Buckeye X Cornish X breeding project. Third generation pics pg. 20

[Brunty_Farms]

Haven't weighed them yet, but I will as soon as I can. I have been so busy that I just haven't had any time.

Will weigh them though for the next update.... They have to be over 10 lbs (roosters)

 

[becky3086]

Very interesting. I will be watching this one and waiting for updates. I have often wondered what a cross with cornish x would produce.

 

[TimG]

I think the weights are important so that you know the difference between the parent stock and the next generation. Ideally, I think you would want to compare 12 or 16 week weights from generation to generation.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I need to weigh them, they were 5 lbs live weight at 8 weeks. From there on, they were slowed way down. I should know in about a week if they are fertile or not. Hopefully they are. However I have been watching the rooster and it looks like he is having some trouble with them. They are just really big, even for him. I don't know how to AI, nor do I think that I want to as that would defeat my purpose.

However I would like to get a few chicks from them to see what they look like. More than likely they will be all white with pea combs. Unless, one of the x'rocks carries the silver gene and then I may get a few red females ( which is what I'm truly hoping for!)

 

[scooter147]

Jeff,
I had to chuckle at the roost comment on these birds. Good choice not to provide roosts unless they are 6 inches off the ground. Two years ago I decided to keep two pullets from my meaties and hatch some chicks that would have been crossed with my Deleware roo. At about four months I put them with the laying hens. At about 5 months or so the issue became the ramp to the henhouse. The pop door is about 2 feet off the ground and I have a ramp with cleats that is not steep at all. The ramp really was put into place because I thought it gave the place a more chicken look ;-) These two hens could not get up the ramp at 5 months unless I helped them. As most chickens do they wanted to jump up about half way up the ramp. The best analogy would be me trying to climb Mount Everst. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
Well long story short I never got to the egg production phase. I simple got tired of helping them into the henhouse each night. They did make excellent roasters.

 

[BirchHatchery]

scooter sounds like kinda lazy to me

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Me or the chickens part?

 

[Htul]

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Quote:
I would agree that they will most probably all be white with pea combs - regardless of whether the Cornish X are silver or gold based, the offspring are likely to be white (maybe with some red 'leakage' in the hackle and saddle area (from what I've encountered, they most commonly seem to basically be a black bird where the black is masked by the effects of dominant white - the black itself masking the effects of gold and silver - hence no sex-linkage). If you are keen to obain red females, a backcross back to the Buckeye should achieve this (in small numbers)

Cheers,
Htul

 

[peterlund]

Quote:
I am raising my first batch of chickens, and I am smiling at the predicament we share. I too have to go out every night and find the two Cornish X that WILL NOT, or can not climb the small (I mean real small) ramp to get in the coop... Tonight, in torrential rain, I went out to find the two obstinate chickens hiding from the rain under that same ramp, and I had to lift them into bed... the other 25 girls and guys were happy and dry in the coop.... watching the whole fiasco I assume....
I too am waiting the 3 weeks to freezer camp.

 

[dancingbear]

Jeff, have you cracked open any of your eggs from the X hens to see if they show the bull's eye that fertile eggs have? That's the easiest and quickest way to check fertility. Then if you don't have any bull's eyes, you know something needs to be done to help.

Given the size difference, I don't know if trimming vent feathers on the hens might help or not, but it wouldn't hurt anything.

I don't want to AI either, if they can't "do it" by themselves, I'm not gonna do it for them. I agree, a sustainable bird needs to be able to reproduce without intervention. I guess feather trimming is an intervention, too, though.

However, even if you do intervene on the first cross, the offspring from the cross may be able to breed just fine.