Can anyone help us figure out what breed of rooster we have??

[britamarian]

We got this (not so little) guy back in early April - here are some images of Brady as he has gotten older. We'd love to know what type of rooster he is! He's extraordinarily affectionate and hasn't displayed a mean streak at all...yet!

 

[juliechick]

He is a Cornish Cross. Bred for eating.

 

[Wyandottes7]

He is a CornishX (a cross between a White Cornish and a White Rock). The sole purpose for a CornishX is to be eaten, as they are meat chickens. Most (if not all) chicken that you find in a supermarket are from CornishX. It might be best to butcher him, as CornishX can develop all sorts of problems, like ascites, weak legs, trouble walking, heart attacks if not slaughtered around eight weeks old or so. He may be a pet, but CornishX just aren't meant to live long.

 

[britamarian]

That being said, would it be considered cruel to keep him alive? He is almost 5 months old and seems very content with life...at least as far as we can tell? I would rather butcher him than continue keeping him alive if his quality of life is poor. Thank you for the help and advice!

 

[Chickery Chick]

Years ago we got a free rooster because all we had were hens and wanted a different color to go in our flock.
He was about 1 year of age when we got him. He appeared to be a cornish cross. Looked just like your guy.
He lived about 5 years before he developed swollen legs and could not walk anymore.
He was free range so maybe the exercise helped? Boy he could crow loud! No other roo we've had came close to his near perfect sound replication.
Out of all the different roos we've had he was always our favorite. He was huge! but not a mean bone in his body.
Enjoy him and give him a chance until you see problems or if he appears to be suffering.

 

[britamarian]

Wonderful! He is extraordinarily attached to his remaining sister, a CX pullet. He too crows exceptionally loud!

Did you ever have trouble with the roo attempting to mount the other hens & crushing them as he does so? We quickly removed him from our hen run after the first hen experienced this...

He seems so large that he may injure them in this process?

 

[Wyandottes7]

Wonderful! He is extraordinarily attached to his remaining sister, a CX pullet. He too crows exceptionally loud!

Did you ever have trouble with the roo attempting to mount the other hens & crushing them as he does so? We quickly removed him from our hen run after the first hen experienced this...

He seems so large that he may injure them in this process?

I don't have any problems with my roosters because I only have bantam roosters. However, I've read (and can certainly imagine) that large roosters can injure hens when mounting them. It was definitely a good choice to separate him to avoid smashed hens.

 

[Chickery Chick]

Our hens were full grown RIR and yes he mounted them quite frequently but none were injured.
It did not cause a problem with ours. Perhaps because our hens were a larger breed and about 1+ years old before he was introduced.

If it is his spurs that are a problem, which is what I'm reading more of, rather than crushing them, you can remove the spurs
See video below. I would for sure want the blood stop powder and to treat the removed spur area with healing ointment and in addition I would keep him in a large crate for a few days to allow it to heal first before putting him in a dirty coup or scratching in the dirt.
If you don't have the stomach for it, have your vet do it for you.

 

[donrae]

I remember someone on here a year or more ago had a hen setting on eggs, but didn't think they'd hatch since there weren't any roosters except juvenile Cornish cross. The person was under the impression the CX couldn't mate due to their size.....well, when those babies hatched, we said score one for the big boys! They can mate, I don't think they're going to injure full size hens.

Folks that have kept CX usually advise limiting feed and free ranging. They do better under those conditions. If he appears unhealthy, or his comb turns blue, it would be time to put him down. But if he's happy and active, trying to mate, I say let him live his life!

 

[Chickery Chick]

I agree donrae.
I personally know they can breed. Our CX was a breed monster and the hens loved how he doted on them.
They returned the favor and groom him constantly. He took it all in.
I think they felt safe around him and they followed him everywhere. He was the perfect roo. Cocky(full of himself), gentle with the ladies, a fierce protector, and still a wonderful gentle pet, but like I said before, his crow was amazing!
Awhh just talking about him....I sure miss him.
I think a cross would be nice. Is there specific crosses that people do intentionally with CX to help reduce the oversize problem?
RIR are not known for nesting so never tried to hatch any but I'm sure if we had an incubate we could have.
I was thinking the same thing......keep him thin and active will help prolong his life. We never had to remove his spurs and he had big ones too.
Not a scratch on any of our hens. We had about 10 hens at that time.