Cornish Cross Question

[TripleCFowlFarm]

Hello, I was wondering if I ordered day old Cornish Cross chicks and fed them like I would normally (not giving them such high protein feed or all they can eat) if they wouldn't grow as fast. Would their bones be okay for breeder birds? I am wanting to get some so I can just incubate their eggs to raise for meat instead of having to buy chicks every year. Has anyone tried this? Is is cheaper just to buy day old chicks instead of raising hens up to 6 months and having to feed them that whole time? Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's cheaper to buy day old for one thing. The other thing is that they're a hybrid cross so they won't breed true.
Cornish/Rocks aren't a breed. They develop an line of Cornish and a line of White Rocks. Then they cross them and that's the chicks you buy.

 

[TripleCFowlFarm]

It's cheaper to buy day old for one thing. The other thing is that they're a hybrid cross so they won't breed true.
Cornish/Rocks aren't a breed. They develop an line of Cornish and a line of White Rocks. Then they cross them and that's the chicks you buy.

Okay, thanks! I will just go with day olds, then. Thanks for the help

 

[aoxa]

It's really difficult to keep them in good shape through the winter. They do not deal well with heat either.. So somehwere that didn't get a lot of snow may be able to restrict feed enough to keep them alive longer than I have.. I managed 10 months with two girls and hatched a couple chicks off them. Fox got all but one.. The one I have grew faster than any heritage breed I've raised, but definitely slower than a regular CX.

Honestly I am not aiming for 8 weeks or the same as a CX growth rate. I want 12-14 weeks and 3-4 pounds with a wide frame.

I don't want to bring in chicks from outside sources if I can help it. That is why I am attempting it myself. I don't plan to sell the chicks.. only raise enough for my family.

Our one pullet from this cross (CX x Barred Plymouth Rock) is in these pictures at 22 weeks with a bunch of 8 week old CX pullets.





Here she is at 14 weeks


Unfortunately her bigger sister got taken by the fox (ugh, I am still angry about that!)






at 5 days old.


This is the CX girl I kept. She did very well until winter. Running, jumping, etc. She laid very well - but got way too big through the winter and died suddenly from a heart attack.

 

[TripleCFowlFarm]

Sad, but predator problems happen. Maybe I will order 5-10 and try to raise them slow. Or I could just buy pure Cornish hens and cross it with a White Rock rooster, has anyone tried this? I know it's cheaper to buy day-olds but if I can get a different hen(s) to sit on the Cornish/White Rock eggs them maybe she will raise them too. I would just make a feeder that only they can fit in... I just am too lazy to take care of 30 or so meat birds. Plus, I read on a different thread that Cornish Crosses lay jumbo brown eggs, yummy!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Cornish are not very agile so can't escape predators or bullies in a flock.
Crossing with a rock will get you a nice meat bird but still not like the ones you would buy because the parent stock of commercial CornishX have been selected for decades to produce the 3 1/2 week game hen or the 6 week broiler.
Heritage Cornish and Plymouth Rocks that you can buy don't have the same genetics.

 

[aoxa]

Cornish are not very agile so can't escape predators or bullies in a flock.
Crossing with a rock will get you a nice meat bird but still not like the ones you would buy because the parent stock of commercial CornishX have been selected for decades to produce the 3 1/2 week game hen or the 6 week broiler.
Heritage Cornish and Plymouth Rocks that you can buy don't have the same genetics.

I'm not arguing that, but they do give off a wide body and a quicker growth rate that I have noticed visually.

I just want something I can butcher before they reach sexual maturity.. 14 weeks.. I don't think that's too much to ask. We will see. Only one generation in. Crossing to a Buckeye now, because they grow faster than a Rock.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You're absolutely right. And I think the buckeye cross is a great idea. The Cornish offspring will produce a good meat bird crossed with a lot of things.

 

[TripleCFowlFarm]

Cornish are not very agile so can't escape predators or bullies in a flock.
Crossing with a rock will get you a nice meat bird but still not like the ones you would buy because the parent stock of commercial CornishX have been selected for decades to produce the 3 1/2 week game hen or the 6 week broiler.
Heritage Cornish and Plymouth Rocks that you can buy don't have the same genetics.

Okay, nice to know. I guess I will just buy day olds. Has anyone tried to stick them under a hen so she can raise them?