JRNash, danes and horses apply because large breed animals all share similar health problems and management, but we have almost no information on managing these problems in chickens because CX are considered terminal.
For example, in Great Danes they are fed a special diet as puppies with lower protein levels and higher calcium. This is to keep them from developing body size too quickly for their bones and heart to keep up with. The higher calcium allows them to build larger, stronger bones because Danes also suffer from leg breakage if their bones are insufficient to their body mass. Exactly the way cornish crosses do. We see a similar correlation in horses. Giant draft horses also tend to be fed more calcium and less protein than their smaller counterparts.
We often see rumors that CX are terminal, and don't live past a few months because of leg breakage and heart failure, but often that's just got to do with management not the actual bird. And we can prove this by examining, again, giant dogs and horses who are also terminal if you don't care for them correctly. So if you're trying to extend longevity and health for Toads (which makes sense because a bird that lives longer is reproductive for longer), looking at how giant animals are managed across other species helps us craft a management plan for our birds, both in breeding for longevity and in day-to-day management for longevity. Since a CX on it's own can live 2 years with good management, if the toads can live to 4 years with good management, that's a step in the right direction.
But you also don't want to breed out the ability to put on weight incredibly fast because that's what makes them good meat birds. So it seems, to me at least, that the Toads seek to be a bird that lives 4 years, breeds true, but CAN be terminal if fed in excess. Imagine if you will, a bird with a 4 year lifespan, very breedable, but if you manage the feeding differently it grows fast enough to compete with a classic CX. You could either raise them in a classic confinement setting for extreme results like we do with CX, or outdoors completely free-range, slow growth, or anything inbetween, and it's a bird that breeds true and gives you the results you want. It can either hit 5lbs at 6-8 weeks, or at 10-12, all based on management.
We already have a similar animal in Great Danes, because we have a dog that can either become a great family pet and can reproduce easily, or, if we feed them wrong they put on so much weight so quickly that their bones snap. How did they get there? What management is used on Danes that we can use on chickens to achieve the same goals?
Another thing the OP was saying was they were breeding for larger leg thickness to help support the birds. That's a really good idea, but you can also get a larger leg thickness out of a CX without breeding just by feeding some extra calcium from a young age. If you combine both the additional calcium in the diet with more genetically sound legs you are more likely to get a bird with fewer leg issues. And we also know about that because of danes and horses.
So there's a lot of correlation and information that can be shared across the species to learn from.
For example, in Great Danes they are fed a special diet as puppies with lower protein levels and higher calcium. This is to keep them from developing body size too quickly for their bones and heart to keep up with. The higher calcium allows them to build larger, stronger bones because Danes also suffer from leg breakage if their bones are insufficient to their body mass. Exactly the way cornish crosses do. We see a similar correlation in horses. Giant draft horses also tend to be fed more calcium and less protein than their smaller counterparts.
We often see rumors that CX are terminal, and don't live past a few months because of leg breakage and heart failure, but often that's just got to do with management not the actual bird. And we can prove this by examining, again, giant dogs and horses who are also terminal if you don't care for them correctly. So if you're trying to extend longevity and health for Toads (which makes sense because a bird that lives longer is reproductive for longer), looking at how giant animals are managed across other species helps us craft a management plan for our birds, both in breeding for longevity and in day-to-day management for longevity. Since a CX on it's own can live 2 years with good management, if the toads can live to 4 years with good management, that's a step in the right direction.
But you also don't want to breed out the ability to put on weight incredibly fast because that's what makes them good meat birds. So it seems, to me at least, that the Toads seek to be a bird that lives 4 years, breeds true, but CAN be terminal if fed in excess. Imagine if you will, a bird with a 4 year lifespan, very breedable, but if you manage the feeding differently it grows fast enough to compete with a classic CX. You could either raise them in a classic confinement setting for extreme results like we do with CX, or outdoors completely free-range, slow growth, or anything inbetween, and it's a bird that breeds true and gives you the results you want. It can either hit 5lbs at 6-8 weeks, or at 10-12, all based on management.
We already have a similar animal in Great Danes, because we have a dog that can either become a great family pet and can reproduce easily, or, if we feed them wrong they put on so much weight so quickly that their bones snap. How did they get there? What management is used on Danes that we can use on chickens to achieve the same goals?
Another thing the OP was saying was they were breeding for larger leg thickness to help support the birds. That's a really good idea, but you can also get a larger leg thickness out of a CX without breeding just by feeding some extra calcium from a young age. If you combine both the additional calcium in the diet with more genetically sound legs you are more likely to get a bird with fewer leg issues. And we also know about that because of danes and horses.
So there's a lot of correlation and information that can be shared across the species to learn from.
I've never had leg issues but the leg bones DO end up being massive.
