First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Sabz]

For processing day, just keep telling yourself that they had the best life EVER. Way better than industrial chicken farming.

Also.. I pet mine until they die. Seems weird to say, but it does seem to calm them. I pet them near the ear and talk to them

Love your videos Jessica, I wish I could give mine as much space as you do!

 

[duluthralphie]

That was very interesting, but not for the reason you might think.

I had read somewhere on here about CX's from different hatcheries. After seeing yours it is obvious to me not all hatcheries use the same parent stock to make the babies. I have had 54 CX's this summer, not one of mine had a black or discolored feather like a few of yours do.
have
As I mentioned the other day, your babies body shape is slightly different than mine.

It would stand to reason that if these items are different other genetically controlled traits would be too. Longevity, feed conversion, rate of growth and so on.

I conclude two things from this, first being I will be buying CX's from more than one source next year to try against each other....

And two, even though we were told we should not name babies we get from two CX's parents CX's, the hatcheries do not follow this rule themselves. If a two birds have different parent stock, they should not be named the same thing under that theory. Unless CX is a generic term, meaning the bird has some Cornish in it crossed with something else. Much as a lab is called a lab (dog) even though it maybe half lab half golden retriever, cocker spaniel or whatever.


In which case we can call our babies CX's. I am so glad, I hated the idea of calling my chicks frogs!

 

[CrazyTalk]

CX basically means they're hybrids, and they come from multiple lineages - with certain background strains present. These birds are all carefully planned to have a confluence of certain traits - like being hetrozygous for genetic dwarfing (useful in the parent, not in the meat bird). They ALL will not breed true. Your birds Duluthralphie have about as much in common with Cornish Cross as do any other backyard meat bird.

None of the actual hatcheries call them cornish cross - they call them things like "Ross 708" or "Aviagen Yield Plus" or "Arbor Acres Plus" or "Indian River Meat". They keep track of individual strains - something we should all do.


If you're going to breed your own meat birds, do everyone a favor and come up with a strain name. Stop calling them names that are already in use for something else.

 

[duluthralphie]

I bought my birds from a hatchery. They were sold to me as CornishX's, are you saying they are not a cornishX?

Or are you saying the hatchery I bought them from was not an actual Hatchery?

Furthermore, if the "actual" hatcheries call them "Ross708" or "Arbor Acres Plus" and not CornishX's. Logic would dictate we are able to call ours CornishX's as the hatcheries do not.....

BTW if they have an iota of Cornish in them, they are a CornishX. Just like I have a smidgeon of Irish in me, so I can call myself Irish.

Your last sentence is very confusing, you tell us no hatchery calls them CornishX's then you say the name is already in use, which is it?


BTW I named my son Mike, and I think that name was already in use too.

 

[CrazyTalk]

The people who actually produce these birds have strain names - like Ross 708. Ross Poultry (which I believe is a subsidiary of Aviagen) produces those.

They sell them to places like Meyer and Cackle, who sell them as Cornish X, probably because they buy multiple strains.


As to the naming, again, something doesn't have "an iota of cornish in [it]", as that's meaningless - it has certain alleles it has inherited from its parents - and Cornish Cross have specific combinations of these alleles. Cornish Cross are not a breed - they're a specific combination - they're not stable. They haven't been line isolated, and it may be impossible to do so because some of the traits need to be heterozygous.


You're adding confusion and misleading people for no reason other than adding confusion and misleading people. I'm trying to fix a flock (of non cornish) birds right now because somebody did exactly what you're doing - they bred them with something else, but didn't change the name - so I've got all sorts of weird traits popping up that I'm trying to fix.

 

[duluthralphie]

The people who actually produce these birds have strain names - like Ross 708. Ross Poultry (which I believe is a subsidiary of Aviagen) produces those.

They sell them to places like Meyer and Cackle, who sell them as Cornish X, probably because they buy multiple strains.


As to the naming, again, something doesn't have "an iota of cornish in [it]", as that's meaningless - it has certain alleles it has inherited from its parents - and Cornish Cross have specific combinations of these alleles. Cornish Cross are not a breed - they're a specific combination - they're not stable. They haven't been line isolated, and it may be impossible to do so because some of the traits need to be heterozygous.


You're adding confusion and misleading people for no reason other than adding confusion and misleading people. I'm trying to fix a flock (of non cornish) birds right now because somebody did exactly what you're doing - they bred them with something else, but didn't change the name - so I've got all sorts of weird traits popping up that I'm trying to fix.

GOOD LUCK fixing it....But first I think you should reconsider if there is really anything to fix.. I am not saying my birds are a Ross 123 or anything else.

I am simply saying they are a CornishX of some kind.


No one is saying CornishX is a breed. By definition a X (cross) is just that a mutt. I suggest you only raise ross123 or Jonies432 or whatever to solve your problems.




If I am causing confusion I am sorry... PEOPLE LISTEN TO ME CORNISHX"S are a crossbred mutt chicken!!


I think your insisting a cornishX mating with another CornishX is not a Cornish cross is confusing people. That is why I have started to call those offsprings frogs, to eliminate all confusion.


GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FROGS PEOPLE!

 

[KCMOLisa]

I totally agree with you, Ralphie. A cross means just that...a cross with more than one breed. I do think hatcheries have different "recipes" to create their specific Cornish cross. For example, Cackle says on their website, "Cackle Hatchery

currently hatches out the “Cobb 500” blood line/strain with occasionally hatching the “Ross 308” blood line/strain."

I bet even your frogs are going to taste like chicken!

 

[duluthralphie]

I totally agree with you, Ralphie. A cross means just that...a cross with more than one breed. I do think hatcheries have different "recipes" to create their specific Cornish cross. For example, Cackle says on their website, "Cackle Hatchery

currently hatches out the “Cobb 500” blood line/strain with occasionally hatching the “Ross 308” blood line/strain."

I bet even your frogs are going to taste like chicken!

That was my point with the original post here after Jessica's video. I was simply pointing out the obvious differences between her CX's and mine. Then I went a step further to ponder what other differences there might be.

I have no idea what strain the hatchery I got mine from uses. I am interested where others got theirs only in so much as I want to buy a slower growing CornishX. Mine are growing too fast now for my goals. Which I why I suggested I might use a couple different hatcheries next year. MY only fear being bringing in a disease. However, I am sure some bureaucrat will make sure I am getting disease free chicks, or he is going to Hawaii on a all expense paid vacation by the hatchery.......( a joke, relax)

 

[holm25]

Well that is a job well done we just gave our CornishX a bath!!! When we were blow drying her she stood up and just had a look on her face like she thought she was queen!!! And a size comparison she weighs 11-12 Pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Well yesterday we decided how we were going to raise CornishX!!!! We are going to do a tractor grain fed and a tractor of all natural no feed birds!!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

WOW!!

The chicken did mind the bath?
How did you do this?

I would love to give mine a bath.



BTW that is one huge bird, how old is it?