Cornish X--Never again

[TGB3RN]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had as many as 20 chicks (standard breed) in the utility room before and kept them there for almost a month. I didn't have any problem. I knew from reading here these things would be different but thought only four--no big deal-WRONG. Now I have to put some kind of sides on my outdoor 8x4 pen. It is still very cold at night here(Nebraska). I have 6 EE in one tub, 5 mutts I hatched in another, and the 4 cornish in a third---have had to clean out that one every day, the other two only once in a week. If I ever do it again it will have to wait until I can do it all outside.
Thanks everyone,
Tom

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I don't understand what all the "stink" is about. If you keep your birds clean, the smell is minimal. Buy a bag of pine shavings and change it completely every couple of days.

I LOVE my Cornish X's - Raised two batches of 12 and 16 last year and plan to get more in June.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I can't believe the negative reviews from the cornish x. Everyone has their opinions and I respect that but I'm just a little concerned for people just starting out with cornish x are going to get the wrong impression of these birds. Don't take it personal but a lot of problems from the cornish x are preventable and 99% of the time they die or have problems is due to mis-management or from just not knowing enough information about them. My advice to those out there tossing the idea of cornish x is to take these reviews/experiences lightly.


Quote:
How many thousand? That seems a little steep for thousands of birds. Shoot me a pm I might be able to get you a better deal on the cornish x, which will save you around 30 cents a bird.

Just a thought.

Like you, I could never raise a breed that drops dead from heart attack after just a few weeks, or who's bodyweight exceed their capacity to walk....

Under right growing conditions this contributes to less than 2% of deaths in our experiences. Type of feed, amount of feed fed, age, range available, and type of cornish all come into consideration. This is rarely a problem if birds are raised to the intended 42 day period then processed. Everyday after, your running the risk of flip at your own cost. It's almost like saying "I can't take care of you because your 100 years old and I'm afraid your going to drop dead".... Genetically these birds aren't meant to live past 42 days... just like a 100 year old man rarely will see 105. I think the misconseption is that they do not drop dead all the time for no apparent reason, yes you may lose 1 or 2 for no reason at all... but this happens in every breed of chicken. But to drop dead from a heart attack is not common, and broilers with weak legs is common when they are fed too fast (24/7) with little or no exersice. They cornish x's growth can be slowed down with proper managment, you can't allow them to eat 24/7, and they need lots of room to run.

Rangers taste so much better than Cornish. Don't fry Cornish as they
are too fat unless you process at 5 to 6 weeks.

No way.... they each have their own unique flavors and contribute well to certain dishes...

dont try to raise those in summer if you dont want stink, maggots and dead birds

I'm not sure what's happening with your birds but we raise them all summer long with heat up to 90 degrees.... no maggots here. Anytime a bird dies it should be removed asap... if it's left outside in the sun... well that is just a fly magnent.​

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Depending on what age you actually process them these birds are not fryers. They are roasters. If you want a fryer you want a thin breasted cockeral at 12 weeks age.


I love the cornish x. They do exactly what they are supposed to do. Eat fast, grow fast, finish fast. Done and over with in 8 weeks.

Raising 4 birds is not a true experience with them. You need to raise thousands on good land.

Yes, they do have a unique smell and they do poop alot. Hence why broilers need lots of space and those willing to give proper care for them to flourish. They are not for the faint of heart.

Also agree the 'dity and nasty' assessment is unfair.

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I'm actually toying with the idea of raising the Cornish X on a small commercial basis. I love these birds - management is everything.

You wouldn't think of wearing the same pair of underwear for weeks without changing or laundering them and the same principle can be applied to a flock of poultry - meat birds do eat and poop a lot and their droppings are certainly a lot bigger than an egger breed or banty but c'mon... a little common sense applied here would go a long way.

I don't mean to come across rude but as someone who has raised them and does understand the differences between a meat bird and a bird raised for show or egg production, I take some small offence that cornish x's are dirty and nasty.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Quote:

Been there, done that. However, do not go over 8 to 9 weeks before you process. When you do process, keep the meat on ice and covered IN YOUR HOUSE (blow flies will get in) for at least 24 hours.

Put them individually in seal bags and evacuate the air. Freeze HARD for at least 3 days if you are not going to eat them immediately.

ENJOY your labors. When processing day came I was a pretty happy guy since no one else was feeding and cleaning and keeping the birds cool enough to live. Watch for cannibalism from 6 weeks on, I lost a least one bird to this.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

I too don't understand why people continue to spread the misinformation about the Commercial Broilers.

My only question is this: If the Commercial Broilers are so fragile, unhealthy, and death prone then why can commercial farms raise them by the millions and still manage to make a profit?

It strikes me as interesting that a farmer can manage a confinement barn with 25,000 broilers with minimal mortatlity and morbidity, but someone with 25 in their back yard can't.

I think the biggest failure many have is the lack of ventilation or cooling in the summer time. We run fans on our broilers in the hot weather to increase the cooling capacity, much like commercial broiler houses except we are using positive not negative air flow.

Jim

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

I ordered Cornish X last year, started with 25 and now have 0. I wasnt planning on eating them, just wanted them to see how they were. many died of heart attacks and my leghorns would peck at the featherless bottoms until they were dead... so sad.

I am really considering Freedom Rangers. They seem like they are good overall chickens, etcept the Feed bill...

 

[Bossroo]

Another management tip...follow the advise of the successful growers AND feed them for 12 hours and withhold feed for 12 hours per day after 2 weeks of age. This will slow down their growth rate enough to limit flip and leg issues. Follow the good advice and you will RAVE how good they really are! YUMMMMM !!!

 

[TGB3RN]

I am not trying to put down the bird, just pointing out the down side for ME. The up side is that yes they do grow like freaking crazy, 22% game feed (only thing that was not special order here) and wow they put on wt. I just put them on a meat scale: all 4 are just over 1/2lb at 13-14 days old. The down side for ME is they crap ALOT (my own fault for not waiting until it was warmer out or building an outdoor set up first) Was my first experience with these things and that is why I did not order from a hatchery and only got 4 of them. I thought that maybe only 4 would be about the same as 8 standard--WRONG. I may try them again when I can keep them outside. They do EXACTLY what they are meant to do: eat, drink and grow like crazy. I was just unprepaired for them. The rangers may be more what I need for MY situation.
Tom