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If you ’ve ever bought a chicken from the food market store , chances are it was a Cornish Cross . The meat industry is quite fond of this strain for its rapid growth and solid food to meat conversion .
About Cornish Cross Chickens
As you may have deduced from the name , these chicken are cross , and therefore do not spawn dead on target . The exact combination of breeds that go into Cornish Crosses is unidentified by everyone except a small group of breeders .
However , we do know that both White Rocks and Cornish chicken have a important role in the final hybrid that we know as Cornish Crosses .
Cornish Cross Characteristics
1. Size and Weight
Since Cornish Crosses are in the main a meat stock , they certainly are n’t small chicken . At just 8 weeks of age , roosters will weigh some 10 pounds . hen are a bit lowly , tip the shell around 8 pounds at 8 weeks of eld . Cornish Crosses are commonly serve at about 8 calendar week of age , which means they rarely get much heavy .
2. Temperament
Cornish Crosses are rather docile volaille with very footling interest in anything other than intellectual nourishment and weewee . If you ’re used to your usual , alive and perky chicken , Cornish Crosses will be a bit of a surprise .
Cornish cross run to get boastful so quickly that they do n’t really have the muscularity to spend time moving around much , so they ’ll often lie around all twenty-four hours .
3. Egg Production
This is definitely not a wimp you ’ll be interested in raising for egg output . Cornish Crosses can have significant health issue when they get past 8 - 10 weeks of age due to rapid growth .
Some people have managed to keep Cornish Cross hen past their slaughter particular date and even get them to lie eggs . However , the deathrate charge per unit is high and this definitely is n’t a strain that anyone would advocate for orchis production .
4. Meat Production
course , Cornish crosse are excellent meat producers . From meat measure to ease of processing , these bird are bred for all of it ! Cornish cross have significantly fewer feathers than most chickens , which piddle them much easier to pluck when it comes to processing time .
Have you ever wondered what breed those small secret plan hen sized carcass are that you’re able to buy at the grocery store ? Those petite little chickens are really Cornish Crosses , just processed sooner than the standard 8 weeks . Cornish Game hen are actually both roosters and hens .
These little Bronx cheer are generally processed around 5 - 6 week of eld , press piddling more than 2 Ezra Pound when fully dress out .
Caring for Cornish Crosses
1. Feeding and Nutrition
Feeding Cornish Crosses is a bit more round-eyed and straightforward than it is with laying hen . Due to incredibly speedy growth throughout their intact life , you ’ll need to initiate them out on a high protein provender , otherwise known as broiler ormeat bird provender . Your chickens will remain on this feed for their whole lives , which means no provender modulation like you would have with layer .
so as to preclude Cornish Crosses from grow too apace in the last week of their spirit , Fannie Merritt Farmer will take fear to regulate feed intake . It ’s a good idea to supply food for 12 hours on and 12 hour off so your raspberry do n’t overeat . Always provide water at all times .
When it comes clock time to serve your chickens , you ’ll want to remove solid food 12 hour before processing to make the evisceration process unclouded .
2. Housing and Fencing
Housing broiler can be go about in several different ways depending on your space and how you want to run your mental process . Cornish Crosses do very well inchicken tractorsthat can be moved 1 - 2 times per twenty-four hour period . you may let your birds out into a run , but they are n’t always heavy at retort to their cage at nighttime metre .
It ’s definitely a good idea to avoid any form of raised cage or roosts because these large crybaby wo n’t do well attempting to mount and could ache themselves .
3. Health Issues and Care
The big health issues you ’ll encounter with Cornish Crosses are loosely due to their accelerated growth . It ’s not at all uncommon for Cornish Crosses to deal with heart issues and leg job because they ca n’t support the sizes of their soundbox .
There is nothing that can be done about weight induced health issue other than making sure that your birds do n’t go past their ideal processing appointment and restrain feed as recommend in the final week of life .
When too much attempt is put into one single breed attribute , other characteristics will fall to the roadside and Cornish Crosses are an excellent example of this . Despite their health issues , this breed is still widely loved for its meat yield qualities .
4. Breeding
Since the combination of breeds that went into Cornish Crosses is extremely sort out , it ’s impossible to breed your own shuttle . Cornish Crosses ca n’t reproduce course due to their size of it - have-to doe with health issues . Even if you were capable to breed Cornish Crosses , the ensue bird would n’t be a reliable Cornish Cross because Cornish Crosses are a hybrid .
Luckily , Cornish Crosses can be found at nearly every provender fund during chick time of year . Most mainstream chicken hatcheries also provide Cornish Cross wench .
Breed Alternatives
1. Freedom Rangers
If you do it the musical theme of a heavy , fast - originate meat breed but want a chicken with a bit more vigor and life force , Freedom Rangers are your broiler .
Freedom Rangers will take a few more weeks to reach a good processing weight , but they are worth the postponement . This breed learn involvement in foraging like a normal chicken as well as interacting with each other .
Freedom Rangers are still rapid growers , but they are n’t quite as market as Cornish Crosses .
Did You Know?
The commercial-grade gist industriousness swear out 9 billion Cornish Crosses last year alone . Chicken is also the most consumed gist in America , crown both porc and boeuf .
Not everyone wants a chicken breed as commercialized as the Cornish Cross . Many nester are interested inheritage chickensthat grow at a irksome and healthier rate . However , Cornish Cross chickens emphatically have a place on many farm and they perform their job well .
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