Okay.. My Cornish X are 10 weeks tomorrow.

[KeilFamilyFarm]

I had a goal of seeing if they could have a HEALTHY 10 week life.
I fed them fermented feed and grains with lots of table scraps..
They free-ranged from 9am to 8pm almost daily.. In fact they are out there right now.

They are all so healthy and happy...

I don't wanna kill them!

Is it terrible that I like them more then any of my laying hens!?!

 

[jrsckn]

No its not terrible. I think the scary truth about ff is it allows them to get to know us better and in reality they are a very friendly, cute "breed" of chicken. I believed all those posts about the nasty, smelly CX but with ff, they're nothing like that which makes raising them for food much, much harder.

My CX are 100 times friendlier than my layers; even though they probably only like me because I feed them lol.

 

[KeilFamilyFarm]

Im glad someone understands! Everyone just says how nasty and lazy they are! Mine are out foraging all day everyday and stop by for cuddles


My layers dont care one way or the other lol

 

[Oregon Blues]

They are nice chickens to be around. They are so calm and trusting.

Mine would come to me and follow me around to see what I was up to. No, it wasn't food, because their feeders were full and I wasn't handing out treats. They were just curious and sociable.

The people who like Cornish Cross seem to be keeping them in roomier accommodations. Because they are big birds and eat a lot, I can see where they might be pretty darn stinky if confined to a small space.

 

[Buster52]

I like my meat birds more than my layers. I call them my little fatties. They don't forage as well as my DPs, but they do okay. I don't like any of them well enough to bat an eye butchering them, though.

The other day my favorite rooster happened to wander into the processing area, so I snatched him up and popped him in a cone. My wife looked at me, shocked.

"Why did you do that??"

"We are out of stew birds and he just volunteered his services."

 

[Life is Good!]

Nope, nothing wrong with your attitude.

My Freedom Rangers were the friendliest birds, curious, outgoing, gregarious, rolling-on-the-floor funny antics. My layers, couldn't care less about what I'm doing - just the rooster, who has to come be Mr. Tough-dude, to whom I respond....give it a try, the cone's still set up in the barn, want a ride in it?!

I do miss the Rangers. Sort of. Freezer's full of 'em. Will keep our household (and church) fed until mid-winter. There's something to be said about that. Will get more in September. Already planning on it. In fact, can't wait for the cute fuzzies to come again! (Kind of like a great birthday cake...not something you want daily, but man oh man, is it good while it's here!)

 

[LilyD]

My DP roosters are friendly enough. They will sit in my lap and I can pick them up and carry them around. I don't see a problem becoming attached but I keep in mind the purpose they are there for. I won't eat store bought chicken because I don't like factory farms, so I either grow it myself or I don't have it at all and I like meat too much to become a vegetarian.

 

[SIMZ]

I'm always a little sad when it's butchering day and I really look forward to my next batch to start all over again! We have a few right now and they are MISERABLE in the heat, so it's easier with them. It certainly can be hard when they're still active, running around, and enjoying life! I totally get where you're coming from!

 

[Cedarknob]

You may find that you like the flavor of these broilers better than CX fed to achieve the 7 or 8 week processing date they are bred to meet, and possibly even enjoy the slightly firmer texture. I do. I think their friendly nature is an accidental result of breeding for maximum feed conversion and rapid growth rate; calm, friendly birds do not burn calories reacting to every imagined threat. I have some of the largest stewing hens you have ever seen, and they may even serve well as huge roasters, in my freezer right now, and a pen full of their chicks besides. They were year old CX. Towards the end they were not very pretty, getting large enough to start looking a bit more like CX fed conventionally, but were being fed more after they started laying to maintain egg count and hatch ability.

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

No its not terrible. I think the scary truth about ff is it allows them to get to know us better and in reality they are a very friendly, cute "breed" of chicken. I believed all those posts about the nasty, smelly CX but with ff, they're nothing like that which makes raising them for food much, much harder.

My CX are 100 times friendlier than my layers; even though they probably only like me because I feed them lol.

I agree with this!! We butchered our broilers yesterday and it was really hard because they were such a joy to be around. One of the cockerels even sat under my hubby's ladder while he was putting a new window in the chicken coop just so he could watch him!! It was adorable. Our birds were almost 10 weeks and we cooked one of them tonight and OMG, the dark meat was actually dark instead of white like last years broilers and the flavor of the meat is absolutely the BEST I have ever eaten in my life!! I will be a lifetime fermented feed user!! My total cost per pound this year was about .26 less than last year. Save money and have better flavor, can't beat that!!!

ETA: I also paid .17 more per bird this year than last and still saved money.