Keeping Cornish cross for full life.

[Tundrawooky]

My friend has a batch of Cornish crosses he is going to butcher and I'm considering keeping one hen to see if I can get my rooster on it. Then hatch my own hybrid chicks! I plan on cutting her food back and exercising her so she lives long enough to lay eggs. do yall think this is possible? Will her heart explode? Is it inhumane?

Thanks!

 

[Molpet]

Usually starting restricted feed and exercise at a couple weeks old.
I got a few CX end of March 2016. Raised them with layers. Fed everyone for 20min 2x a day. They had to forage the rest of the day. Kept a pullet and she started laying Sept. A broody hen hatched out 4 of the CX eggs. 3 were cockerels that most of my flock are out of.
The CX quit laying for winter and never started again before she died at almost a year old.

 

[Tundrawooky]

So genetics is going to kill the bird no matter what??? Could one live over a year?

 

[Molpet]

So genetics is going to kill the bird no matter what??? Could one live over a year?

Some people have had them live longer than a year. I have snowy winters and she wouldn't go out much.

Some don't feed them every day

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So genetics is going to kill the bird no matter what??? Could one live over a year?

Yes, the genetics in the bird mean she will never live the same length of time as another bird hatched the same time as her

 

[Tundrawooky]

So it's like the 400lb guy at McDonald's?
Not gonna make it???

 

[My Bagurks]

So genetics is going to kill the bird no matter what??? Could one live over a year?

Yes but a little no. A Cornish cross can be raised and live longer than expected. But their genes almost guarantee a short life compared to others. BUT, that’s the Cornish cross hydrid we buy just for butchering. That generation specifically has hybrid vigor and they are the pinnacle of the desired genes. If you get one to laying age, the offspring wouldn’t necessarily be true. Even if the other parent was a Cornish or Plymouth Rock. They have generations of unnatural selection at work.

So it's like the 400lb guy at McDonald's?
Not gonna make it???

It’s more like someone with gigantism. Raised super well, they could very well make it to adulthood, but at some point their heart, bones, what-have-you will give out.

But each generation AFTER them, will essentialy get healthier and back to normal chicken genes.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

My friend has a batch of Cornish crosses he is going to butcher and I'm considering keeping one hen to see if I can get my rooster on it. Then hatch my own hybrid chicks! I plan on cutting her food back and exercising her so she lives long enough to lay eggs. do yall think this is possible? Will her heart explode? Is it inhumane?

Thanks!

I’ve done it! It is not inhumane, they enjoy life. She’ll start to lay around a year old and you won’t get very many, but man are they huge!
Here’s my hen! She lived 2 years until sadly something got her.

And they are able to breed! Hers her babies

 

[Tundrawooky]

Wow awesome!!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Is the last one a naked neck?