Black Cornish X

[hooligan]

I usually don't post in here but I figured if any of you guys knew (not coming up with anything on the net) it would be the meaties LoL
I have a few work friends who's parents have grower houses. They said that the last few times the chickens came in that a few were black, but grew just like the white ones? Are there black Cornish Xs?
If so has anyone got pictures of them. He said they were not black broilers that look semi-normal.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I van honestly say I have no idea--- I don't even know the correct name of the meat birds I order........

Maybe someone else can chime in here.

 

[kstaven]

There are dark cornish. But what you are likely seeing is the result of years of line breeding and recessive characteristics started to show up or the hatchery has added a little new blood to the line and it has brought out the characteristic.

That would be my best guess.

 

[chickenfanatic]

Quote:
i agree this would make the most sense.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Australorp X??? That would be cooooll

I'd love some dark feathered chickens that grow like Cornish do.

 

[hooligan]

Well these are commercial, they get about 40,000 per house at a time so I don't think Australorp would be an option.
But I was thinking the same thing about the dark or black Cornish...but how in the hell would it get mixed in with the commercial stock? I mean this is not a small company, its very large, very. so I would think it would be odd to add it in.
I will take pix when they get to me and chart their progress to see if they grow the same, but I will have them on a super low protein/high calcium diet to stunt their growth a bit.

On a bit of an off note, of the 3 families I know that have grower houses...none of them knew what the chickens were called that lived there

 

[FutureChickenMan]

there are red and black meat birds (ideal sells them) they do mature a bit slower maybe 2 weeks than the regular white cornish x's. Maybe they were mis-shipped?

I dunno about the recessive gene, these guys have been line bred so much I think if it was a recessive gene it'd be a lot more common.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
https://secuservices.com/ideal/newideal/selectproduct.aspx?qty=1&ID=BBS&Product=403

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
https://secuservices.com/ideal/newideal/selectproduct.aspx?qty=1&ID=BBS&Product=403

Thanks FCM. We may have to try those in the future. I like the idea of the dark
plumage vs the boring old fat Cornish.

 

[hooligan]

Quote:
Since this is a food corp that has their own breeder farms and hatcheries nothing could be misshipped really. I am thinking of the recessive gene (like some others here) I was just curious as to what other things it could be. I talked to another lday who has grower houses and she said she has been getting some with red feathering in, but she has no idea why. She said they look no different either...