It not that hard to get a CX female to live until breeding age, very little work to do it. When I do it I start with 3 and usually end with one because they have complications where they just get sick and die. They were meant to live very long so any genetic issues that cause early death are not bred out of them. Males are a different story, they end up being too top heavy to breed correctly.
View attachment 2288785
Not a great picture but just a week after being separated from those in the broiler pen at age 5 weeks (6 weeks in the picture) the CX are climbing on top of a 4 or 5 foot compost pile searching for food. I give them less food than I give my egg layers and make them go looking for feed all day. Since my composts are rich in bugs/worms I now have them ignoring the feeder and staying on the compost pile when I feed them an hour before sun set. This keeps them in good shape and it doesn't take long for them to get this way. Probably best to separate them at 4 weeks instead of 5 but I wanted to add a few things to my compost pile before I started this. At 4 weeks you can tell the males from the females although this year one of the females turned into a late maturing male. I figure I can try to breed him too but doubt I am successful from what I have read.
View attachment 2288802
From the breeding pen about the same time, maybe a few days earlier than the compost pile picture. They are already lazy and sitting by the feeder for when they have the energy to stand up and eat. I actually spend more time adding layers of straw to the meat pen and filling feeders. The Compost Pile foraging CX I just open and shut their coop and give them a little feed an hour before sunset to make sure they have the nutrients they need to survive. Getting the females to breeding age is easy but I Start out with 3 and usually end up with one.
As far as picking out a good sized Heritage Rooster (or even a mutt/hybrid) I use any ol rooster I have but if its important to you to have a good meaty Heritage rooster for the task I suggest Freedom Ranger Hatchery because they have New Hampshires and Delawares they sell as Meat Heritage.
I have one Barred Rock Cockerel who will likely be the first Rooster I use on this years Cornish X females, I also have 8 Straight Run Light Brahmas that will likely produce me a male for this. I am also considering getting a batch of Red Rangers and using a Red Ranger Male because Red Ranger x CX might make some seriously impressive meat birds.
I just want to prove to myself I can be self sustainable... which is impossible because I can't produce enough feed on my tiny lot however if I eliminate the step of needing to mail order meat birds which is a hassle for me being deaf and everyone wearing a mask at the post office.
If its about saving money and costs its just better to order a new batch of CX because they will get them to you cheaper than it costs to produce your own. However if you like Ranger birds (in a general sense not a specific brand sense) they get expensive to order and breeding them might be cheaper.
