Rare chicken breeds desired for their meat qualities?

[frenchblackcopper]

I'm making headway but waiting on returned phone calls and e-mails is driving me nutts. I found one hatchery that does still have large fowl white cornish "untouched" as the man told me,but he also says they don't look like what we associate cornish birds with today,such as show stock.I'm awaiting pictures but he will sell me a few of them.I've also located another place that breeds their own large fowl white cornish to then breed to whatever breed they use to produce their meat type x-breds with. this hatchery has two seperate pure lines of Large Whites .I think it would be unique to have several individual lines,even if they are below par by todays standards, to keep that line alive,and also to choose the best from each group to start my own line with.

 

[Our Roost]

Spent the last 3 years investigating, tracking down and finally acquiring the belgium malines breed last year. Breeding what few I have this spring and also am acquiring more hatching eggs this spring. I have yet to taste them and the battle and wait goes on! The battle is similar to the white cornish in finding untainted good blood stock and culling out some unwanted traits. I almost threw in the towel several times until I started raising them from chicks and realized as they grew, what a great bird they must have been. You have to keep going forh with your effort or youv'e gained nothing! Yes, get stock from all available sourses. It is key to your successes. My mentor says I will need lots of numbers to start with. Beware of inbreeding concerns.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

I'm locating some people and places that does have this breed but have been told they may not be what I'm accustomed to seeing when it comes to this breed. Meaning? I'm guessing they have not been bred much selectively for size or the breed standard. Actually some have told me they will need a lot of work.
Having peafowl all we try to breed for is color and patterns, not to any "standard" per say because there isn't one. My father had dark cornish when I was young and I remember watching how and listening to why he would put one roo in with 2-3 hens and why we had 10 diffrent breeding pens. I'm up for the challenge because I will be able to see if what he showed me and explained to me 40 years ago still holds true today. I remember him constantly weighing birds at given dates and then recording them. This was all before we had computers too. I do remember while he was breeding he increased the weights of the cockerals 2 pounds at a year of age by selective breeding. Even if I get birds of the same lines from breeders scattered all over,i'm sure they all will be diffrent in sizes and weights.

 

[Our Roost]

You are fighting the same game and almost dead end trail that the FDA is searching for but on a much smaller level. The quality of the cornish X bird being sold to the public has almost been deemed not fit for human consumption and is under serious consideration for being discontinued for health reasons. I cannot remember where the article I read came from but I know it must be out there. You most definitely have your work cut out but what your doing doesnt seem impossible. Good hunting!

 

[cmchickens]

You are fighting the same game and almost dead end trail that the FDA is searching for but on a much smaller level. The quality of the cornish X bird being sold to the public has almost been deemed not fit for human consumption and is under serious consideration for being discontinued for health reasons. I cannot remember where the article I read came from but I know it must be out there. You most definitely have your work cut out but what your doing doesnt seem impossible. Good hunting!

Discontinued for human health reasons or animal health? I'd like to read that article if you can remember where I might find it.

 

[Our Roost]

Should have said "WAS" under consideration. Type in FDA reports on chickens on google and you will see why. Arsenic levels. It was halted as an additive immediately.

 

[cmchickens]

So you were talking about already processed chicken. I thought you meant the actual birds.

 

[Our Roost]

Yep, I was talking about the cornish x meat version and not the cornish whites.

 

[gjensen]

I have spoken to the head of the Cornish breed association,,several of the breeders within that organisation that do breed large whites,,I have spoken to two feed nutritionalist,,one from Nutrena and the other from Hubbard,,and I have spoken to a few breeders that has given me names of others they thought may have them. I will find them and maybe I should have got them last fall but I was looking at that time.

I'm realistic and know any chicks I get this year will not produce eggs until next spring. I do plan to put in a call to the U of I today and see what anyone there knows.Please remember I do have a job and cannot always afford the spare time to go to shows,ect,especially those far away. Ihave looked at many show results and a lot of them never had cornish large fowl entries.Hatchery birds is not an option. My Black Langshans came from one of the best breeders of them,Harvey Knoll,,my blr Wyandottes came from direct German Import lines from Karhy in Missouri,who is here on BYC,.

Maybe my standards are high but not impossible to reach. I have spoken to some of the largest sellers of poultry-fowl that I know,Greenfire Farms and Leggs Peafowl with no luck. I guess I'm exploring every avenue possible thru phone calls and internet information. I've spoken to many of the people I know from the Peafowl section here as well,,(where I spend most of my time here at BYC) and I've had several PM's sent to me giving me leads to try. I may have located 3 seperate flocks down south and I'm hoping the bloodlines aren't all the same. The search continues but as I said previously,this breed and color in Large Fowl are very,very low in numbers.

You will figure it out. You sound like a good person to get a start in them. You are interested enough. I have been there. Twice, and one with a breed that is less common than any breed mentioned in this thread. I can relate, and that is why I was saying that you could do it.

I know the people that you are referring to concerning the other breeds.

I do not think that you heard me when I said getting some good darks, and some good whites is a solution to your problem. There is nothing immoral or irrational about crossing the two varieties. You would not be "tainting" one or the other. All you need is a trio or pair in white, and a trio or pair in dark, then roll up your sleeves and go to work. No collecting lines needed etc. Then keeping touch and know the few other breeders.

I considered Cornish in the past. My hang up is I prefer the old style compared to what is popular today. I prefer them to be more athletic, and agile. I would not want to deal with the breeding problems associated with the extreme characteristics. Some hatchery whites x standard whites would be a solution to that problem, with good selection.

Give me a little bit and I will PM you a contact.

 

[cutipatooti]

I need some advice! I have a single pair of Malines I got from greenfire farms last summer. My intent was to breed them this year so I could get some nice meat birds. I was also hoping to find a few unrelated chicks to grow out and add to the ones I have so I can breed them proper. I know a lot of people get a breed from one source and breed them and sell them. I was going to breed mine like that for me only and see how they worked out for me as a meat breed. If it went well I would have liked to work more with the breed.

My problem is the cockerel I have now is aggressive. He activity charges and attacks me and my kids. He mostly does it to me when my back is turned and the kids have learned to stay away. I had over 20 roosters free ranging in my yard this last year and very few attempted any kind of aggressive behavior. I was under the impression that this is a very docile non agressive breed. Also my hen is rather small, she seems normal hen size, although I have not weighed her.

I also have an 8 week old pullet from Greenfire. I was hoping to add her with the other 2 when she was bigger but now I'm thinking of getting rid of them. They are free range now and would be put in a breeding pen and that would end the worries of mean attacking rooster to my kids. If I'm just eating them and not selling them this should be ok, but I'm still not sure I its a good idea.

I'm wondering if I should just try to sell the pair and use the money to get a few more chicks or eggs from a different source. I'm not sure I want to breed a rooster that is agressive that should not be. Should I still try to work with what I got? Does anyone sell chicks or hatching eggs?