Cornish Thread

[Schipperkesue]

I have a question. I have seen far more good quality Bantam Cornish than good quality large fowl Cornish. Is that pretty much the norm across North America, or does quality vary depending on location.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Hopefully one of the older (as in have been doing this longer) breeders can jump in on this and give you some answers on the LF vs. Bantam.

 

[chickened]

I have a question. I have seen far more good quality Bantam Cornish than good quality large fowl Cornish. Is that pretty much the norm across North America, or does quality vary depending on location.

Most interest in bantams is they are easier to keep and cheaper to feed. I have seen a trend in the shows where there are more bantams being shown and most breeders say cost is usually the main factor.

Not sur about regions but I think the midwest shows have more LF breeders.

 

[spangledcornish]

yes there are more btm cornish than std. Since we have both I can tell you the bantams a whole lot easier to raise and in general are better egg producers and as a rule we hatch out quite a few more btms than standards. Also they do not take up as much space and they still taste good.

As for winter hatching we have never had good luck doing it esp. with the stds. The males tend to like a little warmth with the lighting. If you are going the lighting rout I would light your males a month before you start to light your females they seem to take a little longer to get good fertility.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thanks, spangled. That is good info to know so I am not frustrated with them once the girls are laying and I am putting eggs in the bator.

 

[Cedarknob]

yes there are more btm cornish than std. Since we have both I can tell you the bantams a whole lot easier to raise and in general are better egg producers and as a rule we hatch out quite a few more btms than standards. Also they do not take up as much space and they still taste good.

As for winter hatching we have never had good luck doing it esp. with the stds. The males tend to like a little warmth with the lighting. If you are going the lighting rout I would light your males a month before you start to light your females they seem to take a little longer to get good fertility.

Thank you for the info. I have limited experience, but my large fowl males have so far always had a drop in libido as days shorten and temperatures drop. The males seem to prefer warm temperatures and/or fresh greens in their diets before they will get active. Three years ago I tried winter breedings of my layers under lights to DC cockerels. I had terrible fertility until the spring grass got started and I put them on browse. I know the breeder of my DCs did winter breedings, but believe that was in a heated facility.

 

[Schipperkesue]

I have bantams but I am getting LF. I don't think my main challenges will be with fertility as much as temperature, unless you count the fact that when the temperature drops, frozen eggs have zero fertility! I am definitely not a winter incubator. My challenge will be to keep them alive in the winter! It is already dipping to minus 20 degrees Celsius here at night.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have bantams but I am getting LF. I don't think my main challenges will be with fertility as much as temperature, unless you count the fact that when the temperature drops, frozen eggs have zero fertility! I am definitely not a winter incubator. My challenge will be to keep them alive in the winter! It is already dipping to minus 20 degrees Celsius here at night.

Not necessarily so, I have taken eggs that were partly frozen and put them in and had great results. I try not to let them get frozen, but sometimes I just can't get out enough times every day to collect them before some get a little slushy.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE????? -20˚C??? It gets pretty darn cold here and I have an open-air chicken barn. The coldest I think it gets is -20 or so.

I thought it would be A LOT colder, that is about -4F. Are you in Canada or Alaska?

 

[Schipperkesue]

Well, I am going to have to try to incubate some partially frozen eggs! You have spurred my curiosity about this.

I live I in north central Alberta. In winter the temps regularly dip below -20, we will have a couple -30s each winter and every few years -40 is achieved.

The bantam Cornish are in a small insulated, unheated barn. I use the deep litter method with a thick bed of straw on top, a low perch and a heat lamp for each pen. I will lose a few weak ones each winter, but survival of the fittest, and the ones that breed in spring are exceptionally fit!

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

as long as the shell is not cracked i put it in the bator... my hatch rate drops way down during freezing weather... some times down to maybe 25% but i have got allot of chicks from frozen eggs...