Cornish game hen quickie question.

[Trollkiller]

I decided to slaughter 4 of my Cornish X next week and have Cornish game hens for Christmas dinner. The birds are three weeks old now and weigh between 1 1/4 lb and 1 3/4 lb and I am assuming they will be "close enough" come next weekend.

I went online in an attempt to find out how much they would have cost at the store in order to justify to myself the early harvest.

Anyhow I found this on a website and now I am slightly confused because I thought the game hens were just young chickens and not a separate breed.

http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=198

All-Natural Cornish Game Hens
Cornish game hens are a breed of domestic chicken that weigh 20 to 24 ounces when fully mature. They have a light, savory, slightly stronger flavor than chicken, but not as strong as partridge or quail. Game hens are an ideal solution for entertaining—just figure a half or a whole hen per person, depending on appetite size and whether the hens are stuffed.

Is that true? Also does anyone know about how much game hens are at a normal grocery store?​

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I believe the game hens are the bantam breed of the cornish.

I've seen them at Walmart for pretty cheap - like a couple of bucks, to 3 bucks each.

meri

 

[silkiechicken]

There is a breed called a cornish game hen which is the description you found. However, the "cornish game hen" you buy at the store IS a 4 week old or so cornish x rock chicken. Industry doesn't use the breed cornish game hen to make the little birds you buy at the store, since to reach the size would take 4-5 months at least, and wouldn't be economical if they can do it a month or less. The small size is sort of a special presentation type deal, where the small individual size bird just looks good.

Found a wiki article on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_game_hen

Don't know store cost since I don't buy small birds as they are more $$ than the big ones whole.

 

[skeeter]

once again silkichicken has the correct info,she is soooo smart,
oh maybe thats why Oregon State wants her,GO BEAVES

 

[greyfields]

They are just baby Cornish crosses. I think 100 years ago, Dark Cornish were used for table birds prior to the industrialization/hybridization of the broiler industry. So, I think it's an allusion to that era when the Cornish was a common table bird.

 

[Trollkiller]

I suppose that site may be selling Dark Cornish instead of Cornish X.

What I read the Dark Cornish don't get much larger that a Cornish game hen.

Thanks guys for helping me out.

 

[Roosterboy]

At our local grocery store i think i saw them for a couple bucks a piece but they are relatively expensive at restaurants.

 

[deerman]

Yep, Silkiechicken is right on.

3 or 4 week old cornish X. Bet the sale would go down if people knew they were eating baby chicks.

I dont see anything wrong if its 3 week or 8 weeks.

 

[Laskaland]

I received my Penzey spice catalog today
www.penzeys.com
They have a "romantic" valentine dinner for two

They feature ROAST CORNISH HENS.

so, to achieve a 16-18oz cornish hen, how old would they need to be to butcher? As I read the above, it would need to be a Cornish X Rock, right??

Thanks!
Christina

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I'm subbing for an Ag teacher today, and in the livestock textbook, it says that cornish game hens for market are indeed just broilers not to maturity.