Why ruin a great thing?

Okay, so I don't post much, but this I felt I have to.

I get a huge number of people looking for birds each year, and honestly, one of the breeds I get questioned on the most regarding sourcing is for Cornish. There is an incredibly common misunderstanding that Cornish are apparently not a good meat breed when purebred. I beg to differ at this point. This is my second purchase of culls from a very good freind of mine who raises purebred, show quality Cornish. This time I purchased 15 pullets from him and we had them butchered as we have a large family and eat a lot of chicken. All I can say is wow, they weighed out at 5.5 lbs average each bird, dressed weight. Remember, these are pullets at 9 months of age! There is a picture below of one of the processed birds. At 20 weeks, James tells me cockerels will be about 9 lbs. Very impressive birds.

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Anyways, I wanted to try and point out that the out-cross people do with rocks, or whatever they have is completely unnecessary to produce a meat bird. The finished product also points out that there is a purpose for purebreds and defines why exhibitors created such a breed in the first place. In my opinion, the outcross with rocks, would only create a deeper-bodied bird which likely would not develop such expansive breast meat and grow less-quick than these purebreds do. I also want to mention that these birds produce an incredible amount of eggs as well.

Enough of my rant. The bottom line is, why cross-breed cornish like it seems everyone wants to do these days?

Clayton

I just bought some standard and some bantam cornish and I cant wait to try processing them. They are super cute, very cool to pick up and you can feel the meat on them. I think they are going to surpass my expectations meat wise.
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Has part to do with the hybrid vigour thing that everyone seems to be hot on these days, I think it is a trend/fase. Just like all the labradoodle/cockanoodles/st bernese/puggle etc. Like all pure breds have vices all of the sudden . In a couple decades we will have labradoodlecockanoodles and stbernesepuggle crosses also.

Anyway, back to your cornish. Must agree here and can confirm this from a good friend who raises cornish just for the table. He grows them on green pasture and ends up with huge carcasses of some of the most flavourful meat you can taste.

Piet

I raised some white laced red cornish three summers ago and was very pleased with how they dressed out. Even the ones I butchered quite young were filled out well. If I didn't have my pens full, I wouldn't hesitate to raise them for meat.

That is great to hear Clayton! I have a pile of bantam cornish hatching right now just for the table. We have a small family and wanted a small bird that I could pasture raise and not worry about all summer long. I actually plan to confine them a week prior to slaughter and feed a high calorie ration and milk. I actually like a little fat on my birds. I think it keeps the meat more tender and moist. Once I get better set up I am going to get some standard as well. Some day I would love to own some of James' birds. I like the look of the little walking bricks, and they are quite friendly as well. I really think the cornish are way undervalued.

All I can say is that I would not hesitate to eat that lovely bird. One day, if I ever get the space, I would love to try to raise some myself.

Good Post Clayton
My neighbours love my L.F Dark Cornish in the fall when I am culling, they look just like those all dressed out in about late Nov. and the nice thing about them is that they have wonderful temperments and taste yummy too.

Heather

Cornish! My passion, Clayton. This is my second year with bantams and I can't wait to taste them as well as show them. I think a bantam Cornish will make a perfect meal for two.

I think the demand for the crosses is due to the speed that they reach full size.

A picture is worth a thousand words...so glad you posted this. That is one tasty looking chicken!

Well, sometimes I think I am a little daft. Is cornish the birds that people keep referring to as the frankenbirds? I need to know....

When I was at a poultry show in Armstrong I saw a dark cornish bird. It was one that Heather had entered. I can clearly remember standing there looking and looking at this bird. I don't think that I had ever seen a more intricate looking and beautiful bird in my life. Really. It had such a beautiful head and eyes that made you keep staring, the big thick legs, the big thick body, I was so impressed with the beauty of the bird that I saw. Is this the same breed of chicken that is used for those fast growing meat birds? I really need to know. Pleeeze. Elaborate, someone, enlighten me. There are many breeds that have the cornish blood in them, I know that, even the buckeyes have cornish in there (dark that is). This is a most interesting topic Clayton, thanks for starting it, I am learning some cool stuff today!! Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Good Morning Cindi, No the L.F. Cornish are not the same as those disquisting meat birds but they have been used in the Hybid cross to make the meat birds. If you look at those white meat birds they have that sort of Cornish stance only they can't stand most times due to their fast grow rate.

I get numerous call though out the year from people looking to purchase my L.F Cornish to as Clayton says cross into Plymouth Rocks and other breeds and just like him I can't figure out why as you would just have a bird that was deeper bodied and way more leggy which would translate into a much longer time to get any meat on them. I have had both breeds at the same time and have never thought about doing any type of cross to make a better meat bird.

As Clayton has said my cockerels hatched in the Spring will butcher out at 8 to 9 lbs of great meat with a beautiful carcass and thighs and breast meat usually in late November or early Dec.. I personally don't eat them but our neighbour would be offended if she didn't get them all.

Cornish are very interesting with their beetle brows and pearl eyes that makes it diffcult to look away from them with those fence post legs and the nice thing is they are not the big eaters that some of the taller L.F breeds are and are excellent foragers. I put my adult birds loose in my large Waterfowl area and I would can't imagine any bird of prey being able to pick up one of my "walking rocks".

Heather

I am not familiar with L.F. What does that stand for?

I am finding this discussion enlightening as well. Thank you for starting it!

Now how do the cornish compare to the freedom rangers and berg's grazers and those types (as far as growth rate, final product, feed conversion, etc.) that are coming out lately? I am trying to figure out what we should get this year, and am hearing about all these "wonderful" meat breeds, and since they are all wonderful, it is making it difficult to know what to pursue. I would like to pick a really good type of bird if I can. I really don't want to go the route of the now seemingly popular cornish cross. I would have to find out what is available in my area too, so that will affect our choice, I'm sure.

LF is large fowl.

Heather, thank you for that clarification. I loved your dark Cornish, I have told you that, smiling, things of intricate beauty and yes, the brow, for surely. I loved to look into the face of that breed, as I had mentioned, it held me like I was under a spell. You would not have believe how long I looked at that bird, over and over and over, think it got to know who I was . I think that they kind of reminded me of the Malay too, they are very cool looking as well. Beautiful days, CynthiaM.

Good post Clayton. That carcass looks great, size, shape, color.
Where does one purchase Cornish chicks from? I googled Cornish I come up with is cornish cross

That is my question too Debbie. Where can we get some? My husband and our sons and son in laws have been wanting to try meat birds. I have been trying to wade through all the info that is out thereabout the subject. We have a fenced area about 100ft by 200 ft or bigger. It is not being used and is mostly perennial grasses and weeds. Do you think they would be ok in there? You mentioned you have them in areas where there is lots of brush.

That helps, and of course, makes sense.

Yes, I think that anything I find here is all cornish cross too. These sound interesting.

I found some great pictures of these birds, fully feathered. They are nice! Now to find some in Manitoba...

niglefritz wrote:That helps, and of course, makes sense.

Yes, I think that anything I find here is all cornish cross too. These sound interesting.

I found some great pictures of these birds, fully feathered. They are nice! Now to find some in Manitoba...

Sharon of Quack and Cluck breeds LF Dark Cornish up by Winnipeg

Thanks, appway. I can't find Sharon's contact information. Would you be able to pm me with it or have her contact me?

I discussed these with my husband and showed him the discussion and some pictures that I found. He figured that we should check them out further and even try to get some this year if we could.

Nice to see some quality discussion here. If anyone wants James' contact information, I can send it to you by PM, just send me a note and I will reply with his e-mail. He asked me not to post it out in the open.

Like I said, I just don't understand why people would want to cross out the cornish. Piet, even with the "hybrid vigor", I still don't think you would get the same shape and form of bird in the same amount of time. Any potential outcross would likely affect shape of the breast and overall bird, and probably not in a desired way.

Good discussion group, let's try to keep it going! What are some other breeds that dress out well? How long do they take to mature? Are they productive in terms of eggs?

Clayton

My SLW are huge and have great width, big breasts and thick thighs. I will find out out well they grow out this year, keeping average weights in monthly intervals. All the parent stock is weighed also and has been entered in the computer beside their leg band # for the mating tracker. I will grow them out on pasture as well and hopefully have enough young to put some in the freezer.

Clayton, the hybrids grow much faster and I believe that is why they do that with the Cornish. It just means more money for the producer and the carcass is not the same off course, but still attractive and very meaty.

Piet

hi Clay

you must have heard about my "experiments" LOL I started with a redlaced cornish crossed with a Rochester cornish giant. It has to be the cornish giant or you will have heart issues. Have to make sure they free range so that they do not get fat. Then took pullets out of that cross (nice looking pullets too) & crossed back to an australorp. (even nicer pullets) I kept five & now have crossed them with a standard dark cornish. Now wait! I do also have five beautiful pb cornish hens so I will keep the pure breed on. So far, all of the crossed chicks are white. Getting some nice looking pb chicks too. Why am I doing this? Cause I'm sick of raising meat birds that sit by the feeders & will not venture further.I've even tried raising them with "normal" chicks to see if they would learn. Now I'm being swarmed with people wanting eggs from me. Thing is, I don't want to sell any until I process some to give feedback. My last of my old original Rochester hens died the other day. I believe she was five. Not bad for a hatchery bird.I might ad that I'm doing this for personal use. Wasn't planning to promote them. I really love the temperment of the cornishes. Even the roo is friendly & will share his coop with other roosters.

Lastly, for those of you that are wondering how I know which are pb & which are not? The cornish chicks are the correct coloring, & I put food coloring up the hen's "you know what" & the eggs come out streaked. Blue works good. Do not use red for obvious reasons

hope to have a few cornishes at the fairs this yesr