Cornish Cross Spring 2020

[Mini Horses]

I can see where it appears the water container sits...amongst all the bare/poopy ground. Is that right??? WOW they have some straight pipes. So you keep track of how long to regrow...and let us know. That's something there. I'm used to free range not whatcha got there.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh lordy! Those birds can sure make a mess of themselves. It's a good thing they grow fast and taste like chicken, lol!

 

[Chic Rustler]

It is a good and quick way to pack the freezer and canning jars with a lot of meat.

that's my plan as well. I dont think I'll have room to freeze them whole. probably have to quarter them

 

[Chic Rustler]

View attachment 13825
Here is a photo of mine. They are a little over four weeks I think.

here's mine. maybe 4 days I think.

 

[farmerjan]

Cornish cross will gain the fastest, have the best feed to meat conversion. They are also pretty dumb, don't forage near as good as some of the other "meat bird crosses". They also will get some leg problems if allowed to get too big. They are designed to grow fast. The ones that are grown in the commercial poultry houses are sent to processing at 42 days.... 6 weeks .... at about 4.5 lbs live weight.
I am like @baymule and like them "bigger" often in the 6 lb and bigger size when they go get killed. They are great to part out as there is a good amount of meat on all the parts even the wings. They will have a better flavor than the commercial house ones simply because you have them out on grass and they can eat something other than the bagged feed. They eat alot, but are raised and gone quickly.

Mine get a couple of acres and will come back to the pen for feed and water. They do a fair amount of foraging considering.

 

[Sassafras II]

They can and will free range if you encourage them to do so. Fifty of those and I didn't lose a single one to predators nor leg issues or sudden death. Fed them once a day and they foraged for most of their food....best foragers I've ever raised, bar none. They ranged from one end of 3 acres to the other and into the woods beyond, clear up until butchering time of 10 wks. Would have kept them even longer but we were having a family reunion at our place and we didn't them mooching off the guests....very friendly,moochy birds.

Awesome! That's exactly what I want! Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

This year I ordered 20 str. run WR chicks so I can get some new blood into the flock and also have meat this fall. Will evaluate the males for keeping a breeder and the rest will be butchered.

Also hatching out as many chicks under broodies as I can this year, as well as have two ducks sitting nests. Gave the mail order chicks to one broody, though I split the order and gave 6 of them to a broody that had just hatched her own brood of 12. Two of hers got crushed by big ol' feet shortly after hatch, so it gives her a nice round 16 to raise and the other 14.

Got another broody on a nest and have two more in the coop that need to be loaded up and placed on nests of their own. May give them a joint nest so I won't have to provide separate places.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Congrats on all the broody girls @Beekissed. I've got one working also. Gotta love a good broody hen!

 

[BarredBuff]

They sound MUCH better than most hatchery RIRs, for sure. I'd kind of marked RIR off my list of flock birds after the last few I got from feed store/hatchery sources....not a bit like the birds I grew up with. Mean, flighty, pale red, poor layers, no hardiness, and small carcass~culled quicker than any others those years.

I'll keep that in mind about Cackle.

I had too! I swore I never would have them again, but these are really good. They are not like the show quality reds, but they are much better than what I have seen. Cackle also has the hefty White Rocks too. Everything I get from them I enjoy.

 

[baymule]

Y’all have talked me into White Rocks!