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

[kfacres]

cornish are too valueable to let free range. Shoot, I don't even like having mine in an unlocked coop anymore

I let the 'spares' runabout, but then again-- I just eat their eggs.

 

[Arielle]

cornish are too valueable to let free range. Shoot, I don't even like having mine in an unlocked coop anymore

I let the 'spares' runabout, but then again-- I just eat their eggs.

I was wondering about this. I need a breed that can free range to earn his and her keep. ( With electric fencing to keep out predators, of curse.)oops "course"

Thanks for letting me sit in and learn. GOod luck everyone.

 

[kfacres]

Any bird, of any breed, of any quality will cost you something to buy. Maybe I'm tight, but that's an investment I'd rather not chance on something stupid happening to.

Now, some cheap worthless deal from Farm King-- different story.

 

[AletaG]

Any bird, of any breed, of any quality will cost you something to buy. Maybe I'm tight, but that's an investment I'd rather not chance on something stupid happening to.
Now, some cheap worthless deal from Farm King-- different story.

LOL. I have a feeling I will be pretty protective of my HRIR for a while... The Cornish seem just by nature not to be well suited to free range. 'Course, "free" range on my lot means a large yard, maybe .15acre that I can see the entire thing, is fully fenced, and I don't let them out if I'm going somewhere. It's got enough large trees that so far not even the crows have figured out there's anything there. We have owls, hawks and Bald Eagles. They have found my young'ns in the front yard because there are no trees for quite a ways and boy they are a noisy bunch. But they're too little to range, they are 6 in a 8x8 fully protected run. I'm actually considering keeping the food cockerels out there, 'cause if I lose one to a predator, well, that's life. I've heard people have good luck with decoys that way.
Any-who...
Got to run,
AG

 

[kfacres]

Granted, I do not raise the extreme short legged SOP bulldogs, but what birds I do let free range seem to do so just fine. Even more impressive is some of my older birds fit right in with the guineas on the highest rafter for a perch.

Now, as I'm more generations into my selection, my birds are getting heavier-- and some of which (like the big roosters) prefer to roose on the bottom pole.

I do keep elevated feeders for the birds that do not get let out. I figure if nothing else, it will help keep them slimmed down and able to function around.

 

[coberdor]

Try mut have changed the photo uploads again. I have them in my album, but cannot load them on this thread.

I have one nice pics of this years hatch from the group I hatched out from BigMedicine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/5912290/cornish-cross/sort/display_order/#

Here is a link to the album, but I keep getting error messages when I try and bring the pics to this thread.

 

[tniron]

Where can you buy breeder stock?

 

[big medicine]

Try mut have changed the photo uploads again. I have them in my album, but cannot load them on this thread.

I have one nice pics of this years hatch from the group I hatched out from BigMedicine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/i/5912290/cornish-cross/sort/display_order/#

Here is a link to the album, but I keep getting error messages when I try and bring the pics to this thread.

Keep steering toward the better typed birds for next years breeders, and you are well on your way.

 

[coberdor]

Thanks to your great start. I'll keep a couple of the nicely built hens, about 5. I also have some chanteclers that might be nice to cross in the future. Many of the chanteclers get quite large. I could possible use them in the future with a few hens, to diversify lines.

I would sure like to get a white roo built like the few hens I've hatched out. So far, all the Roos have been long legged, though they have been dressing out at 6-8 lbs. at 4-5 months.

They all free range very well and the young hens lay nice large brown eggs.

 

[big medicine]

For a back yard meat chicken, I see no disadvatage to the longer legged birds. I think the longer leggs provide better mobility, better fertillity, and personally I like the look better. Now if you were angling toward breeding a show prospect line, then you would probably need to conform closer to the shorter leg SOP.

I kept both a shorter leg, and a long leg cockerel back for this years breeding pen. Stubby had very good width, looking more like a convetional Cornish with the shorter leg length. As a cockerel he moved as well as the long leg guys. Now as he matures, he has aquired a definate waddle to his stroll.