DelawaresxCornish???

[al6517]

I have been following your thread and may have some insight to many of your questions about your breeding programs, as many people aspire to the same hard to reach goals. here are some of my White standard Cornish.

AL

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Oh My Gosh, Their legs are like tree trunks! What do you do with yours and do you sell eggs or chicks? If so I would love some!

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
i hadn't really thought about that side of it. i would probably breed the offspring, but not with any intention of a new breed. more to see what came of it and if they were viable as meat birds. i'm really thinking about barnyard crosses that just happen to be meaties. i'm really new to this whole thing, so i could be totally off base, but it's what i'm thinking about.

(note the username change. i used to be atlargeintheworld)

 

[3KillerBs]

Quote:
this is what i've been thinking about and researching as well. personally i prefer heritage breeds. so my goal is sustainable, pasture raised heritage birds that are decent sized and medium growth rate (like you are looking into). i'm thinking along the lines of some manner of cross between Brahmas (for size), Delawares (early maturing, good foragers), Faverolles (table qualities, winter laying), and maybe Marans (for that nice chocolate egg color). that's about as far as i have gotten for logistics though. i'm trying to maintain a dual purpose flock, so i'd like these to fit into that category as well.

it's probably not something i'm going to accomplish any time soon, but it's nice to see other people are working towards the same types of things!

Why not straight Delawares?

Before the Cornish X, they were THE broiler bird.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
now where is the fun in that?

i'm getting Delawares in the spring specifically because they were THE broiler bird. but i want to experiment and see what i can get. if nothing else, it will help me understand breeding genetics a lot better.

 

[al6517]

So many folks talk about the Deleware as a good meat bird cross, or as a good dual purpose bird. That may have been true 60 years ago but not today, not all Delewares are created equal and your chances of finding true heritage Delewares with meat quality are very hard to find, Hatchery birds aren't even close as an option.

AL

 

[bibliophile birds]

i'm planning on getting mine from a breeder, but i'm also planning on working to get them back up to size. so many good meat birds have been ignored because of the cornish x that they all seem to have withered. i would like nice robust Delawares.

 

[estpr13]

Quote:
Okay... I think after viewing these pictures that all I have are chickens. Not real good quality Cornish. Mine are only 8 months old but I may need to start again. Got any eggs for sale? I would love to have some. Nice looking birds. Congratulations.

 

[Buster52]

I think the main reason for wanting Cornish genetics in a cross is the breast meat. Other birds my get taller, but not much heavier. A full grown roo can weigh over 10 pounds. They are short, stocky birds, but deceptively heavy. I am currently raising mine with some RIR and BOs that were born at the same time. The latter breeds are taller and look much heavier due to feathering, but they are nowhere near the heft of these things. And the other birds have bony breasts, unlike the Cornish.

I've also kind of decided there is a lot of conflicting information out there regarding them. For instance, the OSU extension office and by extension the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy which uses the OSU information, the Cornish has a difficult time breeding and may need AI. Well, a true standard Cornish has no such problem, as they have been around for well over 100 years. However, I could see how a roo could have difficulty with a much taller hen of another breed.

I understand the Buckeye has some Cornish genetics. I've never seen one, but if those genetics affect the breast meat at all, I would probably want to take a look at them if I wanted a good all-round bird.

 

[estpr13]

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Finally, this is one of my Delcorn roos. I have more pictures but it is a pain to get them loaded. MOre later. I hope.