Cornish Thread

[Minniechickmama]

Miniechickenmama, Of your flocks, are the cornish the only hard feather breed? I think they would use more calories/energy to maintain normal body heat, even more to fight an infection than the fluffy soft feathered birds. Just a thought?

The only ones that tight feathered

But no, I have a few hard feathered breeds, as you should know, Jeff. I have those Buckeyes
I have also run this by the breeder I got them from. The Standards, it seems can just have some issues, one being that they sometimes don't have the strongest immune system. In a way, they are an extreme breed, so with that is always some undesirable traits to have to suffer through. I have culled weaker birds and thought I had the strongest, healthiest ones to use for breeding, but maybe they weren't. The good news is I still have breeding stock. The better news, I have others who are not as good of Cornish, but are something I can add in and work with the bring in some hybrid vigor, so to speak, and maybe can help make my offspring stronger. I may need to work a few years with those birds, but I have time and the culls are well worth eating.

In cutting the birds up, I also noticed that their hearts seemed a bit larger than I have seen in other birds, and there was a lot of fat around the hearts, although, I didn't see any sign of damage to the organs. I don't mind learning lessons, but why I have to learn them like this? It is just tough to swallow sometimes.

Thanks everyone. It is good to have folks with these birds to discuss these matters with.

 

[Cedarknob]

My LF White cock from Aviengems.

 

[galanie]

I do, they are medium in PO they don't start fights but they don't run either.

Amen to that! The very few I've had (hatchery stock) don't start any trouble but let me tell you, they'll sure end it! Tough buggers.

 

[Smoochie]

Amen to that! The very few I've had (hatchery stock) don't start any trouble but let me tell you, they'll sure end it! Tough buggers.

I'm definitely finding them the pitbulls of chicken! They like to run with my game hens. I'm going to blue kote my polish that are WCB.. Or build yet again another coop.

 

[Smoochie]

Cedarknob that is a lovely white LF!!

 

[Cedarknob]

Cedarknob that is a lovely white LF!!

Thank you.

He was bred and raised in Florida and purchased a bit over one year ago, so has done well in adapting to our climate here and siring a bunch of chicks for me. One of my dark cockerels got loose and fought him through the fence earlier this year, and the WC's head took a lot of punishment. It swelled terribly and he went off feed for a few days; but he recuperated and was covering hens again within a week.

I had one of his 6 month old black sons penned with two, same age DC cockerels since they hatched with nothing going on other than brief squabbles to settle pecking order; but last week the black decided to challenge his low status in the pen and ended up killing one of them and severely beating the other. [I found one alive, but on his back looking like he was dead; he recovered but it was a miracle that I found him in time.] I can usually get by with penning two or more together, as long they are never separated, even with females in the pen; but exceptions are costly and I'm not fond of paying the price. The SOP for Cornish makes them too heavy and slow for fighting long battles, but some still carry enough game attitude to keep them from backing off when they're being beaten.

 

[fowlman01]

I do, they are medium in PO they don't start fights but they don't run either.

My dark bantams will get into fights if I let them in with other breeds. I keep all the young males in one cage with an Asil cock to keep piece.

Walt

 

[triplejfarms]

My LF White cock from Aviengems.

nice boy!

 

[Cedarknob]

Quote: Thank you. Our winters are not nearly as severe as yours, though it has already been in the low teens here. I keep mine in portable pens with one end covered but open to the pen. So far they've gone through brief periods of below zero temperatures with no problems other than a frost bitten toe, while a couple of single combed cocks from other breeds lost the tips of their combs under the same conditions. I know that the bird that lost the end of his toe liked to stand in his heated water during the day, and assume he went to roost with wet feet. I'm growing fall hatched Cornish chicks right now outside in the same type shelter, but with clear, double walled, plastic film added to the top and sides on half of the pen. I once worked as the grower for a pretty large greenhouse operation, so know the value of dual wall film for adding and holding heat even when open to the south. Certain plants, like pansies, were started in the fall and kept in unheated greenhouses all winter and ready to sell for early spring color. [We kept the walls inflated to maintain that insulating, dead air space in greenhouses, I haven't done that with my pen, though the sun heated, trapped air does 'inflate' the plastic during the day.] I did add a heat lamp in the shelter for nights after the hard freezes started, and don't house any in it until their heads [which as you know are in down longer then their bodies] are feathered.

 

[triplejfarms]

would love to see some more of yours some hens/pullets!

wish i lived in the states you guys sure have a wider selection of genes there!! its very hard to find quality cornish in canada!