Tractor Supply Co Sexing - Accurate?

[DesertBird]

Hmmmm, interesting. I believe there's a whole forum here devoted to them, I just haven't gone and read it because I don't plan on having them anymore. I have friends who raise 50 a year and butcher and put in freezer.

The employee I was chatting with at TSC said the meat birds just eat constantly, so I'm wondering if with set feeding times and less protein if they'd be able to survive like an egg laying bird.

 

[Leighe]

Cornish X and Cornish Rocks are different names for the same meat birds. They are no longer simply Cornish x white Rock crosses but specific 4 way breedings.

If managed carefully they can live longer lives and people do use them for breeding. Check out duluthraplhie's Toad thread in the Meat forum if you're interested in what can be done with them.

Cornish is the English breed. Rocks are a US creation.

Thanks for the info....good to know. The sign on mine said Cornish Rocks (though I think they actually had written Rock Cornish), which is why I was thinking small bird like a quail (Rock Cornish Hen is what I was thinking of). They said nothing about them being meat birds or that they would have to be processed in 8-10 weeks. Can't imagine a family, with little kids, looking to buy their first chickens and these start growing faster then the children! And then they start dying 2 months later because the family has no clue they have Meat chickens. My heart just broke for the chickens. To have such a short life span, have heart and leg problems, just eat....what kind of life is that? Not to mention the joy I get from watching my babies grow slowly and run around everywhere. Oh and the Cornish X lay nuclear bomb poop! Huge poop!

 

[Leighe]

The employee I was chatting with at TSC said the meat birds just eat constantly, so I'm wondering if with set feeding times and less protein if they'd be able to survive like an egg laying bird.

According to Keesmom people are actually raising them, though she said they have to be managed.

 

[DesertBird]

According to Keesmom people are actually raising them, though she said they have to be managed.

How so? For eggs? I'd imagine egg production is awful. I wouldn't mind trying it some day! I'd be so sad when they died, though.

 

[AuntJamie]

I got 13 rirs and 2 cms from tsc. All correctly labeled as pullets. I wouldn't call them dual purpose as they lay quite well but aren't very meaty.

 

[Leighe]

How so? For eggs? I'd imagine egg production is awful. I wouldn't mind trying it some day! I'd be so sad when they died, though.

I think if people are raising them and managing them they probably aren't dying early deaths. Certainly not if they are producing eggs. No matter what I won't be getting anymore.

 

[keesmom]

Thanks for the info....good to know. The sign on mine said Cornish Rocks (though I think they actually had written Rock Cornish), which is why I was thinking small bird like a quail (Rock Cornish Hen is what I was thinking of).

The Cornish game hens that you see in the store are simply Cornish X processed at an even earlier age (around 4 weeks). Fryers are usually 6-8 weeks and roasters 9-12 weeks,

 

[apryl29]

Cornish X are White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock cross. These are the ones in the store. Have to be butchered at 8-10 weeks because they get so big they will break their own legs or have heart attacks or strokes. As far as I know its almost impossible (or rare) to breed these. I mean if they can barely walk how are they having sex??

Rock Cornish or Cornish Rock is a breed from England and they are big birds (like 8 lbs.) supposedly noisy and the site said some consider them lap birds cause they're not energetic or great foragers.

Glad for this info. I had no idea this was a thing. Def something to remember. We checked out the chicks at our local store today. Black sex link pullets, production red straight run, Jersey giants pullets, Cornish rock straight run, and barred rock straight run. It was hard to walk out w/o a box of chicks.

 

[AuntJamie]

And I forgot to mention the marans eggs are not chocolate brown. Light to mediumish with freckles. I have rirs that lay darker eggs.

 

[The Moonshiner]

The Cornish game hens that you see in the store are simply Cornish X processed at an even earlier age (around 4 weeks). Fryers are usually 6-8 weeks and roasters 9-12 weeks,

Really, i thought those little ones were just the Cornish hens that are the Cornish in Cornish X.
I did hear that the Cornish X was a 4 breed cross.

For the other poster... When you talk about people breeding them it is usually to other breeds to produce a good meat bird without the Cornish X trough rate which equals their issues right? A more sustainable meat bird.