New to this..

[CovenantCreek]

What about some of the other broiler varieties? Besides McMurray's "Jumbo" Cornish cross, I've seen "fast growing", "slow growing", Cornish "roaster", black broiler, red broiler, Cornish Rock... Besides name, and which hatchery sells the chicks, what are the differences between them?

edited to add: I'll hazard a guess that the red & black broilers aren't white like the rest.

 

[greyfields]

As far as I can tell, looking at "slow cornish" my neighbor grew, they are all still Cornish Crosses - just with a different genetic make-up.

This is the ATTRA publication on traditional chicken genetics and breed make-up:

http://tinyurl.com/2xg9bd

I was able to find a catalog from one of the industrial breeders listed. All the different 'breeds' were numbered and had different food conversion ratios, time to maturity, and other performance stats listed. So, I think the 'slow' cornish marketed by the retail hatcheries we use are just a Cornish cross with a different performance profile.