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I have a similar background, and now have a small farm. For many years, I lived in big cities, and it was such a relief to finally be able to buy property out in the sticks. I'm out in the middle of nowhere, which is where I most feel at home!
My dad wasn't big on research about poultry and livestock, so I'm kind of in the same mind set as you, doing as much research ahead of time as I can, before jumping in and making big expensive mistakes. Not that I don't make my share, but I think I've avoided some biggies because of what I observed, growing up.
In my experience, Cornish and Cornish hybrids are very good brooders. I have 4 Dark Cornish hens, 3 of them are very strong brooders. The 4th has never gone broody at all, who knows why. These birds are hatchery stock, so maybe the "production layer" that hatcheries tend to breed in to increase egg production, is responsible for the 1 dud out of 4.
The chicks I hatched from these hens' eggs last year, crossed with Brahma, and Brahma/Australorp crosses, are strong, vigorous birds.
They grew slowly, my fault, I couldn't afford the higher protein feed to start them on. Then, when they were about 3 months old, I found out I could get distiller's grain cheap*, 25% protein, to mix with the feed, (mixed 50/50 with the 16% layer ration, average protein about 20.5%) and their growth exploded almost overnight. They nearly doubled in size in a 2-3 week period. I wouldn't have thought it was possible, as old as they already were, if I hadn't seen it myself. I butchered 4 cockerels, at about 4 1/2-5 months old. 2 dressed out to over 6 lbs., the other 2 dressed out bigger, over 7 lbs. Too old to be fryers, but they were a tasty treat cooked in the crock pot! They were very meaty, the breasts were not bony like most dual-purp hybrids. Not the huge breast of the Cornish X's, but not at all the scrawny DP roo I've usually had.
The pullets have grown into some very nice hens, not the best layers, but not bad. I only have a few of certain parentage, and one of them hatched out some chicks recently. Her first time, and she's a good mom. I've had 5 broodies this year, 2 of the dark Cornish, the dark Cornish/Brahma hybrid, a Brahma/Australorp (and maybe Cornish) cross, and 1 unknown mixed breed. The last one quit on me before she hatched anything, but she'd been brooding quite awhile before I gave her eggs. If she'd had eggs right away, I think she'd have hatched them.
My best broodies last year were that dark Cornish, and my light Brahmas. I think the broodiness is strong enough in the Cornish to come through in most of the hybrids. I don't think I'd want to use the regular Cornish X's as breeders, though, because the best mix is from using a Cornish roo over other hens, and the X's usually don't live long enough to breed, and if they do, live, can easily get too heavy to mate successfully. I've set my sights on acquiring some pure-bred Cornish, (not from hatchery stock) to use for this purpose. I'd rather start with good breeding stock, than try to change less suitable birds into good breeding stock.
I have some young Delawares I hatched from eggs I bought from Seriousbill. They're amazing birds, about 7 or 8 weeks old now, looks like I have 3 cockerels and 4 pullets. I want Cornish to cross with those, and some other breeds. I have Dorking eggs in the 'bator right now, for this experiment, cross your fingers and hope for a good hatch!
You could always keep a few hens of extreme-broody breeds, just for incubating eggs for you. I have small pen with an old dog house for a shelter, that I use to isolate hens I want eggs from, so I know who laid what, and can hatch eggs from the hens I choose. I free range my birds, so sometimes I stick the preferred hens in the "egg pen" at night when I close them up, and let them out after they've laid their eggs. They get less stressed that way, when they still get out to run with the rest of the flock.
Good luck to you, I hope your breeding goes well, and that you'll let us know how they turn out!
*I don't have storage for hundreds or thousands of lbs. of feed, so I'm buying 50lb bags. The 16% layer ration, (mash, not crumbles or pellets) is $7.50 a bag, the distillers grain is $6. So for $6.75 per 50 lbs., I can feed 20.5 percent protein. Beats the heck out of $14 or more per bag. They do great on this mix, and they love it. I add poultry vitamins powder to the water, 1/8 tsp. per quart (for new-hatched chicks) and before I start letting them out to range, when they get bigger, I've started giving apple cider vinegar, the kind with the mother, to prevent coccidiosis. New babies also get a little acidophilus powder mixed in the feed, just for a few days. Helps get the good intestinal flora established. You can also just give them some yogurt, as long as it has live, active cultures. If you use store-bought, make sure it doesn't have artificial sweeteners in it. Just plain yogurt is best, easier to avoid the garbage they mix in with it.
