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

[SteveH]

The WLR color, is, from the way I understand it, some of the harder to breed colors of Cornish- due to a lack of quality birds- and a tough time with the lacing; several strains of them have double lacing, or jubillee as it is called-- mine do- so do Steve's-- although like I already said, they are not pure WLR Cornish, but half DC.

The pullets you have with the DC cockeral look to me to have single lacing from what I can see. Their mothers were hatchery birds, some with a muddled pattern verging on jubilee, but very poor Cornish type; my guess is that hatchery sourced "Cornish", both darks and white laced reds, originated from an outcross to increase egg production. Of course the outcross would have a negative impact on both color and type.

The two WLRs I kept are single laced, but one has has smudged or faint lacing. They're better than their mothers in type, but still far from a good, show quality Cornish IMO.

 

[Totalcolour]

Steve, Al, anyone;

with the dark Cornish, should the lacing be single or double or does it matter? The last show I went to only had a few Cornish, mostly bantams. They were very varied and I didn't think they were any better quality than hatchery, but then I'm no expert.

Should the brown be very dark, and how about the lacing? I've seen gold and dark red and stuff in between. Is there an "IDEAL" that you would choose?

 

[kfacres]

The pullets you have with the DC cockeral look to me to have single lacing from what I can see. Their mothers were hatchery birds, some with a muddled pattern verging on jubilee, but very poor Cornish type; my guess is that hatchery sourced "Cornish", both darks and white laced reds, originated from an outcross to increase egg production. Of course the outcross would have a negative impact on both color and type.

The two WLRs I kept are single laced, but one has has smudged or faint lacing. They're better than their mothers in type, but still far from a good, show quality Cornish IMO.

Two of mine have single lacing, and two have double lacing. I'm wanting to think that I picked out the better two- and put them with the DC, they also happened to be the single laced ones. The other two are split b/w the BLR cockerals-- and I'm also certain that they are also the 'whiter' ones, as well as the double laced ones... I'd have to double check that, as I'm going off of memory... In the picture of the DC with three pullets, one was an escapee-- so she should be double laced.

btw: found out for sure the two with the DC are both laying- 2 eggs yesterday...

 

[SteveH]

Steve, Al, anyone;

with the dark Cornish, should the lacing be single or double or does it matter? The last show I went to only had a few Cornish, mostly bantams. They were very varied and I didn't think they were any better quality than hatchery, but then I'm no expert.

Should the brown be very dark, and how about the lacing? I've seen gold and dark red and stuff in between. Is there an "IDEAL" that you would choose?

DCs are double laced as stated in post #2009. The APA SOP calls for the bay area to be bright red mahogany. The body feathers on the females should be rounded with the outer lace looking more like " ) " than the gold feather with " > " lace I've seen on many hatchery sourced darks, and the black should reflect a green [not purple or blue] sheen. IMO type is 100 times more important than color, and most hatchery birds simply just don't have good Cornish type.

 

[kfacres]

3rd cornish laying... ameraucana laying an awesome blueish egg too.. once the 4th cornish begins laying... i'll be ready to part with a few eggs.. right now we're waiting to get the silkies laying and broody... and might fire up the 'bators-- but not till it gets a little warmer most likely... so i guess until then... they'll be ate..

 

[janchilds]

Very, very bummed today.

I have 10 dark cornish eggs going into lock down tomorrow so I thought I would candle them first. Of the 10... 2 are looking good, 2 showed signs of early fertility and quit on me, and 6 showed no signs of fertility at all.

I know this is probably not the right thread for this but you guys have been so great with info... Sooo how's a girl suppose to get started with purebred non-hatchery stock if 1) you can't find chicks and 2) hatching eggs have such poor results.

My first choice has always been WC but after a frustrating two month search I thought DC may be my best option. Now that doesn't even seem feasible.

 

[kfacres]

poor fertility is the main thing about raising cornish... i hear stories about breeders not hatching a single egg all year long...

the cornish has been selected towards the show ring, in a manor that produces extremely short legs, heavy muscled, almost squatty birds... this effects fertility...

 

[SteveH]

Very, very bummed today.

I have 10 dark cornish eggs going into lock down tomorrow so I thought I would candle them first. Of the 10... 2 are looking good, 2 showed signs of early fertility and quit on me, and 6 showed no signs of fertility at all.

I know this is probably not the right thread for this but you guys have been so great with info... Sooo how's a girl suppose to get started with purebred non-hatchery stock if 1) you can't find chicks and 2) hatching eggs have such poor results.

My first choice has always been WC but after a frustrating two month search I thought DC may be my best option. Now that doesn't even seem feasible.

I'm sorry for your disappointment. If they were shipped eggs, that's always a gamble; and in cold climates this time of year it's easy for those eggs to get too chilled to remain viable....................... though I've hatched winter gathered/shipped eggs. I've yet to see anyone willing to sell hatching eggs from quality Cornish.

My own limited experience with Cornish fertility was that once the weather warmed and they were put on grass, I had nearly 100% fertility with my two Darks. The ones I have now are better quality individuals from the same breeder [the first two were two she decided not to breed because she had better], and I know they had a 100% hatch from natural breedings and were hatched by show quality bantam DCs..

It is often cheaper to buy live birds rather than shipped eggs, regardless of the money you have to put out for live birds, simply because of the fact that shipped eggs are a gamble. Quality Cornish aren't great layers, and not many breeders are going to risk shipping eggs from show quality stock of any breed. That being said, once my 'bator is filled or I've hatched enough for myself, I hope to have either eggs or chicks to ship.

 

[janchilds]

Hatching eggs definitely weren't my first choice and it was not a money thing. If I get these two eggs to hatch

, trust me I would have been much better off buying chicks!

I just can't find anyone willing to sell them.

Steve, what do I need to do to get on your list? Count me in!

 

[SteveH]

Hatching eggs definitely weren't my first choice and it was not a money thing. If I get these two eggs to hatch

, trust me I would have been much better off buying chicks!

I just can't find anyone willing to sell them.

Steve, what do I need to do to get on your list? Count me in!

I'll PM you.