ConishX - Cocks or hens?

[TransplantedTexan]

A buddy of mine is going to buy some cornich X.
Should he get males, females? Does it matter?
What is the norm, and the pluses and draw backs of each?

 

[Motherhenandflock]

The cockerels will be ready sooner, you can grow the the pullets out a week or two longer, it they live.
It's best, IMO, to just get straight run. You can pick out the pullets from the cockerels by their size when they are nearly butchering age.

 

[silkiechicken]

I get straight run so I can spread butchering out. I get the roos the first week and the hens the following. That way they are about the same size for the table. I aim for butcher time to be 7 and 8 weeks... sometimes as far as 9.

 

[TransplantedTexan]

So, do the hens have bigger breasts? Are the roosters not as tender? Any advantages this way one over the other? Or is it really just a matter of timing and I would gues less feed for roosters if they finish faster?

 

[Motherhenandflock]

I've found no difference in taste or tenderness. Just a matter of size when they are processed.
It is recommended to restrict their feed so they don't grow So fast and have health issues faster.
They are suceptible to heat, they like to sit around in a fan breeze. They get real big and have leg problems, so that all they do is eat and poop.

I'm not running them down! I love to have our own homegrown meat in the freezer.

 

[silkiechicken]

So, do the hens have bigger breasts?

*Nope, they are pretty proportional since they will still be chicks at butcher time.


Are the roosters not as tender?

*I notice no difference... basically since they are still big babies so nobody is tough yet.


Any advantages this way one over the other?

* Only advantage is that roosters mature faster so turn around time to table is about a week less or so.

Or is it really just a matter of timing and I would gues less feed for roosters if they finish faster?

* It's just a matter of timing. The roosters may actually eat more or the same amount per body mass. They grow faster and thus eat more in the shorter time it takes to reach food weight.

From a producer stand point, many choose roosters because if you are raising successive batches, saving a week or two per batch means you can put in an extra batch for the growing season.