We are getting our Cornish Cross (Agway calls them Super Giants)next week. Is is logical/doable to keep a pair to produce chicks for next years' chicks? Or is the fact they are bred to grow large in a short amount of time going to hinder this idea? They will not free range, but will be penned/housed. Thanks for any advice in advance :-)

-- Cheri in NY (t.asprion@worldnet.att.net), April 04, 2002

Answers

Well, there is a genetics board at www.poultryconnection.com. Just guessing here. Firstly, are these "Cornish Crosses" a name of a breed or are they indeed crosses between Cornish and another breed? If they are an established breed, then I would think they would breed true and you could raise the f1 or even f2 generations and get good results if you fed well. If they are poor brooders then of course it's 'bator time. On the other hand if, as the name suggests, these are indeed a cross you will not get purebreds for your f1 generation. Then it is a whole different ball game. Sounds interesting, good luck. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 04, 2002.

Thanks for your help. I did post on Poultry Connection and awaiting an answer.

-- Cheri in NY (t.asprion@worldnet.att.net), April 04, 2002.

We did that a few times over the years. Kept back three females and male. With no exceptions, when each hen laid her first egg, - her insides came out. Very gross, - and they promptly die. We have some theories about too much body cavity fat. (When you butcher these chickens, you'll see what we mean about internal fat.)

No matter, why. Tried it again, - same results.

It sounds logical - keeping some back to raise more - just doesn't work with these.

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), April 04, 2002.

If they are true crosses, then they won't breed true and their offspring will quite different from your original pair (in every way -size, growth pattern, temperment, etc)

These birds have been bred to be big and they actually "outgrow" the ability of their legs to carry them and their heart to pump blood. It is not unusual for them to drop dead as chicks or young pullets/cockerelles.

I read the other note about cornish cross hens prolapsing. These birds were breed to be eaten as young birds, not to be layers; the breeders did not care if the hens could lay successfully.

-- Margarete (forpippin@earthlink.net), April 04, 2002.

I've heard that the extra heavy breeds like Cornish cannot support their own weight...leading to leg,back and heart problems.And the 'egg laying' thing sounds really gross...lol

-- Johna (in central TX) (marcnjohna@aol.com), April 04, 2002.

I have two Cornish cross hens that I sort of accidently kept back. Never got around to butchering them...they were the slowest growing of that batch of chicks. They lay eggs just fine. I only have roosters of other breeds so don't know how the eggs would hatch out. The hens I have are over a year old and have no health problems. They are just slower moving then the other hens thus a favorite with the guys....

-- Roxie (roxie@nospam.com), April 04, 2002.

We have acouple hens that are laying large eggs, but they are not in with our roosters. They are huge and slow, and have been slowly butchering them through the winter. They sell a pure cornish breed and then cross them with any large dual purpose breed. They eat so much that I think in the long run its cheaper to buy chicks. We only buy afew locally and we eat our own buff orphingtons.

-- Suzanne (weir@frontiernet.net), April 04, 2002.

You should be able too. True, they are short lived, but, it can be done. I raised a pair to adulthood, but lost the roo before they could breed. Beautiful roo, too. As soon as you can sex them, take the pair and feed them differently. You wont want the high protein to build meat, since you aren't going to eat them. Keep them on electolites if you want, too. Greens, fresh food and water, no brainer stuff, there. Hopefully, with some TLC, they'll make it. Good luck.

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), April 05, 2002.

If I remember correctly, Cornish cross are usually a cross between special strains of Plymouth Rocks (hens) and Cornish Game birds(the rooster). You want a Plymouth rocks hen because that breed can can lay many eggs -- and hence have many chicks -- whereas a Cornish hen will not lay as many. The genetics for "meatiness" come from the Cornish-gamebird whereas the white skin, etc, comes from the Plymouth rocks.

Crossing two Cornish crosses together (if you can get the fat lazy things to even mate) would result in approximately 1/4 of the birds like Plymouth Rocks, 1/4 like Cornish game birds, and about 1/2 like a Cornish Cross.

I've often wanted to try crossing a Plymouth Rock and a Cornish game myself to see if I could reproduce a Cornish Cross with the same attributes. If you decide to do try a cross yourself, please post your results and let us know how it turns out! I'm curious as to how successful an individual can be doing this.

Mike

-- Mike Nuckols (bigkoiguy@yahoo.com), April 05, 2002.

It's a Cornish rooster and a White Rock (White Plymouth Rock) hen. White rocks contribute size and fast growth, and Cornish contribute meatiness.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), April 07, 2002.