Dark Cornish meat

[Godiva]

Has anyone else done dark cornish for meat? What were they like for plucking and cleaning? What are they like to raise? Are they aggressive? Are they relatively friendly with each other or do they fight? ANyway, anything you could tell me would be very helpful...

 

[Motherhenandflock]

Don't know about all your questions.
I have heard the meat is more flavorful than the Cornish X. And they are harder to pluck with the dark feathers.

 

[EmsoffLambs]

Haven't butchered any yet, but we've got some 12 week old dark cornish and light brahmas. I've read that the cornish are more pugnacious and the brahmas are mellow...I haven't noticed any difference between them. Only difference I've noticed is that the cornish like the roosts more. They've all gotten along just fine for me.

 

[pawtraitart]

I'd be interested to know how the dark cornish turn out. At 12wks, do they seem more plump than regular dual purpose chickens?

 

[EmsoffLambs]

Mine don't look more plump than the brahmas, but when you pick them both up, they weigh more. The brahmas (and a lot of other dual breeds) have "fluffy" feathers, whereas the cornish feathers lie very close against their bodies. So they weigh more than the others. Their breasts feel fuller too.

 

[pawtraitart]

How are your dark cornish doing?

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

I have two dark cornish hens.. great little birds.. to look at they look the same size, or a bit smaller, than my black stars but when you pick them up they are alot heavier.. the close feathering makes them look smaller than they are.. One of them did fight the other birds but that one was really picked on alot as a young bird.. the other birds plucked out half of her chest feathers now shes got a big ole bald spot on her chest... but shes stopped fighting them now.. I have often thought if I was gonna raise meat birds that would be the one I would raise.. beautifully marked, nice personality and a solid bird.. (this is only my experience with my two birds)

 

[greyfields]

I have about 20 dark cornish hens and a couple roos for breeding. I've only eaten one rooster. The meat tastes like chicken to me. No different really from any other farm raised bird. The shape of the body is what's different. The breast is much wider and long. It's not as thick as the cornish cross, but you get more breast meat off one than you would a rooster of another breed.

I really like the hens. They are great foragers. They fly over the electric netting every day to go 'hunting'. They are definitely the most active birds I have. They look a bit like tiny haws with their feet set so far apart.

If you want a "cornish game hen" raise a dark cornish or a cornish cross to 3 lbs live weight and there you go.

If you are serious about developing your own meat birds, then cross your cornish (good luck finding a white cornish, though) on your Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, RIR's, or whatever you hvae available. The hybrid will be better than any pure breed alone.

 

[Canada_Chick]

I live in Canada and I am looking to add to my flock of Dark Cornishes. Would anybody here be willing to send fertile eggs or day old chicks via airmail?

We would like to introduce them to our province!

 

[sandspoultry]

We like them as table birds, they are solid as a rock when you pick them up. Ours are able to range back in the woods so that gives them a better flavor.

From our experience if you like leg 1/4s you can't beat a Buff Orpington, they are leggy birds. The breasts are good on the grill also.

The Dark Cornish have more of a "chicken taste" and darker, finer grained meat.

The best tasting birds we have come from our "mixed pen" of chickens, they are a mix of just about every breed.

Steve in NC.