Cornish Thread

[kfacres]

I am building a new coop, and I was hoping someone could tell me what the maximum height roost should be for adult standard dark cornish. What's the correct roost width for this breed? Thanks.

Most good quality SOP show type Cornish typically struggle to get off the ground.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Thanks- mine are still 5 week old chicks and they are trying very hard to fly! I don't know how close they are to the SOP, I did get them from a breeder though so I think they must be pretty close. Do you think they could handle 6" high as adults? I just want to keep them off the cold coop floor in winter.

 

[hellbender]

Thanks- mine are still 5 week old chicks and they are trying very hard to fly! I don't know how close they are to the SOP, I did get them from a breeder though so I think they must be pretty close. Do you think they could handle 6" high as adults? I just want to keep them off the cold coop floor in winter.

Just curious...are you absolutely certain you want Cornish that can compete successfully in sanctioned show?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Just curious...are you absolutely certain you want Cornish that can compete successfully in sanctioned show?

hellbender, I have no intention of showing, or breeding to the SOP, for Cornish. My plans for them are different- out of my 8 chicks, I will be selecting for smaller, more athletic birds. I'm looking for longer legs, narrower leg spacing, not overly bulky breast, and a couple of pounds lighter than the standard. A pearl eye would be nice though. The chicks that I have now seem very athletic so I am hopeful; however I have no experience with the Cornish breed, so we'll see how it all turns out. They look like beefy Buckeyes so far but the body shape isn't far different. the legs are heavier, a bit shorter, and their backs are wider, but not by a huge amount. I suppose as they age that might change, but for now I have to make the birds I have comfortable, whatever shape they turn out to be. I probably would have been very happy with hatchery stock.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I've been reading through the posts in this thread, I can see a big difference in my chicks compared to the exhibition ones..... so I think they will all look more like the hatchery type "cornish" than the ones that are being showed.
At how many weeks old can you tell a Cornish pullet from a cockerel? Do you have to wait until they crow? Other than size they all seem very similar- they are 6 weeks old now.

 

[fowlman01]

hellbender, I have no intention of showing, or breeding to the SOP, for Cornish. My plans for them are different- out of my 8 chicks, I will be selecting for smaller, more athletic birds. I'm looking for longer legs, narrower leg spacing, not overly bulky breast, and a couple of pounds lighter than the standard. A pearl eye would be nice though. The chicks that I have now seem very athletic so I am hopeful; however I have no experience with the Cornish breed, so we'll see how it all turns out. They look like beefy Buckeyes so far but the body shape isn't far different. the legs are heavier, a bit shorter, and their backs are wider, but not by a huge amount. I suppose as they age that might change, but for now I have to make the birds I have comfortable, whatever shape they turn out to be. I probably would have been very happy with hatchery stock.

why would you want that? If the legs are closer, that means that there is less room for the internal organs. Your description of what you want sounds more like another breed than a Cornish. They are your birds so do what you like, but it seems strange to me.

Walt

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Walt you may be right, and that's why I have chosen to focus on Buckeyes- but there are some things I do really like about the Cornish. What I'd really like is a hard feathered pea combed Barnevelder

By closer leg spacing, I mean like Buckeye distance, or the width my Cornish chicks seem to have (I'll call them "Hatchery improved" until I find out what they end up like!) I want my chickens to be able to run. I'll try to get some pictures today of my chicks so you can have a peek. I assume that the relative spacing of the legs stays about the same in the young birds compared to when they are adults? The Cornish do look a bit wider than the Buckeyes.
The breeder I got these chicks from has been trying to select both the Buckeyes and the Cornish according to the SOP. I have no experience with either breed (other than this year), and have never actually seen an adult, hatchery or exhibition so I've no idea what to look for. Not too many poultry shows around here, and they are usually mostly Bantam breeds.
I like standard sized, pea combed breeds, and there's not really a long list of breeds to choose from. I'd dearly love some Ixworths and some Welsh Blacks but they don't seem to have made it across the pond.
Although this may sound bizarre I want them for egg laying, and the stain of Cornish I have is supposedly a very good egg laying one. This may be because of Barnevelder introduced into the stock at some time, I am not sure; if their origin was a hatchery, this may well be true.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

My Cornish and Buckeye chicks are growing nicely, and Hellbender you were right, the Buckeyes are catching up. It's difficult to take good pictures, they run around so fast.... but here are a couple of photos anyway: they are around 8 weeks old now, and I am still not sure how many cockerels/ pullets I have.

 

[theoldguy]

Are the Cornish LF or bantam?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Theoldguy, they are about 7 weeks old in the photo. They are large fowl. I got them as hatching eggs from a breeder in Eastern Ontario- I can PM you the information if you are interested in some eggs. I am thrilled with them, they are healthy, alert, smart, active and have great temperament- not shy but not bullies either, except for one I had to remove as a 3 week old chick for beating up constantly on the others. I didn't have any issues like crooked toes, duck feet or twisted beaks or anything like that and all the fertile eggs hatched.