Dark Cornish Meat Birds

[ijon1]

I have made a order from Nature's hatchery for the spring. They will be a variety fifteen standard cornish. I will cross the best rooster with some of my barred rocks. Thats the fun of having chickens you can do mad science projects.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I have Dark Cornish and am going to try to cross my own. They are only about 14 weeks but are very hardy birds. very curious. They have sturdy compact bodies. I haven't processed any yet so can't tell you about dressed weight. I wouldn't call them a fast growing bird and I would like the meat birds I raise to be faster growing. Not the Cornish X I think those are just a little too high maintainance. Dark Cornish are almost no maintanance.
So I intend to cross them if I can get them to breed.

 

[mountainpridefarm]

Funny because I was just barely thinking....I could use the best roo on my barred rock hens or RIRs.

 

[mountainpridefarm]

How much do they weigh at 14 weeks?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I am going to try crossing with my White Rocks. They won't be Cornish X because they don't have the managed parentage of the Cornish X. But the White Rocks are big beefy birds who feather out and grow quickly.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I haven't even bothered weighing them. That isn't really my goal. My goal is just to have a nice meaty that feathers and grows quickly and get large. I want them to be hardy and forage. Qualities that are in both those bird. How much they weigh will depend on whom I breed to whom and how I select.

 

[mountainpridefarm]

Are your white rocks from McMurray? How did they grow compared to the Dark Cornish?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

No I bought them off of ebay last summer. I have not seen any more for sale. They are beautiful birds. Big and they grew fast and feathered out fast.


I am on the laptop so I can't print a pic. I will try to print a pic of them tomorrow.

 

[Buster52]

Dark Cornish is my meat bird. But I just started with them in July so my experimenting isn't quite done. I butchered some at 20 weeks and they were on the small side, but then I only butchered the smallest since I set the biggest roos and hens aside for my parent stock. At a little over 24 weeks they are a very nice size.

I have also raised some white rocks and they go grow fast, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to play with crosses.

I'm going to raise a few CX just to say I did it. If I'm going to badmouth a bird I should at least be able to say I raised some, give them a shot. I'm with you on those, though. Have researched them extensively and don't like what I have read. I'm also going to raise some Freedom Rangers for the table for the same reason. Only I don't consider them anywhere near as bad as the Cornish X. Just unsustainable because you have to ship them in each season.

But the part I am really excited about is the Buckeye project. I'm convinced they have some Cornish in them, given their breast size. I'm going to raise some of them along with some Delawares just to see what they are like for the table.

My DCs are the best tasting chickens I have ever tasted. And extremely tender. You have chosen a good bird.

 

[Southerngirl]

Dark Cornish are it!!! They are EXCELLENT egg layers, forage well and VERY heavy and compact bodies, even the hens. Mine came from Cackle Hatchery and I have ordered more from Ideal for the spring.

Here is Hercules (will be 2 yrs old in March)