original rooster and butchered him out on the second year I was left with two original hens, 4 hens from the first year, one roosters from the first year that was a cross from my RIR rooster. I kept 2 hens from the father daughter breeding it was all he produced in hens. It is 30 years later and I still have descendants from the original stock. I have added outside stock last year of cornishX's and RIR. Out of all of the breeding, I have chicks that look like RIR, white rocks, cornish rocks, barred rocks, yet I have never reproduced anything that resembled the original birds. Most of my birds are heavy boned, really heavy. Sometimes its hard to tell young males from females the bones are so large. I have one on the stove now cooking and it does not fit in a stock pot. My birds are baked in cake pans they are so big. I butcher out at 12-14 weeks. I have found that maturity and muscle development adds flavor and additional profiles to the meat. Good luck in your journey it is fun!





One egg is a store egg..can you guess what one?



9x13 pan

 

[kfacres]

It's possible to make your own CX birds...

I have some white cornish, that have a shot of Brahma in them-- and I swear they are almost exactly like the looks of the CX, but with some Cornish type and combs.

I am planning on keeping back some CX pullets this year to see how they'll work under my Cornish males...

 

[lisa lisk]

Hi yall
I am from west TX too. I moved to Iowa 5 years ago.
You do have a good idea. I also cross heavy birds to get meat chickens. all the things that the others have told you is true.
They left out the part about leg problems that the broilers have. Also you can either free range your chicks or put them in a chicken trackter. This will save you alot on feed, and is very good for them. You will end up with a little smaller fryer, but to me a fryer should not be so big.
There are a lot of good meat birds to choos from. I like buff orpingtons. Their skin is pink they are a very good meat bird.
Keep up the good work. Let me know how it goes.
Lisa

 

[lisa lisk]

It's possible to make your own CX birds...

I have some white cornish, that have a shot of Brahma in them-- and I swear they are almost exactly like the looks of the CX, but with some Cornish type and combs.

I am planning on keeping back some CX pullets this year to see how they'll work under my Cornish males...

Hello
would you be able to sell some hatching eggs? Lisa

 

[NJNick]

Hello
I have some Conish X. That I made last year. I picked up some W L Reds or Culled ones. I was told they were Jubilee but I really do not know and do not care for color. I actually bought 10. I think 7 were that color. And 2 Darks. And one very small White with just a little Black feathers here and there.
So I kept 2 Darks and 3 or 4 of the WL Reds or culled color.
I saw the best features in the small White. But I told my mentor and chicken partner he could have him. Well he is one of the most outstanding specimens.
Wel back to my crosses. I bred the Darks to 1/2 Buff Orps 1/2 Black Austrolops. And WL Reds to R I Reds. I have a nice White tailed red Stag. That I kept for myself. And 3 pullets from the Dark cross. Of them 1 looks like single laced and 1 double laced darks and one solid black. These I will breed the 1/2 WL Red to. Only because I lost my Darks. All have not grown that fast.
But it is a start.
Thanks.....Nick

 

[enel 1]

Like ive said in other posts, commercial broilers are way beyond " crosses" these birds parents and grandparents have been bred into actual pure bred pedigreed breeds. Like any pure breed. When you cross these highly specialized pure breeds together you get what we know as cx broiler. I have found if you breed any large roo over a cx hen you get a real nice meaty bird in about 16weeks i have 3 hens i held over for breeding and at 20 weeks they are about 7 lbs. I post pics as soon as the sun comes up

 

[kfacres]

Like ive said in other posts, commercial broilers are way beyond " crosses" these birds parents and grandparents have been bred into actual pure bred pedigreed breeds. Like any pure breed. When you cross these highly specialized pure breeds together you get what we know as cx broiler. I have found if you breed any large roo over a cx hen you get a real nice meaty bird in about 16weeks i have 3 hens i held over for breeding and at 20 weeks they are about 7 lbs. I post pics as soon as the sun comes up

They are basically- a four 'breed' cross- which results in the final product the consumer buys. But yes, highly specialized, and mass produced. These birds, should in theory- breed very true-- but they don't to the degree of their parents, or grand parents. However, with that said, they still probably breed truer than your average ole Farm King chicken.

Now, if one could get ahold of the parent, or grand parent lines-- they'd have something special...