cornish cross help

[little_giant]

i have 4 cornish cross chickens .
Do they lay eggs?
can they breed?
and how long do they live?
how often do they lay eggs?

 

[tackyrama]

These birds are a sad story. They are bred to die - for us and quickly at that. I have a rescue cx I got from a friend that lives next to a big chicken farm. He fed it till winter almost killed it and brought it to my nice warm coop. She is actually very fertile. I have many chicks from her.

They grow very fast. If left to live long they do not do very well. They get so heavy that they have health problems such as broken legs and heart attacks. I originally meant to let her live out her life in peace but now don't think it is a good idea. She is 1 yr old now with no major problems but every day she seems to get worse. She has given up getting on the roost. She limps slowly around and squats whenever she gets a chance. From what I hear this mild compared to what others do.

All her chicks are doing very well. They apparently lose the fast growth gene. I have about 8 chicks from her and all appear normal in all respects. All are white more or less. One is growing very fast like her mother so I'm keeping an eye on her.

She lays one egg about every two days. I will not recommend having them except for butchering purposes.

 

[little_giant]

well i don't want to kill and eat them. But i will return the 2 roosters and ill have only 2 X's left and 1 leghorn.
so if i don't feed them that much so they are normal in size, they will live longer?

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I do not mean to sound offensive but cornish cross chickens are a meat bird. Their life span is short (7-10 weeks max) and beyond that is really inhumane because they become too heavy for their legs to support their body mass.

If you do not want to eat them and have no intention of killing them, I think you should give them all back and find a breed more suitable as pets (like bantams).

Minimizing their feed intake will slow their growth but it won't change the end result. They end up having severe health problems and leg and feet problems. They are not supposed to be a chicken that roosts (ever).

 

[cassie]

They live a little longer than seven to ten weeks. We butcher ours at ten to twelve weeks. But you are right. They are supurb meat birds and that's all. They are unsuitable for pets or eggs or anything else. But boy are they yummy!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I was given 6 Cornish chickens "by accident" from a relative. He "surprised" me with 6 of these birds. Well, I surely was surprised when I noticed that they were Cornish chickens. They are now 22 weeks old and are doing fine. They lay almost every day. I do not let the roosters breed them because I do not want any extra weight on them. I know that they are meat birds and they really don't have a life expectancy but I cannot bring myself to having them processed. I feel sorry for them but at the same time, when they begin to experience the health problems that I know that they may experience, I will not be able to see them suffer, so I know what I will have to do. They are very tame and will walk up to people and are not afraid. They only roost a few inches off the ground because I do not want them trying to fly up too high. I do not recommend anyone knowingly going out to purchase these chickens as pets or to just have around for forever. This is not a good idea. They are meant to be what they are meant to be and that is a meat bird.

 

[Judy]

Yes, if you are going to try to raise them, no roosts, and limit their feed.

There are a few on here who have raised them to adulthood. It is a challenge, and risky, and one of those things you need to go into with your eyes wide open.

Yes, they will lay and breed -- if you can keep them alive long enough. Roos will probably get so big they will be a danger to the hens, though, when they try to breed. And they will not breed true -- they are a hybrid.

 

[kuntrygirl]

In addition to limiting the feeding, I have read that you should let them free range as much as possible and that will help with the longevity of their life. Mine free range as often and as long as they want.

 

[little_giant]

ok.
i let them go free range everyday for about 30min-1hour.
ill try to limit their feed and try to make them exercise more.
actually the hens are a little bigger then the roos.
i got these eggs not knowing that they are meat birds.
i might just return the two males and ask if they can exchange the roos for different chickens like leghorns.

 

[little_giant]

my chickens are 6 weeks old and doing fine.
they do seem to be fatter than average but they can still walk.