raising your own: Dark cornish Rooster over plymouth barred rock hens?

[KYBOY]

I know full well that going for Cornish cross is a at best a shot in the dark but Im not really trying for Cornish x-8 week butcher. Ive read that Cornish roo over Plymouth hens makes a good full breasted meat bird that's ready fairly quickly..Anyone have any comments or exp's with this cross? Thanks!! PS, I know very well about reinventing the wheel but Im doing this more as a hobby project, not trying to skirt cost..

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'd try it both ways. Dark Cornish X Rock and Rock X Dark Cornish to see if there is a growth or body type benefit one way or the other. I've read that the female strongly influence body type to offspring, whether that's old timers tale or truth I don't know. If it is true then the double breasted Cornish would benefit as the dame. If through trial they are the same then the plymouth works better for female as they are superior layers.

 

[KYBOY]

Thanks, that's not a bad Idea..Im going to be ordering some Cornish x later this month and I thought Id throw some in to try this mix..

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I rewrote that crossing. Didn't want you to think I meant cornish cross chicken rather a Dark Cornish over a Rock and Rock over a Dark Cornish hen.

 

[blucoondawg]

One word of advice I would give is to know what stock you are getting, I ordered my birds from a hatchery and they are not at all what I expected, they are pretty much the right colors and seem to be healthy enough however they seem to have been bred down over years of mass producing chicks rather than breeding for good traits. You can use hatchery birds but it may take you a while to breed your line up to what you want. I too want to do some breeding projects but I am going to find chicks or hatching eggs from decent lines to start out with so I am not breeding a bunch of runty stock.