CornXDeleware?

[rbar]

THAT's DelAware, of course...!


OK, I have set aside some Del Hens and have a Cornish X rooster trimmed down enough to be able to breed, and as of yesterday, seems to have figured it out...
Wehen the hens are laying better I plan to see what they produce, meat-wise.
Anyone have reasonable success with this? I've read all the CornDel stories, I'd like to talk with someone who has some experience with it.
Second Generation...recommendations?

RBar

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

I have no experience, but am subscribing because it should be interesting. Please keep us informed as your project progresses. It would be lovely to have a true-breeding broiler breed that has fewer of the CornX probllems (but all the meatiness) and more of the Delaware virtues.

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:

OK, I have set aside some Del Hens and have a Cornish X rooster trimmed down enough to be able to breed, and as of yesterday, seems to have figured it out...
Wehen the hens are laying better I plan to see what they produce, meat-wise.
Anyone have reasonable success with this? I've read all the CornDel stories, I'd like to talk with someone who has some experience with it.
Second Generation...recommendations?

RBar

I am glad you are doing that...PLEASE keep a scientific record of all and all you see, chicks color, hatch weight, daily gains, FCR ALL..as I am doing something similar but with Production type RIR(leaner than delawares, but more prolific layers), I will keep scientific records and keep you guys posted....

second Generation??? I would not recomend a F1XF1 cross or a F1x parent cross, WHY? well because you will be loosing, first: any chance of heterosis, and second the hens will not be as productive(egg production, feed cost)....thats why I am doing the CornishX cross and not using the much larger CornishX hens, they will drive cost up in every other way....but any ways if you do it keep records too...

 

[Kelso]

very interesting, keep us posted and do you have any pics of the breeding stock.

 

[nicalandia]

PLEASE keep scientific records too, as I could learn alot from them, this goes for others trying this too.., all I need are this numbers...

1-.age and weight of the Parent flock(Sire line and Dame line) hens
2-number of hens, and roosters, feed consumption rate on a daily or weekly basis..
3-egg weight at starting lay and peak lay, number of eggs layed for 3 consecutives weeks,
4- eggs set for hatch, eggs hatch, weight of chicks at hatch, number of males and females
5-daily or weekly gains, weight for males and females at 8 weeks and 12 weeks...

thats all...I hope you don´t think its too much info...as I will be posting those numbers A.S.A.P...tongue

 

[dancingbear]

I've seen one roo that was from a standard Cornish roo over Delaware hen. He's huge, probably weighs over 15 lbs., but he was about 8 months old when I saw him. Most roos never get that big at all, but I have no idea what he weighed at 10 weeks or 12 weeks, etc. But a massive bird, and the breast felt pretty meaty when I held him. Legs were huge. This is one of the mixes I'll be trying soon, come springtime. Then I can say how big at those younger ages. Note that the roo was standard Cornish, not a broiler Cornish X.


Quote:
I meant to ask in the other thread, why do you want egg weights at starting lay and at peak? My hens reach their largest egg weights somewhere after 2 years old, (but I wouldn't know for sure when any hen reached her laying 'peak" unless I kept each hen separately caged and kept daily records of what each hen laid, and waited about six months past what I thought might be peak, to see if her eggs got any bigger. And more or less frequent) and it has nothing to do with how tiny the little pullet eggs were when they started. Most breeders don't hatch the little pullet eggs anyway. I don't. So I'm curious why this matters?

I don't always go about things in the most scientific way, (other times I do) but I'm interested to learn from other people's ideas and experiences. This question has me puzzled and curious.

I know some replace the layers every year, but I keep mine a long time, usually. I have an elderly (about 6 or 7 years old) Orpington hen that still lays, and some Australorps the same age, some that not only lay, but still brood, and I hatched several of the eggs from the Orpington this year. She produced fine, healthy chicks. I had an old red hen about 8 years old, that laid up until she died, almost daily. I got about 5 eggs a week from her, until she died on the nest one day. I don't know what breed she was, or I'd get more!

 

[Buster52]

I'm curious why you didn't just use a standard Cornish. Seems to me using a Cornish X would be a roll of the dice, genetically speaking.

 

[rbar]

I DEFINITELY am keeping my pure Dels, fast growers in their own right, but going to experiment for the Cornish quality as well.
Any half-serious effort will take several years before any real, or at least half-consistent, progress is noted, I would think.
After all is said and done, I could prefer the Dels still, they are such a versitle and attractive bird. And friendly.
Timothy Shell's version was 3/4 Cornish and 1/4 Del...I may be happy with closer to a 50/50 or 1/3 Del mix...we will see.
I figure two or three generations on each, with some selective linebreeding, before we can look at any progress...and several ways one could approacch it.
Any suggestions are welcome, especially success stories, but also what was NOT so successful.
Thanks!

RBar

Quote:

 

[rbar]

Good information.
Tell us more of your project, how you set it up and how it is proceeding.
Yes, heterosis will be my biggest problem as I cannot keep the required (several dozen or so) breeding roosters to keep a genetic diverisity as is necessary in birds...I am not a hatchery...
Still, one can have some excellent results at times, but losing the vigor is inevitable if out crossing is not carefully done...and I do not know enough about all that stuff...
The Dels almost disappeared in their own right, and are coming back well despite their once very limited numbers.
Maybe their strength is JUST the thing to make this work.

RBar

Quote:

OK, I have set aside some Del Hens and have a Cornish X rooster trimmed down enough to be able to breed, and as of yesterday, seems to have figured it out...
Wehen the hens are laying better I plan to see what they produce, meat-wise.
Anyone have reasonable success with this? I've read all the CornDel stories, I'd like to talk with someone who has some experience with it.
Second Generation...recommendations?

RBar

I am glad you are doing that...PLEASE keep a scientific record of all and all you see, chicks color, hatch weight, daily gains, FCR ALL..as I am doing something similar but with Production type RIR(leaner than delawares, but more prolific layers), I will keep scientific records and keep you guys posted....

second Generation??? I would not recomend a F1XF1 cross or a F1x parent cross, WHY? well because you will be loosing, first: any chance of heterosis, and second the hens will not be as productive(egg production, feed cost)....thats why I am doing the CornishX cross and not using the much larger CornishX hens, they will drive cost up in every other way....but any ways if you do it keep records too...

 

[rbar]

A very BIG roll of the dice actually!
They are designed pretty much to self-destruct by their creators.
Still, they have traits that are desirable, if the obnoxious traits can be curtailed.
Really, I think ANY infusion or outcrossing would improve the Cornish X...at least in any of the areas I want improved.
I mean, it IS a fine meat bird when utilized for this purpose alone...not to knock the quality and tenderness of the product. I just want a sustainable bird with some of the CornishX traits.
I would also like to try a standard Cornish, and will sometime, but do not want to commit to sustaining three different breeds on my place, at least for any long period of time.
Further, standard Cornish are not very good layers, egg production is cost prohibitive. Roosters would be what I would incorporate with a Del project...

RBar

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