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Post by mjc on Jan 22, 2011 10:56:42 GMT -5
But they a HUGE, about the size of a small turkey, and they lay brown eggs. We ate one last night and the night before. I poached it in a chili broth and used the meat for taquitos and enchiladas. The meat tasted a bit like turkey to me as well. So, we have no clue what kind of bird it really is or why the one kicked the bucket, but I'm wondering if it just got way to big way to fast? If so, is it a GMO animal? Did we over feed it? Got some pics? I second the Cornish X...yes they are a brown layer, if you can get the old enough to lay. And yes, they have the potential to hit 20plus pounds...or even 30 (now that would be SOOOME fried chicken!). I haven't found any info on them making it past 6 to 9 months... The cross is a 'terminal' cross for fast growth...which basically means longevity is sacrificed. Not GMO...it's a hybrid. They will develop heart problems and most develop hip problems. Restricted eating, good nutrition and forcing them to range are the best bets for increasing longevity. They are pretty much a meat only bird, meant to be butchered starting at about 8 weeks... |
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Post by honeydew on Jan 22, 2011 11:33:05 GMT -5
But they a HUGE, about the size of a small turkey, and they lay brown eggs. We ate one last night and the night before. I poached it in a chili broth and used the meat for taquitos and enchiladas. The meat tasted a bit like turkey to me as well. So, we have no clue what kind of bird it really is or why the one kicked the bucket, but I'm wondering if it just got way to big way to fast? If so, is it a GMO animal? Did we over feed it? Got some pics? I second the Cornish X...yes they are a brown layer, if you can get the old enough to lay. And yes, they have the potential to hit 20plus pounds...or even 30 (now that would be SOOOME fried chicken!). I haven't found any info on them making it past 6 to 9 months... The cross is a 'terminal' cross for fast growth...which basically means longevity is sacrificed. Not GMO...it's a hybrid. They will develop heart problems and most develop hip problems. Restricted eating, good nutrition and forcing them to range are the best bets for increasing longevity. They are pretty much a meat only bird, meant to be butchered starting at about 8 weeks... Oh cool, I had the right idea then...next year I was going to force them to spend time outside, which I found they were not so inclined, the few that did leave the coop didn't go more than 10 feet away... And I was going to feed them more fresh food and less chop. They eat horrendous amounts of food if you let them. Last year a friend suggested that you put their food and water on opposite ends of the coop to force them to move around, or they will sit in one spot and do little else. I also was dismayed at the amount of birds that were lame from the rapid growth (I'm guessing). Part of me doesn't want to have these birds again, but part of me knows that I will give them a good, albeit short, life instead of a factory barn.  |
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Post by johno on Jan 22, 2011 11:54:37 GMT -5
We got some of those white meat-birds by mistake a few years ago. By the time they were a couple weeks old, I was wondering if they were turkeys lol. I gave my brother a couple to eat - he was planning to let the roam and kill/eat them one at a time, but they died of heart attacks on the way to his house only a few miles away. He brought one over and we roasted it in a turkey roaster. It was 14 pounds!
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 22, 2011 12:02:18 GMT -5
No way is that a dumb question! Yes, we give them the seed with shell on. I don't remember why, we do because it was recommended feed by someone (or several someones) here. If you can find the "Poultry Care Tips" thread, you'll be able to read the whole saga of why we do what we do. LOL, bring a pillow to the computer though, it's about 13 or so pages long!
Based on what has been said, I am absolutely convinced they are Cornish X. We will butcher them in a couple of weeks. Poor things though! I read some other stories on other sites! I will say, the reason we are willing to wait a couple more weeks is that our birds are not nearly as bad off as some seem to be. Mike was saying we should start collecting their eggs to hatch. I said no, we need to focus on increasing the other birds. Besides, we can get as many as we want for free from the county.
Also learned that if we butcher them at 3 weeks, they are Cornish Game hens? I only read that in one place. Can anyone confirm or deny? For roasters, they should be butchered at 8 weeks?
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Post by honeydew on Jan 22, 2011 12:28:17 GMT -5
No way is that a dumb question! Yes, we give them the seed with shell on. I don't remember why, we do because it was recommended feed by someone (or several someones) here. If you can find the "Poultry Care Tips" thread, you'll be able to read the whole saga of why we do what we do. LOL, bring a pillow to the computer though, it's about 13 or so pages long! Based on what has been said, I am absolutely convinced they are Cornish X. We will butcher them in a couple of weeks. Poor things though! I read some other stories on other sites! I will say, the reason we are willing to wait a couple more weeks is that our birds are not nearly as bad off as some seem to be. Mike was saying we should start collecting their eggs to hatch. I said no, we need to focus on increasing the other birds. Besides, we can get as many as we want for free from the county. Also learned that if we butcher them at 3 weeks, they are Cornish Game hens? I only read that in one place. Can anyone confirm or deny? For roasters, they should be butchered at 8 weeks? Thanks for the info on the shell/no shell question. I did read that thread...wow it was great, but of course I don't remember everything in it...I guess it's time to reread it. I'm no expert, but from what I understand, cornish hens are butchered at 4-5 weeks, but they are the cornish breed. Cornish crosses are hybrid breeds with another type. That breed may be a trade secret? I don't know. But I have never found out what they cross the cornish ones with. |
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Post by mjc on Jan 22, 2011 13:50:11 GMT -5
Also learned that if we butcher them at 3 weeks, they are Cornish Game hens? I only read that in one place. Can anyone confirm or deny? For roasters, they should be butchered at 8 weeks? Yes...3 to 4 weeks is the time to butcher them for 'game hens'. I'd say fryers at 6 to 8 wks and roasters at 10 to 12...but then I like a 7 to 10 lb bird (dressed weight) for a roaster. Now, as far as the price...basically, my problem with the Cornish X is that they aren't a breed you can do yourself. It's not a simple F1 cross...it's the product of some pretty intense breeding and the lines aren't available. So having them will always be an 'expense'. I prefer something like a "Freedom Ranger" that is a meat bird with decent growth rates that will breed 'true'. But if you can get them for free...then that objection goes away. The cross is a Cornish rooster (can be either light or dark, but white is preferred commercially) and a White Plymouth Rock hen (Barred Rocks can be used too...but the color scheme is the same as rooster selection). Now both lines are not your average Cornish or Rock lines, but specifically bred to be parent lines for the Cornish X (Rock) offspring...sort of like the Triple Crown running racehorses being a subset of racehorses which are a subset of Arabians. It seems a halfway decent meat bird can b achieved by doing the Cornish/Rock (standards) cross...probably close to the original (around 50 yrs ago) Cornish X 'broilers'. From what little I found, looking it up this morning, that particular cross doesn't seem to have the heart or hip problems of the modern, highly bred/selected version of the cross does, but it doesn't have the extremely rapid growth either...yes, higher than 'average' (probably another 3 or 4 weeks on the butchering schedule). Personally, I don't mind having a bird that takes up to 16 weeks to make weight if I don't have to mess around keeping track of breeding. The Cornish rooster does bring some desirable traits, like the broad-breast, to the mix... |
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