For Heavy Cornish Cross Broliers refer to our feed recommendations. Do not use bedding such as cedar chips, treated shavings, large thick wood chips or dusty sawdust.įEED & WATER: Use a good starter feed, (local feed dealer) then switch to a grower feed. When cold they will be loud and huddle close together, if comfortable they will be reasonably quiet and will be eating, drinking or sleeping.īEDDING: use 2 to 4 inches of dry litter, such as pine wood shavings, chopped straw or other appropriate bedding, do not use newspaper or other slick material, this can cause legs to slip out from underneath them and cause serious leg problems. WATCH THE BEHAVIOR: to determine if it’s warm enough. A brooder lamp (heat bulb) 4 bulb, 250-watt is sufficient for 300 chicks lesser amounts can be brooded with a single lamp. Decrease the temperature 5 degrees per week until temperature of 65 is reached. TEMPERATURE: for the first week at chick height should be 90-95 degrees. A one foot high chick guard should be used around chicks brooding area to keep them near the heat source and stop any drafts, it can be taken away after 10 days. When baby poultry arrives make sure they drink water then give them feed.
#ROCK CORNISH CHICKEN FREE#
Cornish game hens sold in the supermarket are the commercial Cornish/Rock crosses butchered at two pounds.FIRST DAY INSTRUCTIONS : have a clean draft free pen with fresh water and new feed. In essence the Cornish/Rock represent a hybrid chicken not a chicken breed. The backyard farmer cannot produce a Cornish cross by breeding a White Cornish with a White Plymouth Rock nor can he reproduce the breed by breeding the offspring from the commercial line. The Cornish/Rock, a genetic hybrid, comes from secret and scientific double-cross breeding techniques developed in the 1930’s. They existed in England long before 1893. The American Poultry Association recognized the Cornish chicken as a breed in 1893. Cornish chickens derives its name from Cornwall, England. One must distinguish between the Cornish chicken and the Cornish/Rock cross. Provide a warm, draft free coop for these short feathered fowl. Move their run often to encourage exercise and discourage parasites. Pasture the chickens as much as possible. The backyard breeder would do well to stick to the hardier Cornish chickens or the new hybrid called the Colored Ranger rather than the commercial Cornish cross. Cornish fowl fed too much can die of heart attacks. Consequently, they require wire pens to keep their bodies away from ammonia rich feces. Ulcers develop in lame birds forced to sit in their own feces. Many Cornish cross breeds break their legs or grow lame as a result of their rapid weight gain. Most of the commercial growers breed Cornish with white feathers and yellow skin. Their protruding brow, piercing eyes, and curved beak support their reputation as a predatory bird. They sport a pea comb, no crest, and small wattles. The Cornish breed has short feathers that leave parts of the body bare.
They manifest in three basic colors Dark, White, and White Laced Red. The Cornish chicken presents as a broad, muscular fowl on widely spaced yellow legs. Cornish farming works well in a commercial production under highly monitored conditions but will most likely fail in a backyard coop. Underfeeding yields fowl prone to predation. The high feed conversion ratios give farmers a narrow margin of error in feeding. Health problems associated with their rapid growth prevent the kind of activity common to most chickens. The Cornish chicks at times manifest cannibalism. Cornish TemperamentĬornish farmers describe the breed as loud and intractable. A sad sight, most Cornish crosses used in commercial production cannot support their own weight and will either have broken legs or lameness. The breed shows little desire to forage and generally handles confinement well. The Cornish lacks the typical hairy feathers left over after plucking other breeds-a fact which saves processors the energy and time of singeing the carcass prior to butchering. They reach a dressing weight of five pounds at five weeks. It produces meat more efficiently than any other chicken and lays at the foundation of the commercial chicken industry worldwide. The Cornish functions as a single-purpose fowl bred specifically for meat production.
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