Delaware X Cornish...

[shelleyb1969]

I'm really wanting to try and breed/hatch/raise/process my own meat birds next year. Since I've already got Delawares, and through lots of hard work in culling for the best type and size, they're nice and meaty themselves while still being prime examples of the standard. But I'd like to try to produce even meatier offspring for the table. So.....after 2 years of deliberation and contemplation, I'm taking the leap and have bought some standard white laced red Cornish eggs and will attempt to hatch out some pullets for my new project. I'm just wondering if anyone else here has (or is) worked/working on this particular cross?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

steveH is working with a WLRC X and Al knows A LOT about them, do some searches for red cornish etc, we had long discussions a few months ago. Steve has some pics of hatchery stock he is working with and Al has some AMAZING looking breeder stock . . . on e of his friends, can't remember his name has some really good looking white cornish too.
Good luck!
Where did you get the eggs from?

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Good luck Shelley . I think you'll get some nice meat birds from a Delaware X WLRC if the WLRC are good quality .

I'm primarily interested in an improoved , large , dual purpose blue/green egg layer . When I discovered white cornish are scarcer than hen's teeth and plagued with breeding problems , I decided to attempt making my own improoved white Cornish by breeding hatchery quality WLRC [ because that's all I found ] to CX . I'm hoping to hatch Ameraucana X CX , EE X CX , and WLRC X CX this fall and save the best for breeding .

 

[shelleyb1969]

I bought the hatching eggs on eBay from seller id "witt808". He's sold over 656 items total, with a lot of those being eggs, and has 100% positive feedback. It was a whim that I won them. I bid 99 cents plus $15 shipping and I won them...I really wasn't expecting that. Anyway...the seller is NPIP and says the eggs are from excellent bloodlines. If anyone knows this seller, please give me some feedback.

I sure wish I had "growth measurements" for standard Cornish...or something I can go by to tell me what GOOD birds are going to weigh at certain age increments. I know my Dels and can tell at various ages how they're doing in regards to my ideal requirements...but I'm clueless with Cornish.

Hey Katy...is Al the byc username? I'll do a search and see what I find. Thanks for the info!

SteveH...that EE/Ameraucana x Cornish project sounds VERY interesting.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
I'm done buying shipped eggs for now I think, most of the time you just don't get what you thought you would. I'll wait till Nationals in Columbus Ohio and buy them there.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

here's a thread I had going a while ago, Al's on the first page, and I think he posted pics of his birds a few pages back on it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=316007

 

[shelleyb1969]

Thanks Katy...I did find that thread in my search this morning. I'm pretty excited about trying this cross. But first I've got to hatch the WLR Cornish.

Those eggs shipped yesterday to me, so this is going to be my winter project. Hopefully when spring arrives, I'll be ready to hatch my first chicks.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

good luck! and keep us posted

 

[AlbionWood]

I was wondering the same thing about crossing Delawares with Cornish. Good to see someone is trying it - hope to hear about results next year. My Dels are outgrowing the Sussex, Rocks, Wyandottes, Orps, and NHRs in the yard with them.

So, white Cornish is hard to get? I gather the ones McMurray lists are actually a hybrid, then?

 

[shelleyb1969]

McMurray's are probably the Cornish X...which is a hybrid. I'm using a pure standard Cornish...set the eggs in the 'bator yesterday morning. This is indeed a project, but it'll be worth it if it produces what I'm hoping.