mixed breeds

[urabus]

I picked six chicks from TSC. I wanted a mixture of colors so I got 3 black sex link pullets (barred rocks), 3 production reds, and 1 cornish rock. I want these for pets. Now I've read the cornish rock is a meat bird and may not live long, or may have health problems. Any idea on what I can expect?

 

[Erica]

Hi urabus,

the cornish rock in general will spend all its time eating, and will eventually grow too heavy for its legs to support it. That's if it's allowed 24/7 feeding.

You can reduce its feed by only feeding twice daily, but then you'll possibly see the others not gaining weight as they should, so it's not a great idea to restrict feeding when it's among other birds.

Later in life (anywhere from 8 weeks up) you may see signs of cardiac insufficiency. This might mean a darkening comb or a wheezy sound. This may not happen, but it's just something that can occur as they get very heavy.

If only fed restricted amounts, and made to wander (e.g. situate feeder and waterer far apart) they can do quite well till they reach maturity. But they're not a long lived bird no matter what you do.

I've got them to lay and crossbred them with leghorns to get a decent table bird that can walk and perch well all its life, but is very good for meat. However the was a lot of work involved in keeping that starter generation (straight meat hybrids) alive, and it was very distressing to see first one and then another snap its achilles tendon clean through because of the stress of such huge body size. I grew to like them a lot as their temperaments were lovely. Just one of those things with industrial hybrids.

Good luck, sorry for the long essay.

 

[urabus]

Thanks for the resp[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]onse. I was hoping since I'm not feeding high protein feed maybe the cornish wouldn't gain so much weight. But in the 5 days I've had the chicks, that one has really fattened up quickly. The others fluff up with feathers, but that one really looks fat. Anyway, it's all a learning process. I wasn't planning to slaughter any, but this might have to be my one experience. Next time I'll be more picky on what breeds I get. Thanks again.[/FONT]