eggs or chicks???

[Bassleg]

Why not just raise Delawares they used to be meat chickens before CornishxRock and you get very nice big eggs!

 

[becky3086]

That is what I would like to know. It seems like it would be possible to me but would you have the same problems that the first crosses had?

 

[redhead83402]

Quote:
bassleg ~ I think the reason some would choose not to go this route is the finishing time ~ it only takes 8-9 weeks for the cornish X to finish out ~ literally if you are not butchering by then, they will start dropping dead like flies, because they have been ~engineered~ to gain weight so quickly that their legs break & they have heart failure if left any longer.

the delawares are an awesome choice for someone who wants an all-around multi-use chicken ~ both eggs & meat, but if you are looking to fill the freezer quickly, these birds will not do that. They take between 12 & 15 weeks to finish out, which translates into a lot more feed. Also, the feed / weight gain / ratio isn't near as good.

For instance, with the cornish X, you get almost pound for pound return on your feed / weight gain ratio, which cuts the cost of raising meat birds significantly.

I would think that someone who has a nice free-range set-up could probably use the delawares or the colored rangers more effectively as meat birds, since part of the feed cost would be cut due to free-ranging. But again, the finishing times are hard to beat with the cornish X, and because of their popularity in the grocery market, they can also be purchased very cheaply, where-as your delaware & colored ranger chicks are going to cost you more to acquire in the first place.
~Red

 

[towtruckman]

I checked with a hatchery and was told cornish cross eggs were 7.00 a dzn [email protected] I have not bought any yet but am thinking about it for some thing different to do. Hatch to freezer I only do meat birds.