Cornish Cross - what are they good for

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Are you going to process them in 8 weeks or less? What do you plan on doing with them?

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

eating and pooping, they put out a huge amount of waste (poop) and it stinks alot more than reg chickens

 

[kuntrygirl]

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

Awwwww, sorry to hear about your lovely New Hampshire.

I hope that Gerty and Isobella got a fair trial and that all charges were dropped and their record cleared. I think that it could happen to any breed. I guess it's kinda like humans. We can drop dead due to complications of weight/obesity. My girls were too big to fly on the roost. I would sometimes put them on the roosts, if at coop closing time, their eyes were sparkling with envy to get on the roost. I would lift them up and place them on the roost. And I would have to take them off and place them on the ground the next morning. Sometimes, they just chose to sleep on the ground in their chicken house.

Post a pic of your Bertha if you can. I would love to see that pretty girl. How much does she weigh?

 

[Parrotchick]

I bought Cornish X's as my first ever chicks at Tractor Supply, not knowing any better. I couldn't figure out why they didn't roost or even go up the ramp. Sadly I found out about them being bred as huge eating machines to be slaughtered at a young age. I haven't even eaten birds in ten years and I was so upset that I inadvertently contributed to that industry of factory farming I try to avoid.

My 2 cockerels had to be euthanized at 1-2 months of age. Both of them had maggots, I guess from messy butt or dragging on the ground. I tried hard to keep them clean to no avail.

My 4 ladies fared a little better, avoiding the maggot fate, but succumbing to the heart problems anywhere from 8-19 months old. They all were encouraged to free range and get exercise and work for their food. Boy was it comical when they would come running for treats! One did seem to have slight leg problems but it wasn't even the biggest one. They all weighed between 15-17 lbs.

Some say it's cruel to keep them alive longer than 2 months. I personally disagree. My birds seemed happy to greet each day and do whatever they could. They didn't seem to be aware to me of their disabilities. That's one of the things I like about having birds-they wake up excited every day to get on with the business of bird living and they take life as it comes. They don't seem to worry about the future.

Of course people keep birds for different reasons and I don't hold it against people for raising animals for meat, so long as the animals' lives and deaths are as humane as possible. My Cornish X laid huge delicious eggs about 4 times a week, sometimes double yolks, and often ones that were so big I thought they'd be double or triples, but they were singles. You've heard of pullet bullets? These were pullet torpedos!

 

[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

Awwwww, sorry to hear about your lovely New Hampshire.

I hope that Gerty and Isobella got a fair trial and that all charges were dropped and their record cleared. I think that it could happen to any breed. I guess it's kinda like humans. We can drop dead due to complications of weight/obesity. My girls were too big to fly on the roost. I would sometimes put them on the roosts, if at coop closing time, their eyes were sparkling with envy to get on the roost. I would lift them up and place them on the roost. And I would have to take them off and place them on the ground the next morning. Sometimes, they just chose to sleep on the ground in their chicken house.

Post a pic of your Bertha if you can. I would love to see that pretty girl. How much does she weigh?

I am not sure what Bertha weighs - But I do know she could sit on 15 eggs and manage to keep them all warm!

Here is my girl

With chicks

and still brooding chicks at 18 weeks.

- She is a big girl and I don;t want to lose her - She is not for Meat
We did however eat Eleanor the New hampshire as I couldn;t bare to wast the meat or that she died for nothing. Gerty and Isobella are still here and we still call them the BUZZARDS!!!

Oesdog

 

[LeaderStorm]

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

Well, cornish crosses grow extremely fast and can weigh up to 9-10 pounds at 6 weeks. Their legs give out because they can't hold their own weight up. Even if their legs don't give out they can barely even stand up for very long. They also will eat so much food(if given the chance) that they will die.
I'm not sure if it happens in other breeds though.

 

[Nicole01]

Awww... They are beautiful! How about pets?lol. Perhaps eating would be good. They look like they are full of meat.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Well, you and I are in the same boat. Someone who has absolutely no knowledge about chickens "gifted" me with what they thought were "white chickens" 4 years ago. This person was so excited that they had purchased these "white chickens" for me. I asked this person what breed these chickens were and they didn't know. Sooooooooo, as the days went on, I noticed that these little buggars were kinda big and "looked" different". After doing research and calling the feed store where this person purchased these chickens, I was in shock to know that I was caring for Cornish.

I was speechless. I knew what they were bred for and I knew that I could not follow through with feeding them to eat them in 6 - 8 weeks.

As you have stated, some people say that it's cruel to keep them alive longer than 2 months and I agree with you. I personally disagree with those people that say it and have NEVER tried to raise them to adulthood. It may not work for everyone, but it worked for me. Mine also lay double yolks eggs. I let them free range every day and they eat the same food as the other chickens. I place the feeder a few feet away from them so they have to exercise and walk to get their feed. When I open the chicken yard gates, they come running, like horses at the race track. It is so fun to see them running around like the other chickens.....eating bugs and scratching.

I know that they will eventually pass on. I don't know when. But when they do, I will know that I have given them an EXCELLENT chicken life. Unfortunately, I know that I will never get this type of breed again. The reason is, I always worry about when "their day" is. And every day I wake up to go and open the chicken coop, I always ask myself before opening it, "Will my girls be alive today".

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Awwwww, sorry to hear about your lovely New Hampshire.

I hope that Gerty and Isobella got a fair trial and that all charges were dropped and their record cleared. I think that it could happen to any breed. I guess it's kinda like humans. We can drop dead due to complications of weight/obesity. My girls were too big to fly on the roost. I would sometimes put them on the roosts, if at coop closing time, their eyes were sparkling with envy to get on the roost. I would lift them up and place them on the roost. And I would have to take them off and place them on the ground the next morning. Sometimes, they just chose to sleep on the ground in their chicken house.

Post a pic of your Bertha if you can. I would love to see that pretty girl. How much does she weigh?

I am not sure what Bertha weighs - But I do know she could sit on 15 eggs and manage to keep them all warm!

Here is my girl
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/59801_big_momma.jpg
With chicks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/59801_lesson_time.jpg
and still brooding chicks at 18 weeks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/59801_move_over2.jpg

- She is a big girl and I don;t want to lose her - She is not for Meat
We did however eat Eleanor the New hampshire as I couldn;t bare to wast the meat or that she died for nothing. Gerty and Isobella are still here and we still call them the BUZZARDS!!!

Oesdog

Bertha is beautiful !