Getting attached to the meaties - Cornish Slow Broilers...

[noladq]

Has anyone else raised the cornish slow broilers? (Privett Hatchery) I am really happy with them. Yes, they are slower than the regular CX, but much faster than a DP. They are mostly active (free ranged part of the day/tractored also) and nicely docile. They lie down at times, but not like I've seen CX do. They also perch on the lower perches without any problem.

I have four roos, 4 hens. Some of them have really nice conformation and are really pretty to look at. Next week the six largest are going for processing (at $5 each - I can't see doing it myself) I'm getting attached to the little buggers though. They have great personalities. I have one I call Cartman - he's huge and very handsome with a long tail. He's moves the slowest and definitely needs to get processed, but I will miss him.

I keep them all together - I have the CSB and Buff Orps for meaties, and buff brahmas plus one SLW as my egg birds. We had a skunk get into the tractor, so I started keeping them in the coop with the "eggs" at night. Now they are a little big for the tractor, so they all stay together in the coop/yard when I'm not home. WHen I'm home, they range the big yard.

I've thought about keeping one of the smaller, more "normal chicken-like" roos since I don't have a rooster and they are good caretakers for the hens. Has anyone ever kept a CSB and had it live very long?

One of the little hens thinks she should be kept also. She's very sweet and she hangs out with the egg birds. I like her better than the BOs - a few of which I'd intended to keep as layers. She's more personable, but still quite "chickeney"

Anyway, I'd love to hear what other folks think.

 

[BirdBrain]

I have 36 Cornish crosses in a tractor and they are rather active. They mob me when I get there in the morning and put out food. I feed them 12 hours off and on so they don't grow too fast. I move their tractor in the evening so they are on fresh grass for the night, but here in Alaska it is light most of the time during the summer, so they spend the evening hours eating grass and digging holes and being pretty much like regular chickens. I am so much happier with having them on pasture and they are much more active than previous nonpastured groups. A couple of years ago we had some CX that had definate personalities and they were hard to send to freezer camp.

 

[wilmothfarms]

Hi there! We raised some for meat birds this spring but my daughter fell in love with one little pullet that seemed to fall in love with her! She still love us all, we kept her, named her Rosemary, and she is queen of the flock, well thinks she is anyway! She is the most active, nosy bird we have! Most personality too! She is the first to greet me and in spite of all I've heard about them having no personalities, and harder to handle than most other birds - WRONG! This gal loves the attention and wants some lap time more than the other birds we have! I'm glad we decided to keep her as a full time "family" member!!! She has been such a joy! I hope if you decide to keep a couple of yours around you have as much pleasure and as birds as great as our Rosemary! People around who have had CornishX thought we were silly for keeping her, so glad I proved them wrong! Good luck in what you decide!
Rachel

 

[wilmothfarms]

Let me add, she doesnt eat any more than her other flock members do really, she is out of the coop foraging more than them when its hot....but as far as being a "pig" like I was afraid and told she would...she isnt. Hope that helps!
Rachel