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I'm sorry that you ended up wanting the keep the Cornish Xs, but your research is unfortunately correct. I would not wait until they get that far along, because it can affect the quality of the meat, and because I'm a bleeding heart who can't stand being even indirectly responsible for animal suffering.
By the time your birds have their combs turn colors, it's because they are slowly asphyxiating to death. Either by their own weight crushing their lungs and heart, or because the heart cannot fight the pressure on the arteries anymore, and can't circulate blood to satify body functions. This will cause color changes in the extremities, strokes, and death. This kind of immense stress absolutely can change the taste of the meat, as the body saturates itself with stress horomones, and/or starts to break down it's own tissues in a last bid survival attempt (when they're that far along, they usually can't even get up to eat, and start starving. The resulting attack on their tissues can cause clumps of fat to release into their bloodstream, and cause heart failure).
All in all, it seems like a not-awesome way to go to me. I personally feel that it's more humane to cull them at the recommended 8 to 9 weeks, before their bodies start to fail them. It also guarentees meat tenderness and taste.
I hope that helps. Sorry if it was tmi
