Cornish Thread

[hellbender]

When I bred some of the first generation Wyandotte cross chicks mentioned in the linked post back to each other, I got quite a few clean legged chicks. I kept a quad of the better built, clean legged, pea combed, blue laced reds., and sent them up to my Dad's so they would have a few eating eggs. As you guys know good Cornish are not known for their laying qualities, and his whites were no exception. Nor are they known for males keeping good fertility after they get a few years on them. As was the case with Dad's old white male, the last year he was fertile he only hatched pullets. So he was sitting there with some very nice white hens and an old male shooting blanks, so just for grins we put the blue laced red mutt over them to see what would come of it.

This thread shows some of the early results. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/424132/cornish-side-project

Thank you for showing us the results of your dedication and hard work. Some beautiful birds!!!

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Blue laced red is a colour that really suits the Cornish build. I'll bet that the hard feather texture really makes those colours glow.

 

[kfacres]

I will vouch for big med and his birds.. Having met him, used his genetics, and bred my own from them- they are a bird that is nearly unmatched for a backyard sustainable flock, IMO. That was my marketing promo when we had them. I always felt the BLR color was the way I wanted to go, but had some good dark show blood to help improve on type around here. I had these birds for about 5 generations before I decided to sell them all this summer. Someday, I hope I get back into them, and for sure southern Ohio will be my destination again.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I'm starting to get Cornish eggs- wee little things in the 38-45 gram range, but nice in that the hens are only 22 weeks old. I'm encouraged! We do have a long way to go to get the egg size up though, not exactly sure how to do that.......

 

[hellbender]

I'm starting to get Cornish eggs- wee little things in the 38-45 gram range, but nice in that the hens are only 22 weeks old. I'm encouraged! We do have a long way to go to get the egg size up though, not exactly sure how to do that.......

Relax. They will increase in size.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Relax. They will increase in size.

Oh good. Because these eggs would embarrass a silkie

. But at least there's plenty of them. There is hope.

 

[JRNash]

my Dark Cornish just started crowing. Hoping to get eggs from the hens before long. 22wks old

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Can you see any red in the hens' wattles? The hens started laying a couple of weeks after red started to show in their combs. and wattles.

 

[JRNash]

I will check this evening

 

[kfacres]

Cornish eggs in general are very small, and actually almost perfectly round.

If you are expecting large, or jumbo eggs, better find something new to expect. I don't see what the size of the egg has to do with anything in the Cornish breed, obviously nobody else has either and that's why they still are small egged.