Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[kfacres]

I have been reading this thread... I am very new to all of this... So bare with me.. I cant seem to get any standard white cornish around here. But i am planning on breeding my own line of meat birds for my family.. Now i was wondering, how do i breed to get the dominant white . Or start to breed for the whites with out having any whites, I have barred rocks, dark cornish, ect.

Good luck finding any standard white cornish anywhere. Far too many people need to just give up on it. They'd be better off making their own backyard project birds using some other white and the cornish body- to get there- buy into someone else's white project deal. Or just forget about having white birds.

Cornish white, is not dominate, never will be. The white in White Laced Red Cornish is though, but you'll never be able to get rid of hte red lacings.

Send me a PM, and we can chat more. I'd rather not fill up this thread with one on one chat.

 

[coberdor]

Not sure if this is the proper procedure, but since they changed the for sale section, I hardly go there anymore. But anyway my sustainable blue laced red Cornish meat project birds(really need to come up with a shorter and catchier name for them) are laying beyond my capacity to hatch. If any one is interested in getting a start, shoot me a private message.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-of-a-sustainable-duel-purpose-meat-egg-flock

His birds are great! I'm thrilled with my birds I hatched out from him. They are productive. The one roo that I kept, I call my gentle giant. He's about 9-10 lbs. The roo that I culled from the eggs I hatched, dressed out at 8 lbs. I would have kept him, but he drew blood from me on two separate ocasions. I cured that. He was delicious!

The hens have been very productive and are really well built. I estimate that this years hens that I hatched from the birds I raised from Big Medicine, will be around 6 lbs. I'll keep a few more for breeding.

I hatched out one white and the rest were blue laced, but the white hen seems to be very productive because 1/4th of this years hatches are white, and I have one white hen and 6 blue laced. The white ones are very close to the white cornish. Very compact, short, wide set legs, good breast depth.

I'd highly recommend his eggs!

 

[big medicine]

Thanks for the kind words.

Remember the white here is recessive white, meaning it takes two copies for it to show, So two birds who carry a single copy will look colored but could still produce 25% white chicks in theory. Obviously you male carries a copy, if colored, so half of the chicks out of the white hen should be white. If your male is white, then all the white hens chicks will be white. But a colored hen, or hens, may also be producing white chicks as well, if they carry a single copy of recessive white.

How are your hens for going broody ? I think I have two or three currently wanting to set. I have never attempted to let one bring off a brood, but with the hens being lighter, and generally looser feathered, than true Cornish, I would think they should be fairly proficient at it, I know they are determined to try. Which may be a bonus for a some folks.

Also how is your egg size ? Most of mine lay a considerably larger, and darker, egg than we had with the pure Cornish. I may just set the biggest eggs the last couple batches to see what type comes from them. If I can really set that egg in this line, without losing type, win - win,

 

[coberdor]

My egg size is large. I haven't had any of these hens go broody yet. Lots of my araucanas are broody and my turkey hens, but none of these. I have hatched out quite a few of their chicks and they are shaping up to be some great met birds. The Roos at 4 mos are between 5-8 lbs. I have just a few that are the 8 lb size. They are on pasture with organic feed. I'll be processing some of them in mid June.

My pullets are also out on pasture, and some getting quite dense. I'd like to keep a few of the nicest white hens and maybe a white roo to keep the white line going. I'll see how they shape up.

I'll soon put the adult starter birds I hatched from you out on pasture too, by themselves. They can enjoy the large pasture I have. I keep electric poultry fencing around everything in the pasture and lock them up in their secure open air coop at night. This works well for me, saves on feed, and they are happier and healthier. Not many predators want to take on the electric fencing.

 

[kfacres]

. Not many predators want to take on the electric fencing.

Just the flying ones....

and then you have to worry about keeping the electric fence 'hot'.... which I bet it isn't right now, unless you are spraying and mowing under it.

 

[coberdor]

We pick it up an mow once a week, where the fence goes. I haven't lost any to flying predators yet. The flock spends a lot of time under the shade of the big maples, so it helps some.

We also run a two strand fence on the outside parameter, plus the pasture itself is a horse no climb fence with electric high and low. My horses, donkeys and mules keep the coyotes out of the pasture. They'd kill any coyote or dog that came into the pasture. They are good protection for the poultry and dairy goats.

My dogs, corgis and a Westie and Jack Russell, are all great protectors for the poultry. They are taught early on to respect and guard the chickens. They won't even touch the chicks that run around.

I had one possum that I killed several years ago, and a coon that my dogs took care of. Having livestock dogs is great.

 

[kfacres]

Thought I'd share a couple of pics, and just realized that I originally posted these to the wrong topic last week.

Top is the old original Black Laced Red, BLR project from big medicine. I'm certain that he is carrying white- as I think I have hatched a white chick from him and one of his black laced daughters.

Bottom is a couple of the better darks from last year's hatches.

Large Fowl birds.

While I agree with from a Cornish standpoint, that the bottom one looks the part--- in all honestly the top one is the ideal backyard meat bird. Without a doubt in my mind, and against most all common belief- a true Cornish isn't much for progress towards a good backyard set of sustainable meat birds. These project deals though that big medicine started- are a tremendous stride towards perfection of such an endeavor.

 

[adorable]

very nice birds you have there

 

[Arielle]

You all have my attention . . .

Will go back to the beginning to read.

I have a number of different types of chickens, and NONE are what I would consider a good meat bird.

THe marans, ameraucanas and the hatchery hens are too light in the muscling; the cornish cross is too . . . slow and lumbering. Something in between please.

Big MEdicine , how many generations are you into this project??

 

[kfacres]

You all have my attention . . .

Will go back to the beginning to read.

I have a number of different types of chickens, and NONE are what I would consider a good meat bird.

THe marans, ameraucanas and the hatchery hens are too light in the muscling; the cornish cross is too . . . slow and lumbering. Something in between please.

Big MEdicine , how many generations are you into this project??

Atleast three that I know of, maybe four- five counting this year's babies. I personally have three generations of his birds on my place right now- so I'm sure he's further along than I am. .

Go back and read from the start, it explains the big med project into more depth.

He and I agree, that the Blue Laced Red Project deals, regardless of color- are outstanding backyard meat birds.