Standard Cornish vs. Cornish-X

[Brunty_Farms]

Tim-

Good point... on the computers!

I also want to point out that 99% of the people on here, are so quick to pick out the pitfalls of the cornish x and are also first to say they will not raise them because of those pitfalls. However those same people..... don't think twice about those chicken breast that are purchased at the store.... or the chicken salad they ate a restaurant.... or better yet those nuggets at your favorite fast food chain.

Don't eat chicken from the grocery store, restaurants, or fast food chains? Good for you.... your the minority. But if you do, and only you would know... that's kinda hypocritical to ones argument for local sustainable chicken.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
Provided they live that long.

Seriously, I think you pretty much summed up most of the advantages of raising the X Bird. They grow fast and you can butcher early. Only other advantage I can think of that you may have missed is FCR.

See, now that doesn't help. To me that goes to show the lack of knowledge your getting from reading about cornish x's. Not to mentioned how biased the information truly is. It's based from ones experiences with commercial broilers... not pasture pasted systems. Honestly, it's almost like your "agitating" just so you can have a conversation about something you don't really know much about?

They grow fast and butcher early? Isn't that the point if your wanting meat chickens? So you want flavor... grow them out a little longer. There are many advantages other than the three you mentioned, but you haven't raised them.... so I wouldn't expect you to know.

 

[dancingbear]

Many of the posts I've read that insist that the CX's are the best bird are focused entirely on raising them to sell commercially, and they are probably correct in that case. I hear over and over, "Time is money. Time is money. Time is money." This only applies if you are raising them commercially. Therefore, I'll repeat what seems to be frequently overlooked:
Many of us don't raise chickens commercially.
Many of us don't raise chickens commercially.
Many of us don't raise chickens commercially.

What works best in a commercial setting, may not be the best choice for a small flock intended ONLY for home use.

They aren't "devil birds", that's absurd. But neither are they sustainable in the truest sense of the word, for the reasons Buster52 has cited.

Say you had a flock of chickens. Suppose TSHTF, and suddenly you're on your own, (natural disaster, for instance, on a massive scale) you can't ship anything anywhere, everything has to be from what you already have, or what you can get hold of locally. Then what?

If you have birds you can breed, and that forage well, you have a fair chance you can keep them going, even though you'd have to plan things out and store something for them to eat through the winter, be it alfalfa and grains, root crops, or whatever. They may be thinner than before, but they'd survive. They'd help you survive, too. That's sustainability.

If that's not important to you, fine. To each their own. It's true that such a thing may never happen. But nobody can say, and it doesn't hurt a thing to be prepared.

Even lacking any sort of disaster, it's still true that the smaller the circle you have to provide for your needs, the better off you are, and the better off local food economies are. I'd rather support the local Farmer's Market (which I'm participating in as a seller, for the first time this year, and I'm excited about it!) than some big biz that ships lettuce 1200 miles for my salad.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
I'm trying to prove they can be sustainable.... time will tell. So far, it's been nothing but good things. No eggs yet but we aren't very far away from that. I know it's only 8 hens, but 100% of them have made it with no signs of any complications. Forage just as far as the Buckeyes I have.... so the whole thing about them not being sustainable is just an assumption, nothing more. I think the argument should be geared mored towards how unsustainable the commercial part of the industry is. It goes back to the genetics of the bird, they are just chickens...

Here is my only concern with the whole backyard sustainable thing... to me it doesn't make sense. If a hybrid proves to be efficient in a backyard setting, what else are you really looking for? If you feed the hybrids a 15% protein feed, and put them outside at a young age (2-4 weeks) they will grow just a bit faster than the DP's If they are able to range your looking at 10-12 weeks for a 4 lb bird... I don't understand why that is such a bad thing? Even keep a few hens back, breed them to a good DP breed and instantly you have improved your genetics for your meat flock.... I don't know...

There is a lot of people on here that raise hybrids and don't do it on a commercial level, time is still money especially for a family. Not only is it money but time away from your family, work, hobbies, ect. If hobbies include chickens than your set and DP breeds are an awesome choice. But even for the backyard family, most don't want to hassle with the extra roosters. Since hybrids produce both great female and male broilers it's a win win situation. Since you only have to raise them for 6-12 weeks and your done.... seems like a no brainer. Then also say you don't want to buy them from hatcheries... keep a trio to breed and there you have it. Multiple people on this site and others are doing exactly what I'm doing with success. So I just don't get the point that the hybrid isn't sustainable... because it's proven time and time again that it is. Maybe not in the commercial setting.... but nothing is sustainable in a commercial setting... like I said before... our food system is broke.

 

[CARS]

I think that many of you don't realize that Cornish X's aren't our only birds. I have a very diverse flock, many of which ARE dual-purpose breeds.

I just raise the Cornish to fill my freezer because they are faster and provide more meat.

I still believe that if anyone is unsure about raising Cornish X's (or any breed for that mater) should buy a few and try them out before making any assumptions about them.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I'm the same way, I have layers and heritage breeds... love them all. But you couldn't have said it better. It fills your freezer... and if you work full time... who really has time to take care of the extra flocks it may take for a meat line... Even if you keep the extra roosters from the hens you hatch a lot of times it not enough. But if it's a hobby and you like doing it... why not hatch your own and tinker with developing your own meat line... it's fun if its a hobby. But for most people it's not. It's nice to have a dozen hens for eggs and order 25 broilers to fill your freezer. Makes a lot more sense for the typical busy family.

 

[Bossroo]

All experiences as well as needs are different. I have raised most of the hariitage breeds at one time or another for 6 decades. I also was involved with thausands of chickens in a Univerity and private research and antibody development situations. So, I guess that I may have a little experience with them. The closest time I came to a commercial operation of my own was selling eggs to family and friends. Untill One time we had a flock of 40 NHR when a neighbor's b i t c h and her litter of 6 pups braught that flock to 0. I had to get a bunch of hatching eggs from my dad to restart. Another time I had another seperate flock of 15 BR get wiped out by racoons in one night. Another time I had 23 crossbred hens get wiped out by a storm that gave my 4 stall mare motel flying lessons and it was a tangled steel mess 30 feet away and upside down. I also have to keep by chickens in a fort knox housing situation for the past 15 years at our new ranch due to a huge number of predators. Only 6 inches of rain per year the last 7 years, summers ( June to Oct) between 99* - 113*. All animals , not to mention the chickens, just wilt in the heat. I mostly raised my chicken for meat + eggs for my own family or sometimes a gift to friends because I am very busy in the horse business. I have to spend a considerable amount of time as a one man operation in the care, standing 3 stallions at public stud, breeding, transporting, showing, racing and customer mare management anywhere from 20- 50 horses so very little time to raise any semblence of a commercial flock. 3 years ago, I came accross the Cornish X which gave me my chicken meat and most importancly LIBERATED much needed time to spend with my family. Buying 25 chicks, raise them for 6-8 weeks 3 times a year and all done for the year. For me, it is like having my cake and eating it too. A win win situation.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Provided they live that long.

Seriously, I think you pretty much summed up most of the advantages of raising the X Bird. They grow fast and you can butcher early. Only other advantage I can think of that you may have missed is FCR.

See, now that doesn't help.

It's a joke. I think clues are in the laughing face and the fact that the next paragraph begins with the word "Seriously".

As in the first paragraph wasn't.

 

[SteveH]

I intend to raise a few of each ; not to test against each other , and not to gather evidence to support an already formed opinion . Actually not so much to feed myself either ; I can buy Gold Coast chicken quarters for 59 cents per pound and I can't feed a chicken out for that amount even if I somebody gives me free chicks LOL . I have always enjoyed breeding and raising animals , and no longer physically nor finacially able to do what I enjoy with most other animals . Chickens to seem to me to be a logical choice for a hobby of this sort . The Cornish X is the most extreeme combination of size combined with fast growth available . Like Jeff and Katy , I want to play at useing those genetics to develope a non-hybrid . The Standard Cornish will also play a part . I figure it won't be a complete waste of time because even if I see no success there are going to be culls to eat or sell that will partially defray the cost of maintaining a small flock .
Its been between 35 and 45 years since I've been around a Cornish X . I'm sure some have been " improoved " since then and are even more inclined to eat 'till they drop dead if not properly managed . Other than hatchery or corporate hype , I can't find much info on the strains and usually the hatcheries don't mention which strain they're selling anyway . For Jeff and Katy , Townline of MI sells the Vantress X Arbor (AA70) Cross and a slightly slower Hubbard White Mountain ; the former they hype as a fair layer if controlled for size . Since I recall that there were a few pullets held for broilers that had reached point of lay at slaughter , I'm guessing the White Mountain are closer to the Cornish X I remember from my childhood .

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
My car wasn't made locally, either. I have looked everywhere for one manufactured here in southwest Oklahoma and the closest I could get to it was the tires.

And those were made from oil.

I'm such a fraud.