Topic of the Week - Broilers and other table birds

[abbevilleoz]

I was told yhe cornish cross chickens do not breed true since they are crosses. Also they get very crippled as they age. Too heavy for their own bones I think.

I have heard on a restricted diet they can live longer

That's what I've read and been taught by guys on the Meatbird forum. Cockerels will not survive long but if you're careful with them the pullets will live into maturity and lay eggs. The males are not physically able to breed at maturity anyways. Some of the BYC meat bird folks cross the females with Dark Cornish or other dual purpose breeds. I've seen photos of some of the results and they are quite impressive.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A little about the history of the Cornish Cross, Cornish X, Cornish Rock, or whatever you wish to call them. They go by different names in different countries. The Cornish X were developed in the middle of the 1900’s by selective breeding. There are no GMO’s or anything like that involved. Genetics experts selected which chickens to breed to create them. The selection has improved since then but by the 1950’s the Cornish Cross was so efficient at feed to meat conversion that people stopped breeding Delaware, White Rock, and New Hampshire as commercial meat birds. They just could not compete economically.

Growth hormones are not involved either. Growth hormones have been banned in chickens since 1959. When you see a package of chicken advertising in big letters, no growth hormones, that’s true but also misleading. Since they are banned no one else uses them either. That’s not true of some other meats but it is true in chickens.

The genetic formula to create the Cornish X is a top secret with the different poultry producers. Each company have their own breeding stock. They started out with Cornish to improve the breast meat portion as part of the genetic mix. White Rock was probably in the mix to give lighter feathers to improve the carcass appearance and other genetics. Other breeds may have been used. It is not a simple cross of Cornish and White Rocks. It involves many generations of selective breeding by experts. We cannot create them on our own in a couple of generations.

The current Cornish X is a four-way hybrid. They maintain four different flocks to produce the breeding that will produce the broilers. Each of the four flocks produces a distinct grandparent of the broilers. One flock produces the hens that will lay the eggs that become the mothers of the broilers. A different flock produces the roosters for that mating. To flocks produce the breeding birds that will produce the fathers. So you have two more flocks that produce the parents of the broilers, then a seventh flock that finally lays the eggs that hatch to become the broilers. You are not going to reproduce that in your back yard.

If you read through this forum you can find several posts or threads where people have tried to keep the Cornish X to breed. Some succeed but most fail or are disappointed. The broilers are bred to convert feed to meat so efficiently that often by the time they are 8 to 10 weeks old they have grown so big that their heart has trouble keeping up or their skeleton just can’t support all that weight and they break down or die. They can also be too big to breed naturally so you might have to resort to artificial insemination. The way commercial operations get around that is that they restrict the feed of the parents so they don’t get as big. It’s a pretty fine balance of feeding them enough to keep them healthy and productive laying hatching eggs versus feeding them too much so they develop medical problems. These show how a certain commercial operation in Canada handles this. It can dispel many myths about the broilers.

They are hybrids and will not breed true but they will pass on a lot of the genetics for fast meat gain. Many people try crossing the broilers with other breeds to retain some of that fast growth but slow it down enough that the chickens can survive and breed. Some have been happy with their results, some have not.

 

[donrae]

That's what I've read and been taught by guys on the Meatbird forum. Cockerels will not survive long but if you're careful with them the pullets will live into maturity and lay eggs. The males are not physically able to breed at maturity anyways. Some of the BYC meat bird folks cross the females with Dark Cornish or other dual purpose breeds. I've seen photos of some of the results and they are quite impressive.

We've had members who were surprised there.....they hatched chicks that were obviously from their little CX cockerels. Never rule out the drive to reproduce!

 

[abbevilleoz]

We've had members who were surprised there.....they hatched chicks that were obviously from their little CX cockerels. Never rule out the drive to reproduce!

. First rule of the chaos theory!

 

[abbevilleoz]

Our first CX tasted great. Meat was tender, good texture. Wife said the breast meat reminded her of turkey. I'm a thigh guy, they we're delicious.

 

[speedy2020]

If you don't mind waiting 16-18 weeks to process, I recommend White Bresse (American Bresse). They taste great and don't have to worry about leg and heart problem.

 

[MungoSummer]

I have been trying different pure breeds and my own hybrids for meat. So far I have found Australorps and Ixworth are very good pure breeds, Australorps x Buff Sussex was also good. I free range them in electric netting with the rest of the flock until they are 16 or so weeks of age, then pen them in a smaller area for last 2 to 3 weeks to finish them. The birds need to be cooked in liquid - I usually put them in slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours with cider, carrot, celery and onion. We get enough breast meat for 3 people and one or two more meals. We only eat the boys and keep or sell the pullets. They do cost quite a bit to feed (growers pellets 18% protein) and the growing time is long, but the birds have enjoyed running around and are easy to keep. We also eat any other spare boys (didn't bother with the leghorns) RIR and light Sussex were good but less breast than Australorps and Ixworths.

 

[duluthralphie]

I raise lots of "meat birds".

Everything that is not a layer becomes meat, either for me or someone else.

I do things differently than most. I have mine own "strain" of meat birds.

I slow the growth down. I also have a breeding flock of them. I have found the CX roosters can breed, but there size makes it hard on hens. A "apron" helps.


I have 10 going into next year for breeding. I have a pair that is 18 months old now. They are still doing good. I do not worry about feed conversion. To me a slower growing bird is better than a fast growing one.

The males I cull at 13-14 weeks will dress at around 12-14 pounds. We like the large roasters. I limit their feed and free range them. I only give them feed in the evening, forcing them to run around and forage. I also keep the water and feed a long ways apart to force movement. By doing these things I do not have the dirty lazy birds I hear so many call CX's or their descendants.

I feel this is disjointed. I wrote and article on raising them last year, if you look it up it goes into more detail.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raising-large-table-birds


I am enjoying the thread thanks Sumi!