Dark Cornish Meat Birds

[ThomsonCentennialFarm]

Hi,we have some Dark Cornish from Meyer hatchery, they are 20 weeks. Some grew fast and are pretty big now. A couple are on the smaller side, I notice the one's that are smaller are the better foragers and seem to do ok with free range, I am trying to decide what to do with them, allow to grow to maturity and then harvest, keep one for breeding with out BO roosters and for minimal eggs. Have not been able to find alot of information on them. Here are some pictures they aren't the best. We have 4-5 and one i cannot even get a pic of because she runs and is skittering. 3 are pretty friendly and two are not.

 

[COChix]

Thank you for the response, hod they have the dark meat or dress out like a regular chicken?

 

[ThomsonCentennialFarm]

Thank you for the response, hod they have the dark meat or dress out like a regular chicken?

It's been a few years since I processed any Dark Cornish, but I think they dressed the same as any other chicken; the Cornish crosses I raise every year are light but then again they only reach 8 weeks of age.

 

[rainplace]

They dress out like any other chicken. They have a "nicer" breast than other dp birds I have done, but for the most part... tastes and looks like chicken.

 

[ReesePAC]

I got my dark Cornish from McMurray Hatchery. On their website it says at 22 weeks the females mature at 8 lbs and males 10 lbs. This is complete bull they were not even half this size. I just processed 20 and the females were dressed out at 2.5 - 3 lbs while the males were about 3.5-4.3 lbs. I am so disappointed with all the hard work and time I put into them. I chose them because they seemed to have everything I was looking for (hatch their own chicks, good tasting meet, excellent free ranger...) but I don't know if I can wait until they are one year old before butchering. Even if they free range one year of feed to help supplement this is a lot. I have twenty left and will wait to butcher them but won't the meat be tough? I don't know, I may try to find a better hatchery for DC but will never buy from MH again. I'm debating trying out freedom rangers but they don't hatch their own eggs.

 

[matt44644]

I think weeks to maturity and mature weight are different.Weeks to maturity is when they start laying,mature weight is when?None of my birds weigh anywhere close to what their mature weight that was stated.From a different hatchery.They're 8 months old.

 

[pdirt]

 


Have you ever processed any from McMurray and if so, is their taste great as I hear Dark Cornish should be, and what size did they end up being?

I did process the roos, and they were good, around 3.5 pounds by the time I did them at six months. Easy to pluck. (The hardest to pluck were the Barred Rocks. So. Many. Tiny. Feathers.)

Funny, I had the exact opposite plucking experience. Lots of tiny feathers on the DCs and much easier plucking the BRs. These all were from Cackle hatchery.

 

[KeriT]

I have done a lot of research on Dark Cornish because I like their look, slow growth, and forage capabilities. However, I have read several places that they have a hard time mating because of there build. Does anyone else know about this? Should I be concerned about getting them to reproduce?

 

[KeriT]

Anyone?

 

[KeriT]

I have done a lot of research on Dark Cornish because I like their look, slow growth, and forage capabilities. However, I have read several places that they have a hard time mating because of there build. Does anyone else know about this? Should I be concerned about getting them to reproduce?

Is there anyone in the Greenville SC area that breeds Dark Cornish?