Starting my own meat birds dark cornish and cross with white rock

[biophiliac]

Interesting video! good luck

 

[Hammer65]

I have done a bit of research on this and having a Indian Game (Cornish) as the Rooster means the egg laying ability is set by the Rooster which means not a lot of eggs being laid so a slow process. I have put a Brahma Rooster over a Indian Game hen means big fast growing chicks which will lay far more eggs. This is what I am finding unless it has just been a fluke but I doubt it. Cheers Paul

 

[mdrake]

I put Cornish cock over New Hampshire hens. I'm not planning on saving and of the crossed chicks, there all for meat. My Cornish might lay three to four eggs per week, but the New Hampshire's lay closer to six per week. Weather changes, even cleaning out coop seems to put too much stress on the Cornish and they quit pawing for a couple days.

 

[Hammer65]

That makes sense, I myself have never had a Indian Game hen lay that well so that is great she is full Indian?(Cornish). Cheers Paul

 

[mdrake]

I have 6 LF White Cornish or Indian Game hens and 3 cocks. At ideal conditions that's about what they have layed. Its hard to tell for sure as some of the New Hampshire eggs are small and light brown as well. I have never completely separated them to know for sure. I feed them a high protein mash with a pan of black oil sunflower seeds and a pan of oysters shells, and they regularly are tuened out to run the yard, eat grass bugs etc. This years goal is to hatch enough to keep back 12-15 pullets and 2 replacement cockerels. I started with a pair last year and for what they cost and how hard they were to come bye I'm waiting till next year or the year after before bringing a new bloodline into them.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Sounds like a great experiment! I have raised pure LF cornish for several years now, both dark and white. I have found 2 eggs every 3 days per hen to be the norm with both. I would recommend you grow out a few of the pure white cornish along side of the crosses as a "control" for your experiment. This way you'll know if you gained any ground over the pure cornish...I have tried several crosses and none were as good the pure white cornish..... I wish you luck and keep posting your results! Bill

 

[Hammer65]

The Road Island red, Brahma or Light Sussex over a Indian Game Hen (Cornish) definitely gives you a bigger bird with longer legs, the breast is still the same as the pure Cornish but they move much easier and I don't find they are picked on as much in a mixed flock. Cheers Paul

 

[Fat Daddy]

The Road Island red, Brahma or Light Sussex over a Indian Game Hen (Cornish) definitely gives you a bigger bird with longer legs, the breast is still the same as the pure Cornish but they move much easier and I don't find they are picked on as much in a mixed flock. Cheers Paul

Good morning Paul, I have never tried Sussex over a cornish. But I have used Rhode Island Reds. As well as Cochins, Orpingtons, Black copper marans, and Buckeys. In every group there would be a few with a good build. But there would always be more that had the deep "Y" type breast and long legs of the cross and less of the good cornish. I often wondered if selective breeding from the best of the crosses would produce a consistently good body type. But I never it carried past a the first generation.... Bill

 

[Hammer65]

That definitely works, if you cross the offspring back to each other. They are big all round heavy and grow fast the first cross is a little lanky but heavy but the 2nd cross is an awesome meat bird and in my opinion a little more resistant to most things. In Australia the Indian Game (Cornish) is not the strongest as far as if they get anything the turn their toes up a little too easy for my liking but the 2nd cross tough as old boots and lay better.it seems a few people are getting way more eggs then I have found normal. Cheers Paul

 

[Turk Raphael]

This year I'm crossing Dark Cornish over Chantecler hens and vice versa. That's as far as my plan goes until I see the results of the crosses at maturity. I have one white Cornish pullet but she is not a clean white, having flecks of black all over her body but otherwise, a pretty good looking bird.