cornish rocks

rhoda_bruce

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I have one cornish bantam hen and one white rock hen. A friend has a single white cornish rooster.
I can't remember what the combination has to be to get the genetics right to create a cornish rock cross.
I know I won't get a real cornish rock, regardless, but seeings as my friend doesn't have a mate for her roo....my head started working. Also, I don't know if it has to be a white rock.....why not any rock? Anyways, I talked to her a little while ago and suggested us putting them together and see what we can get. I didn't think to suggest us adding a barred rock to the mix.
 

baymule

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Why not? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You won't get the bred for generations super Cornish cross, but it ought to be worth a try!
 

rhoda_bruce

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Well, she is looking at cutting some costs....too much month left and so on, so if she wants to sell, I'll buy it from her, or we can just do it together. Right now I only have one roo and he's a blue maran, so I can take a few girls away from him to give the ones I really want him with some TLC.
I have heard before during my BYC days what the combo had to be, but can't recall. And apparently there is more to it than just knowing the combo....its a carefully guarded secret or something. No way they want all of us to be able to breed a bunch of birds that will fill our freezers whenever we want.
I know they are super messy and some people call them Frankinchickens, etc....but I rather like being done with it in 8 to 10 weeks.
I was silly enough to save a cornish rock hen for her eggs a few years back. She laid 4 before she dropped dead and none of them hatched. Fail. I wouldn't have done it, except one of the BYC peeps swore he used them in breeding projects and the trick is to not allow too much food and give them lots of water, greens and keep them cool....I tried :(
 

Denim Deb

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Wonder if any of it had to do w/your location? After all, it can get pretty hot down there. I might try and get some meat birds this year, and keep a hen if I can.
 

frustratedearthmother

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I kept four of my meatie girls from last spring. Amazingly, they did well all summer and even laid pretty well. I also tried hatching some of their eggs, but a lot of them were not fertile. It does take a pretty big, tough roo to do the deed with one of these franken girls, lol! BUT - I did get a few hatched. One of them is a Faverolle/meatyX roo and he's not only big - but he's got major attitude too. He will definitely be the first to trot off to freezer camp, lol. Weirdly enough - my big girls did ok during the summer, but now that it's turned cool - I've lost two of them. :idunno
 

wyoDreamer

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This is how I understand it:
The Cornish rock you get from the hatcheries is a cross of 4 different birds to get that growth from them. It is guarded secret only in that they have the 4 different genetic flocks and do not sell from those flocks.
IE: you have flock A, flock B, flock C and flock D. GRANDPARENTS (somewhere back in time they used a Rock to develop one or more of those flocks).
cross A and B to get AB birds and save a rooster DADDY
cross C and D to get CD birds and save a Hen. MOMMY
Breed AB rooster with CD hen to get Cornish cross chicks.

Take this as you will, I am repeating information that I have gathered from a number of places and I may be all wet! lol!

The true Cornish birds have a body shape that makes it hard for the male to fertilize the female, therefore they tend to have a lower fertility rate in their eggs.
 

goatgurl

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I'm with baymule, nothing ventured, nothing gained. give it a try
 

wyoDreamer

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I agree, start your breeding program. Just remember to eat the smaller birds with the bad attitudes. Eventually, you will get the bigger birds that you are wanting. Just know that you will probably not be able to get the growth rates those Cornish Cross chickens have.
 

rhoda_bruce

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Oh, I am aware I will never get a huge bird, unless one of you infiltrate one of these hatcheries and the secret is exposed for the entire SS community. Well, I talked to my friend yesterday and she is going thru some serious hard times and I just point blank asked her if she wanted to sell him to me, so I will give her at least 10 to part with him because she wants to decrease her expenses and I am not wanting to buy him for food, directly....in fact, I probably will give more, seeings as I want him as a roo.
She texted me 4 pics of him, at my request and he isn't really finished filling out, but how can I go wrong? He is a cornish, after all. So he gets to start up house with a rock and a cornish bantam and if they too stressed, I can throw in a few other big girls. No way the results won't give me meat. Question is, how long will I have to wait for it and how much will it cost me, but tell you the truth, if they eat less, but grow up almost as big, the only problem would be the wait....and there would be health benefits.
Well, I already have an empty stall to put them in, so only thing stopping me is a drive a mile down the bayou.
 
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