Keeping a few Cornish hens.................

[CNJ]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone kept a few Cornish cross hens for breeding after they reached the 7 week mark? I saw Homestead Heart on YouTube say she fed her Cornish Cross once a day, but I think she started them out that way. I fed mine as much as they wanted to eat for 7 weeks and just set 4 of them aside. I will start feeding them once in the am. Has anyone tried this? I want to get this dinosaur bloodline into my Bresse chickens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@U_Stormcrow did

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow did

I did, though it wasn't specifically for breeding - I also free range and was trying to manage heat. CX take forever before they hit their reproductive prime. OK< not as bad as my dark brahma, but colse to the 7 month mark - and my Roos still couldn't successfully do the deed.

I did have one pullet I used in my culling project successfully. Offspring from that pairing were all healthy, I was 50/50 for the "size" gene (that is, offspring who grew substantially faster than their siblings, though nothing like a good CX line fed ad libitum), and they were all dominate white birds with leakage.

That breeder has now been culled - she was suffering hard molt and out heat (which has only climbed since, it was the right call to make) at around 10.1x pounds, 14 months of age [if I recall correctly]. We used her for breakfast sausage. Her insides appeared healthy, and there was a decent amount of bright yellow subcutaneous fat, in spite of a once daily feeding and free ranging subsistance the rest of the time.

Hope that helps.

 

[CNJ]

I did, though it wasn't specifically for breeding - I also free range and was trying to manage heat. CX take forever before they hit their reproductive prime. OK< not as bad as my dark brahma, but colse to the 7 month mark - and my Roos still couldn't successfully do the deed.

I did have one pullet I used in my culling project successfully. Offspring from that pairing were all healthy, I was 50/50 for the "size" gene (that is, offspring who grew substantially faster than their siblings, though nothing like a good CX line fed ad libitum), and they were all dominate white birds with leakage.

That breeder has now been culled - she was suffering hard molt and out heat (which has only climbed since, it was the right call to make) at around 10.1x pounds, 14 months of age [if I recall correctly]. We used her for breakfast sausage. Her insides appeared healthy, and there was a decent amount of bright yellow subcutaneous fat, in spite of a once daily feeding and free ranging subsistance the rest of the time.

Hope that helps.

Do you think I can slim them down at this point?

 

[Jennc-123]

I kept one that had been a runt. I occasionally monitored her feeding. She was a year when she passed, due to our massive heat wave. I bet if I had put her somewhere with air conditioning shed have survived longer!

 

[CNJ]

I kept one that had been a runt. I occasionally monitored her feeding. She was a year when she passed, due to our massive heat wave. I bet if I had put her somewhere with air conditioning shed have survived longer!

Did she lay any eggs?

 

[Jennc-123]

Yes, not as many as a layer. Mostly double yolks. But I hatched a few offspring

 

[CNJ]

Yes, not as many as a layer. Mostly double yolks. But I hatched a few offspring

My hens are standing up now after two days with just once a day feeding. They started eating the grass in their pen. Its something new for them. They were raised on a screen floor. I will try feeding them lettuce in the evening to supplement their once a day feeding.

I processed all the males today, I was going to keep one, but decided not to.........I put some pieces of fresh killed chickens in my Tom Som Gai (Thai coconut soup). I was thinking it would be tuff, since I did not rest them in the ice box for two days, but it was tender. That means I can put them in the freezer tomorrow.

I really hope that I can get some baby chicks out of my hens like you did. Thanks for the information.

 

[CNJ]

One of my Cornish X pullets started to lay eggs. I found an egg yesterday, but I wasn't sure if a normal chicken laid it, so I locked them in today and I found another egg. I think I should wait at least a month before I start hatching their eggs. I have five pullets, so they should all be laying soon. In the mean time I need to process some chicken to make room for my next project.

 

[CNJ]

I just noticed, one of my Cornish pullets is having a hard time walking, its too fat. Her legs are shaking when she stands up. This must be the one that almost gave me a hernia the other day. I will process this one as soon as I can, maybe tomorrow.