This hen was sold to me as a White Rock. I guess my big question is based on these pictures and information do you think she was a White Rock or something else? She is a pullet in all these pictures and weighs a hefty 10lbs. Sadly she and almost all of my chickens were lost to some 2 and 4 legged critters last night. I was REALLY REALLY looking forward to getting some nice DP babies out of her but now I'm hunting for a replacement. She had just started laying and gave me a HUGE double yolker yesterday morning. To tell you how big she is. The other white pullets are Delaware pullets and are a decent size. This is a 8 month old Barnevelder Rooster next to her.
Nope she looks like a cornish cross meatbird hen that has been kept on a diet. I've raised them like that before.
Very sad to hear of your loss to predation. A side note: The White Rock has been my favorite for over 50 years. Sadly, I see a trend being reported here. The White Rock shown at poultry judging contests are getting HUGE. Breeder after breeder that I respect are saying this. Since weighing the birds is no longer normal practice, the bigger birds seem to impress the judges and color their perspective. Breeder after breeder is complaining that this is the current situation. The SOP states a maximum weight and that weight is being routinely exceeded, according to reports. It has been reported that breeders with quality birds are now shunning the shows because they feel slighted by breeding birds truer to the SOP. None of this is a happy report to post, but if true, we should know this occurring. It is possible, therefor, that the White Rock may start showing up in people's backyard with these Jersey Giant weights? It wouldn't surprise me. So what would be wrong with a jumbo strains of White Rock? Isn't that a good thing? Apparently, there are reports of leg problems in holding up all that weight. I am merely reporting. I personally love a BIG White Rock, but not if they SOP is being exceeded and not if this trend is true and is discouraging to breeders more faithful to the heritage of the White Rock.
Well I have 2 Cornish X hens that didn't get big enough that I keep around and they look NOTHING like her. She was very active, got around great, and laid eggs daily once she started. These aren't your typical meat bird characteristics. I'm kicking myself for not buying all the ones they had. They have all been sold.
Quote:correct.. a CornishX broiler, they used to have some white rock blood in them, but that was decades ago..
Quote:Well to me she looks just like some of the broiler breeder hens from the actual hen lines that they use to make the broilers, the hens are from a line that are bred to lay better and be more feed efficient, and the male like is just bbred to be big and meaty. My family and I have worked in these commercial breeder houses before and I've gotten escapee hens that managed to evade the catchers when they go out at the end of the season and she looks exactly like some of then hens from the breeding hen line that I've been arounf before. So maybe the person you got her from got her as an escapee from a commercial house. ( if someone leaves a door open and if any birds get out, they can't be put back in for biosecurity reasons so maybe that's what happen with her.
