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

[NatJ]

I have raised standard Dark Cornish before, they look skinny, but their dressed carcass look like super market chicken.

I've raised a few of them too, and I was quite impressed with how heavy they are while looking small (as compared with fluffy chickens who look bigger but have much less meat.) They really show the value of checking weights and carcass traits, not just looking at the apparent size of the live bird!

 

[CNJ]

I've raised a few of them too, and I was quite impressed with how heavy they are while looking small (as compared with fluffy chickens who look bigger but have much less meat.) They really show the value of checking weights and carcass traits, not just looking at the apparent size of the live bird!

I processed my white standard looking Cornish today with one of his sisters. He weighed only 3.50lbs dressed, and his sister weighed 5.50lbs.

 

[CNJ]

This is an update of what I have been seeing with my Breese/Cornish x cross. I have been feeding my 12lbs rooster and 2 hens layer pellets, about a 3/4 pint mason jar 2 times a day. They look healthy and did not gain anymore weight. I notice that my rooster started sleeping on the 1.50 foot high perch. He used to sleep on the ground, but it looks like his food ration toned him up a notch.

I lost 2 F2 hens with white legs recently. It looks like they died from being over weight. They weighed 10lbs which is not good. I started hand feeding my flock with pre portioned rations, instead of filling their all you can eat automatic feeder.

I processed some F2 and noticed that they were packed with fat. I have 5 F1 hens and 1 rooster left from my F1 batch. I will process all the F1 hens and breed my 12lbs F1 rooster with white legs back to his F2 daughters with white legs.

I kept a fat F2 rooster with dark steel blue legs, to keep my own Breese line active. He doesn't perch, but I think he will with his new diet plan.