Cornish Thread

[Cedarknob]

CK you are better than me.

The oldest standard I could find was from 1925.

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS.

You're welcome.

I knew from reading of their history that they were a failed attempt of an Englishman at breeding a more muscular gamecock; and that old drawings show an upright, more athletic looking male of pit type; but never realized that the APA had originally classified them as Oriental Games, and that they still had a more upright and lighter body in 1905. By 1915 the APA had them in the English group, and the SOP was calling for a heavier bird. What really surprised me was that in 1905 eye color was "yellow, or approaching pearl"; ten years later the "or" had been dropped and eye color was "yellow, approaching pearl". Now they are supposed to be pearl, and mine have yellow. LOL However I would like to see pearl eyes on them.

I still intend to breed to the modern standard of a very heavy muscled meat bird with the hard feathering and head type of oriental games. If I wanted the lighter look I would breed Aseels that were on the thick side. I do understand those that like the more athletic looking orientals and their desire to see the old Indian Game resurrected, but I'm trying to breed large fowl meat birds that belong in the English class. In order to do well at shows, I think my desire for a beautifully shaped table bird might possibly be of some advantage over a desire for a more Oriental Game look.

 

[NewBreeder]

Cedarknob
this thread has lots of info and have not read every post so please excuse me for this question

Are your Cornish pure or have you crossed them into the Araucana's ?

I am looking to make such a cross into my Araucanas to fill in the keel, they are very large birds to start and have great carcass weight, but I am not satisfied with the keel to meat ratio

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Ed

 

[Cedarknob]

Cedarknob
this thread has lots of info and have not read every post so please excuse me for this question

Are your Cornish pure or have you crossed them into the Araucana's ?

I am looking to make such a cross into my Araucanas to fill in the keel, they are very large birds to start and have great carcass weight, but I am not satisfied with the keel to meat ratio

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Ed

I keep my Cornish pure, but have used the cockerels to make a crossbred blue-green egg layer. There is thread here with pictures and details.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/316007/red-laced-cornish-x-and-project-talk-pics-p-8/2450

 

[NewBreeder]

Nice birds
I am keeping some CornishX pullets hoping to cross over to my Americaunas just like you did
just looking to fill in the keel area just like others are in the cornish threads

Good to know others are also working on this project

thanks
Ed

 

[jonaedna]

Nice little birds.

 

[SD_Paulo]

CK,

I agree in that the standard back then reflected a more Asil type fowl. The terms used for describing eye color, " yellow approaching pearl" still leads me to believe that Pearl color was the end goal.

Obviously, this standard was for the Large Fowl, as the bantam did come into play till later. I wonder how many times the Standard has officially been rewritten? And, what those changes where?

Because it seems the sketches and drawings, as well as expectations, sure have change a bit since 1905.

 

[Cedarknob]

CK,
I agree in that the standard back then reflected a more Asil type fowl. The terms used for describing eye color, " yellow approaching pearl" still leads me to believe that Pearl color was the end goal.
Obviously, this standard was for the Large Fowl, as the bantam did come into play till later. I wonder how many times the Standard has officially been rewritten? And, what those changes where?
Because it seems the sketches and drawings, as well as expectations, sure have change a bit since 1905.

Yes they have changed, and perhaps more than just a bit. The modern day Cornish SOP calls for the conformation of males and females to be the same, and I don't know at what point in time it was that the more upright stance, called for in Cornish males back then, was dropped. Weights for Darks and Whites went up a pound between '05 and '15, and heavier fronts coupled with wider stance probably would draw a bird down in front.

I've kept the big commercial white meat birds, sold as Cornish Cross, to breed into a project. They're bred for rapid growth, huge size, and maximum breast meat [a little like Cornish in shape, but maybe looking more like broad breasted turkeys] and if I didn't restrict their diets through out their entire lives, to keep them capable of breeding, one strain grew such heavy breast meat that the male's could not live breed. [Of course they get fat, can't even support their own weight, and heart disease becomes a problem if fed free choice, at just a few weeks of age.] Cornish, bred to the modern standard, are healthy and breed naturally without restricted diets, and dress out to look very much like a commercial meat bird. [Darker, more flavorful meat than the 7 or 8 week old broiler chicks though.]

 

[Cedarknob]

This is the LF Black Cornish that I kept.

[sorry about the sun glare on my lens]

 

[Cedarknob]

The two 'calico' brothers of the black, a bit older than him, and the first one a lot heavier framed. [Was the ugly-as-sin chick.]

 

[Cedarknob]

Please excuse the juvenile molt.

I'm liking my oldest DC cockerel more as he matures, I was originally worried that he would be too leggy.. [Hatched the last Sunday of April, and now weighing 7 lbs., 7 oz..]