White Cornish: Building a Quality, Sustainable Flock for Meat and More.....

[Fat Daddy]

SOP means different things to different folks,sorta like politics and religion everyone will have a different idea. To me the SOP, keeps a majority breeding along similar lines even though everyone will interpret the guidelines differently.

I totally agree man. It seems there is so much that exhibition judges look for that is no where in the actual SOP. Then this changes by what part of the country you happen to be in... Most are not all that familiar with Cornish... I like the old, original definition of the breed myself.... as the man said, a picture is worth 1000 words. This one is from a very old publication. It shows the "Ideal" proportions of Cornish.... I agree

 

[JRNash]

I can actually understand that drawing.lol

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Cool picture that helps me understand the Cornish a bit better thanks.

I think SoPs should be good guides to the breed, and usually they are.

 

[JRNash]

You have to start somewhere

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

You guys have convinced me - well, you and several other threads that I've looked at regarding other breeds. It's not a good idea, especially since the DC are only 2nd generation hatchery stock. There is apparently no way that I'd be able to get the dark coloring out while still maintaining the WC body-type. It would only bring down the quality, no way it would bring it up or even maintain it, even several generations in. (I know FD's nodding his head right now...)

And yes, why aren't there more breeders of WC? That is part of my issue right now, I may have to take a road trip across the Midwest to obtain a few pure lines. Hence the brainstorming on my end. I will make a vow, should I obtain a solid third line of WC, I will breed in pursuit of the standard and sell to anyone I can locally to expand the breed. Hopefully in the next few years this won't be a problem any longer.

 

[JRNash]

You could keep them separate, work towards SOP with the white. Put a white over your dark hen and EAT all of them!!

 

[Fairview01]

I agree and disagree. If it were me and I already didn't have the DCs I think I would beat the bushes and find the WCs. Find a show person culling their stock froim the spring. Their culls they grew out grim the spring showed promise when they were young. To my untrained eye the yard birds I got from Sam could have been used as models for FDs drawing.

If I had the DCs I would continue breeding them and be very selective about who gets to have happy endings during the day and who ends up in the table. There is no telling what genetics these birds might have that will show up in their progeny. I would also continue looking for the WCs I wanted, either cock or hen and snatch them up and do the same while still being on the lookout to pick up what ever I needed in terms of finishing a WC breeding trio.

With that being said I could not take the later part of my own advice. I wanted whites, not darks.

You guys have convinced me - well, you and several other threads that I've looked at regarding other breeds. It's not a good idea, especially since the DC are only 2nd generation hatchery stock. There is apparently no way that I'd be able to get the dark coloring out while still maintaining the WC body-type. It would only bring down the quality, no way it would bring it up or even maintain it, even several generations in. (I know FD's nodding his head right now...)

And yes, why aren't there more breeders of WC? That is part of my issue right now, I may have to take a road trip across the Midwest to obtain a few pure lines. Hence the brainstorming on my end. I will make a vow, should I obtain a solid third line of WC, I will breed in pursuit of the standard and sell to anyone I can locally to expand the breed. Hopefully in the next few years this won't be a problem any longer.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I am the sort that like to experiment but with a plan...

Hatchery birds are not always bad, it is a dice roll, the more you get the better your chance to find good ones, cull or sell the rest and depends on your goals. We had SQ birds from a hatchery years ago and they won again and again for my kids.

Everyone starts some where and the best advice is start with what you can get, what you have and improve through selection. The poultry 4H leader just used to shake her head how crazy it was my daughter was winning with Hatchery birds and a huge bird that was used for the whole knowledge test class tiny kid flipping a huge bird around getting the bird to do everything the bantams would not for the other kids... that RIR loved the attention.

I am limited on my space here and what I can have... grumble no roosters, so I am looking carefully to what to add to my mini flock. I will have to add soon.

If I could breed I would probably choose the Cornish SoP and move toward that... So I would have 100% Breed birds and then the experiment birds mutts I breed for food & eggs and to fiddle with to see how close I can move them all in the direction of the SoP so Cornish EE NN and then the proper Cornish flocks. Oh and if I have space for the Cornish project I will get my Jungle Fowl again too and keep them separate... I super miss those crazy Jungle Fowl.

So if you got the space just get a few D.C. is my advice and see how you like them, you can cross for food reasons or simply gradually improve your line by breeding as many D.C. from your starting stock and culling heavily toward the SoP.

Some hatchery Cornish even have pearl eyes... go figure. Also pearl eyes can take a bit to develop, many folks have culled to soon for that sold stock off only to discover the birds latter matured into the SoP eye color for their breed (happens in the other pearl eye breeds).

 

[GreatBreeder]

A way to breed white Cornish is to cross the widely avalible bantams with large fowl WLR. You'll get there with a few generations and culliing.

 

[ZachyWachy]

I'm hoping to get some cornish sometime, maybe next year, but anyone know a sure place to get some good quality cornish? Yes I would love to breed them, no specifics cause I'm not that good yet, but just for the fun and then I don't have to ask my parents for some each year.