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

[al6517]

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LOL I can't believe she used the H word LOL.

 

[SteveH]

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If you're looking to create something simular to the commercial CX or even a Freedom Ranger type , that will produce a heavy bodied bird ready for processing in 20 weeks or less, my opinion is that no hatchery sourced Cornish crossed to a hatchery sourced White Rock will fill the bill. If you find anything saying the the CX is a cross between a Cornish and a White Rock, that information is outdated by nearly 50 years; and even then they were useing very specific strains of the two pure breeds.

On the other hand, crosses of a quality line of Cornish over a quality line of White Rock may possibly produce a very nice bird. Hatchery sourced Cornish are nothing close to the pure breds used by breeders, and the same can be said of White Rocks. That's not to say a hatchery sourced DC is a bad bird, but just not comparable to a breeder's birds.

Some pictures to illustrate:

My two breeder sourced Dark Cornish cockerals. [Both well under a year].

A hatchery sourced DC roo on the right.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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Great color! Time for a memory refresher ... what is the chicks background?

You'll have to let Katy answer that one.

 

[Totalcolour]

Those are some pretty nice looking birds Steve. (The two breeder ones)

All I have right now in WLRC are hatchery stock. Got to find me a breeder nearby.

I know some folk think that it doesn't make a difference, but it does. I bought some Polish from a breeder and they don't look at all like hatchery birds - much, MUCH nicer and closer to standard.

TC

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

steve - that dark cornish of your is just yummy!
I have been sick sick sick, and have two kids graduating next week, if I survive I will get pics and full descriptions of my meat birds up and then possibly eggs for sale this year . . .

 

[knjinnm]

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Take care of yourself ... a couple of our neighbors have ended up in hospital ER after coming down with flu symptoms.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

thanks, I thought I was going to but I'm starting to pull out of it today. Kids will be glad because they have been feeding the birds for me

 

[Totalcolour]

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Sorry you are sick - My Mom always swore by chicken soup - got any handy

GWS

TC

 

[SteveH]

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Sorry you've been sick, but glad you're better.

This wasn't a really great day for me. I went out to feed my chickens and gather eggs, to find what looked like two thirds dead and more dieing. I grabbed three dead and headed for the state lab, only about 30 miles away. More of those that were healthy when I left died while I was gone.

It'll be a few days before I hear from the lab, but it was buffalo gnats. Since we traded some chickens, I called my neighbor to warn him I was having problems. He called back to report the buffalo gnats were driving his brooder chicks crazy and two or three were dead; and that people in this area have lost entire flocks to them before. He said they crawl in their beaks though the nostrils and get in their airways. He was putting up a fan to blow the gnats clear of the brooder. Another aquaintence called his cousin, who reported previous problems and claimed chlorine bleach spayed in the coop repels them. I saw them on my dead and dieing, but thought they had gathered on them after they went down.

Of 52 birds, I lost 45, including every pure bred and all but one of my project birds. I'm left with 2 EE hens, 4 ISA Brown hens, and a white Ameraucana/CX pullet; one ISA is not healthy. I've dusted the survivor's bodies with Sevin, and hung glass containers of chlorine with holes punched in the lids in the coop and breeding pen/tractor.

I do have 14 chicks inside that hatched last week, and 42 eggs in the bator.

 

[knjinnm]

Bad news Steve, do you live near running water?

I found this info on-line.

Symptoms: Humans as well as domestic animals may be viciously attacked. The eyes, ears, nostrils, wrists, and all exposed parts of the body of man are subject to attack. The extreme pain, itching, and the resultant local swellings, together with occasional severe complications, indicate the presence of an active allergin. In some individuals, the face, arms, and other exposed parts may be greatly swollen as a result of the bites; in others, effects other than blood loss may scarcely be noticeable. Livestock and poultry are sometimes killed by large numbers of black flies. Death seems, in most cases, to be the consequence of a toxemia caused by the bites or the result of an anaphylactic shock; although debility resulting from blood loss and suffocation brought about by inhalation of the flies is apparently a contributing cause. In addition, certain species are known to transmit leucocytozoon, microfilaria, and trypanosome infections in poultry. Life Cycle: Egg laying habits vary with the species, but all lay their eggs in running water. Some lay in masses on plants trailing in the water, others drop the eggs singly into streams, while others lay their eggs in long strings. Each female will lay from 150-450 eggs. The eggs are white to orange when laid and darken before hatching. Hatching in species with several generations per year can take from 4 to 30 days depending on species and temperature. Species with one generation per year often enter diapause in the egg stage, so hatching can take as long as 7 months.

Larvae occur only in running water. Some species are found in clear mountain streams, some in temporary streams, some in rivers, and some only around springs or reservoir outlets. Some species breed successfully in irrigation ditches. Larvae are usually brown, gray, or black in color with a light brown head. They are somewhat club shaped and have a prominent pair of mouth brushes with which they gather food. They feed on small organisms and detritus found in the water. Larvae attach to stones, vegetation, and other objects by means of a sucker-like disc at the end of the abdomen. The larval period may be as short as 2 weeks in late spring or may extend from October into early spring in species that overwinter as larvae, but larvae development only occurs when there is running water or sufficient movement to accelerate oxygenation of the water.

Pupation takes place on rocks or other objects in the water. Each larva spins a basket-shaped cocoon open at the downstream end in which to change to an adult. The pupal period lasts only 2-6 days in some species and up to 3 or 4 weeks in others.

When the adult emerges, it floats to the surface in a bubble of air and quickly flies away. Mating occurs in swarms in many species but on the ground near the emergence site in others. Both males and females feed on nectar and the females of most species also require a blood meal for development of the eggs. Some species feed mostly on birds while others prefer to feed on mammals.

Adults are often found several miles from the nearest known breeding area. They are commonly reported to move 7-15 miles and wind-aided migration of 90-150 miles have been reported in some cases.

The most common species in Oklahoma appears to have two generations per year. One generation begins in October, the larvae overwinter, and the adults emerge in the spring. The other generation occurs in April and May. Numbers depend on the availability of running water and on water temperature. Larval numbers are known to decline sharply when water temperatures reach 75-80 degrees F.
Description: Adult black flies are small insects that measure 2 to 5 mm in length, and possess a shiny thorax which is strongly convex, giving them a humpbacked, gnat-like appearance. Color ranges from black to various shades of gray or yellow. Adults also have broad clear wings without hairs or scales, heavy veins near the anterior wing margin, a short 11 segmented antennae, and large round eyes (no simple eyes).

Control: Please contact your local county extension office for current information.