"White broilers" vs. "jumbo Cornish X Rocks"

[Bluff Country Chicken]

Meyer's Hatchery in Ohio uses the first term while McMurray's in Iowa uses the second. Has anyone gotten both of these from these specific hatcheries? I've had good luck with McMurray, but the Meyer prices would save 30-40%.

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

I have the same question. I got 15 Cornish Rocks from Ideal--I called them and asked if they were the same thing as a Cornish X--but I'm not sure. Can someone help us?

 

[annageckos]

As far as I know cornish rocks and cornish x are the same thing. They are both cornish x rocks.

 

[ngamtnman]

From my under standing of them, the "x" stands for cross (cornish cross), because they are a cross between a cornish rooster and a white rock hen. So that's why some refer to them as cornish rocks. So cornish x/cornish cross/cornish rock are all the same.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Meyer's term for the meat bird is probably more accurate, but they are all basicly the same bird, possibly even the same exact strain. The original cross of specific strains of White Cornish to specific strains of Plymouth White Rock is long past, all the major developers went to a system using parent lines developed off the oringinal crossbreds, possibly other breeds added, and Tyson purchased most [if not all] of the companies involved in breeding the modern white broiler. As far as I can determine, the only way they can hatch and sell whatever each hatchery calls their fastest growing, commercial type, broiler chicks that we buy, the hatcheries have to either:
1. Be contracted with Tyson to purchase breeding stock, and that breeding stock has to go to a processor after their short period of productivity.
or:
2. Buy hatching eggs from one of Tyson's registered poultry breeding farms.

P.S. You might want to check prices here, I have found their CX to be very nice. http://www.schlechthatchery.com/chickens.htm

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

I wish the hatcheries would stop using any term that refers to Cornish or Rock for the commercial broiler strains they sell.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
That crossing occurred 60 years ago, the commercial broilers are no longer the offspring of a Cornish and a Rock. Now the broilers are produced using strains of birds slected for various characteristics using advanced genetic selection tools.

Jim

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

I wish the hatcheries would stop using any term that refers to Cornish or Rock for the commercial broiler strains they sell.

ME TOO!
It is so inaccuarte and misleading.

BTW another respondent- It was the Dark Cornish that was used to develope the modern meat chicken, not the White.​

 

[ngamtnman]

Thanks for the info guys! I've never really be able to find a whole lot of info on them before, I thought they were all still crossed between a cornish rooster and white rock hen.

Any idea on how to produce your own parent line? Just take a a plump rooster and hen and start breeding? Are there any characteristics they look for?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

That crossing occurred 60 years ago, the commercial broilers are no longer the offspring of a Cornish and a Rock.

No, the modern birds are a four way cross, although the lines are a far cry from the standard birds.

The great-grandparent flocks exist as pure pedigreed lines: male lines (Cornish origins) can be described as Flocks A and B, the female lines (Rock origins) as Flocks C and D.

These are bred to produce the grandparents: Male Line Flocks: Male AA, Female BB and Female Line Flocks: Male CC, and Female DD.

These are bred to produce the parents: Male AB and Female CD.

The result is male and female broilers of lineage ABCD.​