Who Sells Decent Dark Cornish?

[swampducks]

I'm not looking to breed a perfect specimen, just want to try some dark cornish because they seem to be good foragers and my husband likes the looks of them (anything to keep DH from pulling the plug on my chicken thang works for me!)

After doing a search through the BYC boards I've seen a couple comments that the ones from McMurray aren't so hot (particularly the tail feathers are just wrong), but I haven't seen anything bad about Welp's or Cackle's. I also see Ideal sells them and a place in Florida called Double R Supply.

I'm a little worried about shipments to northern MI from as far away as TX or FL but then an order of guineas from a hatchery in Ohio last year did not go well at all.

So, any opinions as to whom I should order from? I don't want them before May, I shudder at the thought of chicks arriving when it's -5F outside.

These guys will be free ranging with my GLWs, buckeyes and guineas.

Thanks

 

[Southerngirl]

Here is a pic of our Dark Cornish from Cackle last year (March 2008). They are so tame and look so neat in the yard. Excellent at tending to themselves ! You will love them. They were a last minute choice for us and we are ordering the white laced red cornish this year to go with them ! They were about 7 months I think in the pics and are 10 months now. Sorry no recent pic its cold here !!!

 

[swampducks]

Your pictures are great, those are soooo cool looking!

Did you get the Marek's vaccination? I always waffle whether I should or not.

Where will you be getting your white laced from?

 

[Southerngirl]

I did get the Mareks Vaccination for them. It was only 10 cents per bird. The white laced red cornish I am ordering from Ideal Poultry since they were cheaper. They also have a Cornish special with the Buff, Dark and White laced reds included that I am looking at too !! You will really love these birds. Greyfields one of the moderators who post in the meatbirds section alot calls them "little falcons" ! One of our hens "Lady" jumps in the front of my truck when I open the door and I have to make her get out!

 

[swampducks]

And Ideal is closer to you than Cackle. When will you be getting them? I have to wait till spring!!! It's -4 outside right now!

 

[Southerngirl]

I always order within the last 2 weeks of March. I do not want any problems with the babies and the weather. Cackle is actually closer to us, only 4 hours away. I always try to order from hatcheries clsoer to us also so they do not have such a long trip. Out of 125 chicks last spring we only lost 3. 2 to other animals and 1 to natural causes. Very healthy chicks !

 

[swampducks]

Quote:
Wow 125 chicks! I'm only getting 25, I don't have room for more, in fact I won't be able to keep all of these.

Last year was the first time I ordered any birds through the mail and also figured the closer the hatchery the better. My chicks arrived fine. But because they are so close, they weren't flown but driven by mail truck from Ohio to MI.

So when my guinea order was filled it was a disaster because they hatched early, (I wasn't notified, not that I could have stopped it), they were shipped on a Friday and got stuck in a PO over the weekend (probably Detroit, more than a 5 hour drive away). I didn't know they were coming till what was left (poor things) arrived the next week at my local PO.

They refunded my money but it should never have happened. So now I want to order far enough away that they'll be flown by air to one of the closer POs.

125 chicks all at once, that must be such fun though!

 

[swampducks]

Heh. I did a search on Dark Cornish and found my own post!

So I thought I'd add another question and if no one notices I'll start a new thread.

I still haven't gotten any dark cornish for various reasons, but today I discovered the hatchery closest to me that I have dealt with now carries them! Meyer Hatchery in Ohio whom I've gotten nice birds from before now has them. BUT they claim, and I quote from their catalog:

Cornishes do not do well free range without supplemental feed.

Say WHAT?

Everything I've read everywhere else says they are EXCELLENT foragers! Do they have some kind of meek strain? Or did the catalog writer simply confuse Cornish with Cornish crosses? I'll call and ask but I wondered if anyone here can enlighten me?

 

[Illia]

Whoever would write they do bad with foraging and outside confinement is obviously misinformed or thinks they are Cornish crosses. Cornish, like any other Oriental looking bird (Shamo, Asil, Ga Noi, etc) are quite good at that. They aren't often allowed huge areas to forage, but they're not handicapped or stupid like Cornish crosses. (nothing against them, its just - the breeding that goes into them has made them sooo terrible. It is cruel just to let one live, really)

I'd love to see someone who actually breeds real cornish, though. The photos people show are nice, yeah, but cornish should have a little more neck and chest. They should look "mighty" like their Oriental Game cousins.

 

[swampducks]

Quote:
Me, too. The old paintings of them show a much different looking bird than the photos in the catalogs. I wonder what they've become crossed with? The sure look like dark colored buff chanteclers a couple pages over. I don't know of anyone who has birds approaching the original.