First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[LindaB220]

I think the most common way is to use a RIR rooster and a Barred Rock hen, If I remember correctly she used a New Hampshire Red rooster.

Yes, the NH are the BEST. Faster maturing and not as erratic as the RIR. I have a buddy on the La thread that is supposed to get me eggs this spring on the German NH. They are spectacularly colored. Love them. Mix the rooster with a Delaware or one of my Blosl silver gene White rocks and get a red sex link. That's my future I think. Raising and selling.
I've got to get a freezer. One step at a time. So many things needed and only one paycheck. This month is the $60 Cock I'm buying that is the Blosl white rock. Each month I have a separate thing to buy and the freezer, while needed is in back.

 

[11mini]

@JessicaThistle Definitely! One of the things I found addicting about chickens was all the different breeds. I'd be glad to help.

 

[duluthralphie]

Jessica. I thought frogs laid mushy caviar looking eggs that were all glued together!


Do you think the CX's eggs will be white?


I know this egg is not one of them. My nest is 3 ft off the ground and my CX's can only get about 6 inches off the ground and when they come back to ground, the earth shakes and NOAA reports an earthquake in the Midwest.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Sorry, honey, but CX eggs are white and not caviar. Your girls may be limber-er than you may have expected. How old are they now? My Sunny is 18 weeks old now and I expect a big sparkly white egg from her any day. I hear the silkies call out their warning call and think they found an ostrich egg in their tiny nest every day!

You better keep a better eye on your cx hen. It could be interesting.

 

[CCsChickens]

How did you get CRD if your chickens are outside in open air?

Is it possible you have misdiagnosed the problem?

If I lived where palm trees grow, My chickens would have a tent!!!!


If you have alligators like Linda does, Beware gators love fresh chicken!


I had a lucky guinea hen make it through the night. The ( and I will not write ^%$& ) thing refused to go into the coop. I spent 20 minutes trying to get her in. I then let her stay out, thinking I would catch her when she was roosting and put her sorry butt back in the coop....

The plan was great, the execution, not so much. There was a full moon last night. For those of you living where palm trees are, a full moon on a clear night with snow covered ground, means it is bright enough to read "war and peace" in one sitting with no eye strain. The guinea saw me coming even at midnight! She flew away and ran from me, I could not corner her, Nothing worked.


I gave up went to bed depress and let major melancholy set in. I awoke and ran to the window to see she made it through the night. (DANG)..



BTW it was so light here last night the CX's refused to go into their igloo! I ran them in twice, They came back out. They appear to have made the night too...

Not so sure, took them to the vet after they experienced heavy breathing and she diagnosed it... however they have no other symptoms apart from the breathing and don't show any problems with their eyes or sneezing which I hear is the main symptoms of CRD. However I'm just thankful they're not too bad with whatever it is they may have! I live in the suburbs and we just have palm trees outside in the garden

 

[holm25]

Jess - How much does Sunny weigh??

 

[duluthralphie]

Jess - How much does Sunny weigh??

A variation on the old joke?


What's a henway?

 

[JessicaThistle]

Jess - How much does Sunny weigh??

I'm not sure, but she is a solid heavy mass of meat! I estimate 12-15 pounds.

 

[duluthralphie]

I would Bert and his Harem in that weight range too. I did notice that one of the girls is larger than Bert is.

Which in a way makes sense, I picked the smallest of my CX's to keep because I thought they would have a better chance to make it through winter and to breed.



Do any of you sell eggs?

 

[JessicaThistle]

I sell the occasional dozen. I have someone that wants like 4 dozen right now but my girls are laying a reduced amount. I have been only getting between 2-5 eggs per day from 8 hens. I had a BO and a BR go broody and they haven't restarted since I broke them. My EEs were on strike or something. They hadn't laid since we were gone for a week in October! One of them has finally restarted and left me a lovely blue egg for the last two days. My favorite!!