are cornish x natural?

[smilingcat]

Thank you for all your replies. Some I wasn't expecting and got a good laugh. I should have thought about it carefully before I used the word "natural" and "organic". IT DOES MEAN DIFFERENT THING TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE!

The reason my partner was bent out of shape was the fact that they grow so fast. To her, it's just another Frankenfood! She knows its no more dangerous or safer than a heritage breed. It's not like eating Twinkies. She'll eat it without hesitation BUT, and this is where we got in a big conversation: is it natural to breed them so that they can grow so fast or is it natural that they grow so big to have heart failures and broken leg or is it natural that they grow so big (what about Jersey Giants some want to chime in).

Our brahmas are not slow in moving but in/were slow growing so they would be a lousy choice for selling as meat bird. Even as a layers they are not the greatest but they are okay. We are willing to accept it.

I especially liked reply from Fred's Hen because it was closest to what we were thinking. So thank you. And everyone else who gave me a perspective I wasn't thinking about so thank you.

and yes our brahma's are dual purpose. We eat the eggs and the meat goes to our dog and cats. Stewing hen, our dog and cats think its much better than us.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I had to laugh when I read this part of your post. I have Large Fowl Light Brahmas and I just spent the better part of the day trying to catch 4 to separate from the others since someone was coming to purchase them. Not sure what I am doing wrong but my birds are definitely not slow and easy to catch at all lol.

Our brahmas are not slow in moving but in/were slow growing so they would be a lousy choice for selling as meat bird.

To the two of you they are not slow perhaps.

To Brer Fox, Brer Coon and Brer Coyote as well as Mr. Dog they are slow. Very slow. A Brahma's predator resistance is rather poor. Thus the "unnatural" connotation because without us people around to protect and watch over them they would soon cease to be. As would most domestic chicken breeds with the exception of the game and perhaps Mediterranean breeds. Anything that cannot survive on their on in the wild is not "natural" in my opinion.

But other folks can and do use a different definition so even the poofiest Brahma may be natural to them.

 

[FireTigeris]

Like in my yard in FL silver birds do poorly- I eventuality built a predator proof run, but the ground here is great for black-gold birds and bad for solid any color or silver-black birds.

In my yard the natural birds that could live would be small, fast, smart/aware, able to flutter/fly, able to perch high- and have a broken brown pattern in some way. (laced, penciled, splash- anything- the roosters could carry dark green but no white or yellow)

Now that I have an enclosed pen, anything goes-

 

[kfacres]

What's unnatural behind 'selective breeding'?

 

[erinchelsea]

IDK, but they sure are tasty!

I do see both sides of this issue, they are "natural" but it is a little unnatural to see how fast they grow.

Even though ours were free range & on restricted feed this year, and grew slower than they would in confinement, they still grow incredibly fast and I can't imagine they could live through maturity to breed even if you COULD breed 2 CX together to produce more.

 

[kfacres]

IDK, but they sure are tasty!

I do see both sides of this issue, they are "natural" but it is a little unnatural to see how fast they grow.

Even though ours were free range & on restricted feed this year, and grew slower than they would in confinement, they still grow incredibly fast and I can't imagine they could live through maturity to breed even if you COULD breed 2 CX together to produce more.

how can we, who live today, know what is 'normal'... how do we know that hundreds of years ago, there wasn't a super fast growing, or super meaty bird-- that we selected away from- and made extinct.

I don't see much difference b/w the Cx birds, and the pure Cornish in terms of size and meat aboundance... There is growth rate differences-- but IMO their growth rate is still equal to or slower than Pekins--

So, who are we to say these birds are freaks-- how do we not know they were 'normal' at one point in time..

PS, there are many people keeping and breeding the CX birds together, and with other breeds...

The lack of breeding true is nothing more than a hybrid vigor effect- the same thing occurs in black white faced Angus Herford cows-- so are they 'freaks;?

 

[FireTigeris]

Freaks - No, they are mutts or crossbreeds, like cockerdoos and labradoodles and whatever other curs and mutts.

 

[LilyD]

how can we, who live today, know what is 'normal'... how do we know that hundreds of years ago, there wasn't a super fast growing, or super meaty bird-- that we selected away from- and made extinct.

I don't see much difference b/w the Cx birds, and the pure Cornish in terms of size and meat aboundance... There is growth rate differences-- but IMO their growth rate is still equal to or slower than Pekins--

So, who are we to say these birds are freaks-- how do we not know they were 'normal' at one point in time..

PS, there are many people keeping and breeding the CX birds together, and with other breeds...

The lack of breeding true is nothing more than a hybrid vigor effect- the same thing occurs in black white faced Angus Herford cows-- so are they 'freaks;?

No not freaks but depending on the how the hybrid has changed from the original birds will determine whether they will do well or not so well in a natural environment. Because they grow so amazingly fast and because they will eat pretty much anything remotely food related they do open themselves up to problems such as heart conditions, tumors and broken bones. If we were to put 100 CRX loose in the wild would they be able to survive. No probably not. I can tell you one of my SQ hens did survive on her own for 3 weeks and came back with babies that she had been working on hatching in the woods away from our house. Does that mean that all SQ birds are going to be able to survive. Absolutely not. That's how natural selection takes place. The weak and less capable are eaten and those that are sly and wiley stay around longer.

My grandmother told me something the other day when we were talking. She said when she raised hens and roosters they would always catch the slowest one (easiest to catch for dinner). In turn that would make it harder each year to catch the chickens since only the ones who run fast and hide well remain.

 

[Jitamon]

I think they are freaks of nature

 

[PotterWatch]

If we base our opinions on how well they can survive in the wild, then a lot of our modern dog breeds are freaks as well.