Rhode island white over cornish game hen

[EddieSalita]

Hi,

I've got a broody hen. This is her second bout of broodiness. She is eleven months old hatchery hybrid hen. Amazing layer. White leghorn over rhode Island white.
3 months ago she went broody and we gave her a dozen eggs from a neighbour. The rooster was old the fertility of the eggs uncertain. There was a mishap and she spend 5-6 hrs off the nest on the 7th day. Regardless none of the eggs were viable. After 35 days of dedicated broodiness we took the eggs and a day or two later she broke her broodiness. Signs are she will be an excellent mother.
She has gone broody again and we have another dozen eggs from another neighbour. She has a magnificent rhode Island white trio and two cornish game hens in the same run. The eggs all look very similar.all white of similar size. Its a young flock, but she has raised chicks from it, but not since she had the cornish in there. So we expecting to get mostly fertile eggs this time.

My question is what to expect from a rhode Island white over a cornish game hen? Obviously the rhode Island white chicks will be white. But I'm thinking the cornish x will also be white and change colour as the feather out?
Will the cornish cross be viable laying birds to share with the neighbourhood?
I'm aware meat bird hatcheries closely guard their genetic recipe. But essentially I also realise I may be creating a very similar bird.
I'm near my limit for chickens at 15. I can't afford to keep another 5-10 with the space I have. So am looking for advice on what i might be able to do with the cornish crosses and if they will be easily identifiable.



Thanks for reading

 

[DLA]

But I'm thinking the cornish x will also be white and change colour as the feather out

That sounds about right.

So am looking for advice on what i might be able to do with the cornish crosses and if they will be easily identifiable

They should grow pretty fast, much faster and bigger than a rhode island white, which would probably be the easiest way to tell which ones they are. Typical cornish cross (cornish x white rock) are butcher weight in 8 - 10 weeks and that is what most people do with them - send them to freezer camp. If you don't have the space in your coop/run you can always make a meat bird chicken tractor to grow them to butcher weight.

Will the cornish cross be viable laying birds to share with the neighbourhood?
Being that most cornish and cornish x from hatcheries are hybrids selected to reach butcher weight earlier than other chickens they typically aren't very good layers and they can be prone to heart issues, leg issues, crop issues, and other ailments. They are bred to live fast and die young. That is why hatcheries typically guard their breeding programs so closely with them, it can be difficult for a home breeder with a limited genetic pool to find the right mix of genetics to get the "perfect" broiler/fryer chickens that can be reproduced reliably.

 

[EddieSalita]

But I'm thinking the cornish x will also be white and change colour as the feather out

That sounds about right.

So am looking for advice on what i might be able to do with the cornish crosses and if they will be easily identifiable

They should grow pretty fast, much faster and bigger than a rhode island white, which would probably be the easiest way to tell which ones they are. Typical cornish cross (cornish x white rock) are butcher weight in 8 - 10 weeks and that is what most people do with them - send them to freezer camp. If you don't have the space in your coop/run you can always make a meat bird chicken tractor to grow them to butcher weight.

Will the cornish cross be viable laying birds to share with the neighbourhood?
Being that most cornish and cornish x from hatcheries are hybrids selected to reach butcher weight earlier than other chickens they typically aren't very good layers and they can be prone to heart issues, leg issues, crop issues, and other ailments. They are bred to live fast and die young. That is why hatcheries typically guard their breeding programs so closely with them, it can be difficult for a home breeder with a limited genetic pool to find the right mix of genetics to get the "perfect" broiler/fryer chickens that can be reproduced reliably.

OK cool. The parents are just lovely examples of heritage breed cornish game hen and rhode Island white rooster.
In which case they may just be good, healthy crosses. If not a bit short lived, large and not the greatest layers?

 

[DLA]

OK cool. The parents are just lovely examples of heritage breed cornish game hen and rhode Island white rooster.
In which case they may just be good, healthy crosses. If not a bit short lived, large and not the greatest layers?

 

[NatJ]

The parents are just lovely examples of heritage breed cornish game hen

There is one kind of chicken that is called "Cornish" or sometimes "Indian Game."
They are a pure breed, that does not have the health issues that were being discussed.

There is a different kind of chicken commonly called a "Cornish Cross." They are the ones that grow very fast and have health problems. They are used for meat, and also used for the chickens sold as "Cornish Game Hen" in stores in the USA (meat chickens butchered at a very young age, so they are relatively small.) They are descended from the Cornish breed mixed with some other kinds, and are now much more common than actual purebred Cornish.

One way to tell them apart: the Cornish breed (purebreds/heritage) have pea combs, while Cornish Cross (the hybrids) have single combs.

I see that you are in Australia, so terms might be used a bit differently there, but I think the basic distinctions will be the same (pure breed vs. meat hybrid, and the comb types.)

If you are talking about the pure breed called Cornish, the mixes will probably be about as healthy as any other normal kind of chicken. They may not be especially good layers, because the Cornish breed is not know for good laying ability, but they will probably not be too awful either.

 

[EddieSalita]

There is one kind of chicken that is called "Cornish" or sometimes "Indian Game."
They are a pure breed, that does not have the health issues that were being discussed.

There is a different kind of chicken commonly called a "Cornish Cross." They are the ones that grow very fast and have health problems. They are used for meat, and also used for the chickens sold as "Cornish Game Hen" in stores in the USA (meat chickens butchered at a very young age, so they are relatively small.) They are descended from the Cornish breed mixed with some other kinds, and are now much more common than actual purebred Cornish.

One way to tell them apart: the Cornish breed (purebreds/heritage) have pea combs, while Cornish Cross (the hybrids) have single combs.

I see that you are in Australia, so terms might be used a bit differently there, but I think the basic distinctions will be the same (pure breed vs. meat hybrid, and the comb types.)

If you are talking about the pure breed called Cornish, the mixes will probably be about as healthy as any other normal kind of chicken. They may not be especially good layers, because the Cornish breed is not know for good laying ability, but they will probably not be too awful either.

Yes I understand the differences I think. I've attached a pic of exactly what the hens look like. Brown, very stout bird.
In Australia we tend to follow the English label for these and call them Indian Game. But Cornish game isn't super uncommon.

Her Indians lay 2-3 eggs a week. Her rhode Island whites 5-6. They are all young hens however. Pretty much pullets.

I just didn't want to raise and pass on unhealthy mutants. But if there is a good chance they will be perfectly decent but average layers, that's fine.

 

[NatJ]

Yes I understand the differences I think. I've attached a pic of exactly what the hens look like. Brown, very stout bird.
In Australia we tend to follow the English label for these and call them Indian Game. But Cornish game isn't super uncommon.

Her Indians lay 2-3 eggs a week. Her rhode Island whites 5-6. They are all young hens however. Pretty much pullets.

I just didn't want to raise and pass on unhealthy mutants. But if there is a good chance they will be perfectly decent but average layers, that's fine.

The photo is a big help! Yes, those should be fine. That one looks like what we call "Dark Cornish" in the USA.

Many people assume that any chicken with "Cornish" in the name must be one of the big white hybrids, which causes confusion when actual Cornish (pure breed) are involved!

To revisit a few of your original questions:

My question is what to expect from a rhode Island white over a cornish game hen? Obviously the rhode Island white chicks will be white. But I'm thinking the cornish x will also be white and change colour as the feather out?

If the Rhode Island Whites have the same genes as the ones I've read about in the USA, then yes the crossed chicks should be white. When they feather out they should still be mostly white, but may have dots of black here and there, and will probably have some red leakage as they grow up (especially in the shoulders of the males.) The "white" may not be a clean white, but may look a big yellowish or dingy.

If you want to tell the chicks apart, look at the combs. Assuming the Rhode Island Whites have single combs, their chicks will too, but the chicks from the Cornish hens should have pea combs (not as small and tidy as their mothers' combs, probably a bit bigger and sort of blobby, but distinctly different than single combs.)

Will the cornish cross be viable laying birds to share with the neighbourhood?

Since the Rhode Island Whites are the better layers, the pure RIW daughters will probably lay better than the RIW/Cornish daughters. But the mixes will probably be better layers than their pure Cornish mothers.

I'm aware meat bird hatcheries closely guard their genetic recipe. But essentially I also realise I may be creating a very similar bird.

You are creating something similar to what the companies started with, well over 50 years ago. The health problems started to appear after many generations of selection for fast growth and large size. I don't expect yours to have any particular health issues (unless you spend a few decades selecting for meat traits, which is obviously not your plan).

I'm near my limit for chickens at 15. I can't afford to keep another 5-10 with the space I have. So am looking for advice on what i might be able to do with the cornish crosses and if they will be easily identifiable.

Identifiable, most likely yes by their combs.
What to do, eat the males and then think about the females. They will probably be acceptable as layers, but of course eating them is also an option (since any chicken can be eaten.)

 

[EddieSalita]

Thanks heaps.

No doubt if they hatch I will be posting up pics. They are due in 24 or so days. I will candle them this weekend.

 

[NatJ]

They are due in 24 or so days. I will candle them this weekend.

Typo? Chicken eggs should hatch in 21 days.

No doubt if they hatch I will be posting up pics.

I'm looking forward to that

 

[EddieSalita]

Typo? Chicken eggs should hatch in 21 days.


I'm looking forward to that

Ah yes. Typo. They due in 14 days.

I will try to document it here. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info on the progress of such a crossing. Will be interesting.