Cornish Cross - what are they good for

[brezlynsmom]

I recently bought 12 Cornish Cross St run chicks at Thiesens. Now my question is what are they good for - eating? egg production? or what

Thanks

 

[cpegram]

Eating

 

[N&MSchroeder]

You have chickens that are bred for eating.

 

[donrae]

Roast chicken, baked chicken, bbq chicken.............



They're bred to put on massive amounts of weight fast and be butchered at two months. They can live longer but it's rare, they get too big and die.

 

[kuntrygirl]

What was your reason for purchasing them? They are bred to butcher and eat at a very early age. They do put on a lot of weight, have heart attacks, their legs give out on them and they will die. There are a few people on this forum that have them that have lived beyond their life expectancy.

Here are my Cornish at 4 years old.

 

[LeaderStorm]

Quote:
Woah, 4 years? I've heard people having them for 1-2 years but four? wow. Do you know how much they weigh? They seem giant.

 

[brezlynsmom]

are they to be fed anything different? i have them on chick starter right now - ive had them for 2 days

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Hay just reading this post and maybe you guys think I am a bit daft but I never heard of chickens legs giving way and them dieing? It got me to thinking because you see I lost my lovely big hen. New Hampshire - she was a large girl and just one day I went to let them out and she was laying dead on the ground with a broken neck. The vet said she must have gotten spooked and bashed her head on the coop roof? ( We thought it was murder in the hen house and blamed Gerty and Isobella ) But she was a big girl and now my Red Sussex Bertha is a big girl I mean she is massive and I was thinking could that happen to these other breeds too???? I often have to lift Bertha down from the perch now cause she seems scared to jump?

Oesdog

 

[yotetrapper]

I usually switch them to meat bird food at about 2-3 weeks. You want to make sure you have them on meatbird for at least 3 weeks before you butcher, most chick starter has medication in it.

Some people vary their feeding giving them all the food they want for 12 hours, then removing it for 12 hours. They say it helps reduce leg problems. I've always just given them all they ever wanted, and have had no problems yet...

If you don't know much about them, check out the section on here entitled Meat Birds, ETC. There is tons of info in there on them.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Woah, 4 years? I've heard people having them for 1-2 years but four? wow. Do you know how much they weigh? They seem giant.

No, I'm not sure how much they weigh but they feel like bowling balls. I will have to try to weigh them and let you know.