Questions asked again LOL

[SteveH]

Somebody asked for some info to help him decide between Cornish X and Cornish , I asked for more specific information , but there is a debate in progress there

If you prefer the debate please carry on [ as its pretty entertaining ] but if you have time I would be grateful for answers here without the debate over whether someone should or should not choose to raise them . Thanks guys .

A few questions to help him and I learn :

1. Are the HQ Cornish faster maturing than the SQ lines ? [ hatchery versus show varieties ]

2. Will feeding the high protien diet to straight Cornish grow them out any quicker ?

3. Will growing the Cornish X out slower on regular chick starter and restricted amounts result in an increased dark meat to white meat ratio ? { I'm a dark meat lover }

4. Jeff , are those Cornish X pullets getting heavier quarters than they had in the pics ? [ to Brunty Farms regarding a pic on another thread ]

5. Do varities like the Hubbard White Mountain or McMurray's Cornish Roaster look more like a White Rock or a White Cornish ?

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I'm sorry, I seen the question but it got lost with everything else... I will take a stab at it.

1. Are the HQ Cornish faster maturing than the SQ lines ? [ hatchery versus show varieties ]
No, the SQ lines are definitely the way to go, they are bred more for the Standard than egg production. See hatcheries aren't really even geared toward egg production either. It's a myth they are geared for egg production. In all seriousness they are really just gathering the eggs and hatching them. People give to much credit to hatcheries when they say they are choosing for production. In reality they just hatch every chick they can, nothing is culled.... if it's a female it's a breeder.... bottom line. Which over time creates a horrible representation of the breed. Go with SQ lines, you will be light years ahead.

2. Will feeding the high protien diet to straight Cornish grow them out any quicker ?
Definitely, however it's not necessary to go over 22%. I here so many breeders that use 30% for standard DP breeds and they are wasting their money. There is a limit to how much protein their body can use. Trust me, I've used every possible ration I could think of and 22% seems to be the magic number.

3. Will growing the Cornish X out slower on regular chick starter and restricted amounts result in an increased dark meat to white meat ratio ? { I'm a dark meat lover }
No, however if you grow them slower, the dark meat will be better developed and have a lot more flavor. If your gearing towards leg meat pic a DP breed, they have huge leg quarters.

4. Jeff , are those Cornish X pullets getting heavier quarters than they had in the pics ? [ to Brunty Farms regarding a pic on another thread ]
Yes, I will get some pics up but they have some good sized leg quarters due to solely free ranging. The more they use them legs, the bigger they will be. Think of a body builder... the more they use a muscle.... the bigger it gets.

5. Do varities like the Hubbard White Mountain or McMurray's Cornish Roaster look more like a White Rock or a White Cornish ?
Honestly, I've seen a lot of broilers and most of them resemble more of a taller version of a standard cornish. Almost all the broilers are pretty darn close to the same size.

Hope that helps......

 

[SteveH]

Thank you , it helped a lot .
I've never really thought some hatcheries actually selectively breed ANY trait into the birds they hatch and sell . I do think natural selection of more eggs coming from the best layers and non-layers being replaced should end up with the result of smaller sized birds that lay more eggs . I was told of a hatchery contracting to buy many of their eggs from Amish farmers in that area , but don't know if that was accurate or not . If meaties and hybrid layers are produced like our local confinement hogs , parent stock come from corporate owned companies . { A friend runs a " pig hatchery " : sows provided by a corporation , A.I.ed to corporate owned boars he never sees , weaned pigs shipped out on a daily basis , and under contract to accept 35 new gilts to replace 35 culled sows per month ....... the big difference would be roosters have to be on site }