[Homestead] Freedom Rangers

Karen L. Black karen at plamondon.com
Mon Jan 12 11:53:48 EST 2009


Bev writes:

> ...is the Dark Cornish breed the same Cornish of the 'Cornish cross'/Giant
cornish...are those birds the product of a cross between a Dark Cornish
rooster and maybe a White Rock or something similar?  If so, is there some
reason why it would not make sense to have a Dark Cornish mating
pair/rooster?

The Dark (or any other color) Cornish has so little relationship to the
modern meat bird called a "Cornish cross" that it's misleading to use the
same name. It leads to one of the most frequently asked questions: "If I
cross a Cornish and a Rock, will I have a Cornish cross?" to which the
answer is, "You'll have the variable slow-growing bird of sixty-odd years
ago, not the thrifty, large-breasted, fast-growing bird of today."

I have not raised Cornish breed chickens, so I can't give you any first-hand
information. I have heard that, like other giant breeds, they take a long
time to reach full size. I have heard that, like other game-type chickens,
the males are "more aggressive." I've heard that they lay smaller eggs and
not too many of 'em. I've never heard anyone claim they are a utility breed
;-).

Karen Black
Norton Creek Farm
Blodgett, OR


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