Cornish cross/ rock

[Jenessa_096]

I have two Cornish x hens that are going on 7 months. I open the door and they find a cool spot in the yard to sit all day. I let them out after they had their fill. Then I let my heritage breeds out and lock their feeder, so the Cornish Cross won't eat themselves to death.

In comparison, the heritage breeds are running around and having a blast while the Cornish x is sitting in the shade doing nothing. At 5 pm I escort the two Cornish hens back in their pen and lock them up. They weigh about 10lbs, so I only feed them in the morning. After I lock them up, I unlock my heritage breed's feeder.

They were bred for food, eating is what makes them happy, but if they eat too much they develop problems and die. That means my Cornish X hens are only happy in the morning.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

The shorter life span can pop up in other breeds too. See industrial farming is not interested in chickens that live long… laying hens are culled long before they stop producing eggs for example. So this means it is easier for a genetic flaw that shortens a chicken’s life span to hide in industrial production flocks like meat and laying birds, simply because the ax is always falling on them prematurely, even those put aside for breeding.

I am not saying they are all genetically a mess and will all be short lived, just if there is a genetic problem it might not be spotted except by people keeping birds longer than commercial industry bottom line standard of operation. And in the case of the CornishX the industry does not care about their health or quality of life past slaughter age.

I really think you might do well with a heritage breed or a more active X… have you considered making a list of traits your dream chickens might have?
What you want, ranking importance of traits… that might help narrow in on a breed that fits better.

 

[Jenessa_096]

The shorter life span can pop up in other breeds too. See industrial farming is not interested in chickens that live long… laying hens are culled long before they stop producing eggs for example. So this means it is easier for a genetic flaw that shortens a chicken’s life span to hide in industrial production flocks like meat and laying birds, simply because the ax is always falling on them prematurely, even those put aside for breeding.

I am not saying they are all genetically a mess and will all be short lived, just if there is a genetic problem it might not be spotted except by people keeping birds longer than commercial industry bottom line standard of operation. And in the case of the CornishX the industry does not care about their health or quality of life past slaughter age.

I really think you might do well with a heritage breed or a more active X… have you considered making a list of traits your dream chickens might have?
What you want, ranking importance of traits… that might help narrow in on a breed that fits better.

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

 

[aart]

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

They are meat birds, not layer birds!

 

[NatJ]

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

Of course the males never lay eggs.

But the Cornish Cross females CAN lay eggs, and they DO lay eggs if they stay alive long enough.

Butchering age comes long before egg laying age, so most of the females never have a chance to lay eggs. If you butchered females of other chicken breeds at that age, they would never lay eggs either.

 

[Molpet]

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

Why do you think that?
The pullet I kept starved laid eggs.

 

[CNJ]

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

This is a picture of chicks hatched from my Cornish X hens. They were paired with a White Plymouth Rock rooster, some of them may have normal lives, it depends on their eating habits. The hens were laying an egg every other day and stopped when they started molting.

I think I can sum it up for you. Cornish x chicks live a happy normal life and are very active growing up. They are very tame and adorable all the way up to 8 lbs, then they go down hill from there, so its best to process them, instead of making them suffer with obesity problems. They live a normal happy life with an average age of 2 to 3 months.

Don't raise them if you won't process them at 2 to 3 months. They are bred and raised for food. This type of chicken will eat all day and night and if you don't take their food away from them at night, they develop health problems.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes but the fact that they can’t even lay eggs .

As noted above, Cornish X pullets are perfectly capable of laying eggs -- if kept on a strict diet and exercise program to limit their growth and prevent them from becoming obese.

 

[NY Coturnix]

If the purpose is to raise a chicken for meat then does it really matter the age you process? What matters I would say matters is how you take care of them from day 1 until process date. Whether heritage for 8 or 7 months or X's for 2 months if the purpose is processing I don't get the argument.

 

[3KillerBs]

If the purpose is to raise a chicken for meat then does it really matter the age you process? What matters I would say matters is how you take care of them from day 1 until process date. Whether heritage for 8 or 7 months or X's for 2 months if the purpose is processing I don't get the argument.

Feed conversion efficiency.

You have to put a LOT more feed into a heritage bird before you eat it. The modern Cornish X chicken is the most feed-efficient meat animal ever to walk the earth.