Every farmer who breeds chickens in the household is concerned that it is bearing fruit. Among the most popular, the Cornish breed should be distinguished. She established herself as giving a fairly large amount of meat. These chickens came to us from the UK. Due to their high productivity, they made a serious competition to other breeds.
How did this breed come about?
The bird was bred in 1820. Initially, the goal of creating the breed is fighting. The Englishman W. Gilbert began to cross breeds of hens among themselves to improve their fighting qualities. But the result was unsatisfactory. The bird did not have a shadow of the character that was supposed. The new breed is called Cornish chickens, in honor of the place of breeding - Cornwall.
At first, these hens were not trusted by farmers. They considered them too whimsical. But after the breeders worked a little on their qualities, the productivity of these chickens reached a very high level. That's when they began to breed them en masse. Today, Cornish chickens are among the most productive birds, carrying a large number of eggs and giving a lot of meat.
Until the breed was recognized by the Poultry Association of America in 1895, it was called the Indian Fighting. But since her fighting qualities were only in external signs, in contrast to her character, and there was a lot of meat, on the contrary, the chicken was renamed in honor of Cornwall County. Then the characteristics of this species of birds were approved by this quality standard.
Appearance
The body of Cornish chickens is sufficiently strong and muscular. The chicken looks light, but in fact it is very heavy. She owes this to her plumage, which is firmly and smoothly attached to the body. The average weight of chickens is about 3.5 kilograms. The rooster reaches 5 kilograms. The amazing quality of the Cornish chickens is the look. The fact is that distinguishing them by belonging to different sexes is quite difficult.
Representatives of the breed have a fairly wide skull and a very powerful chest. The neck of the chicken is not very long and not too short. The legs are thick, are at a great distance from each other and are small in size. The legs are completely bare, without plumage. The skin is quite durable, yellow. The comb on the head resembles a pod. The beak is very short with a yellow tint. From the fighting past, the Cornish, a breed of chickens, inherited only the superciliary arches, which protrude quite strongly forward. Their tail hangs a little, but very small. The body of the bird is small and streamlined.
Most chickens are white Cornish. But there are options for breeding dark, red and yellow colors of birds. The character of the representatives is quite calm, although fighting genes flow in their genes.
Breed Benefits and Productivity
The main advantage of this species of chickens is very fast growth. It is this quality that farmers value. In just six weeks the chicken can produce up to 2 kg of meat. If the bird continues to grow, then it gains weight only with fat. Farmers really appreciate the large amount of white diet meat of Cornish chickens. The appearance characteristic given above suggests that the chicken has a wide and developed breast. This is the quality that enables farmers to receive a dietary product. Roosters of this breed often serve to produce hybrids (four-line).
Cornish is known to be an indispensable source of protein. The egg productivity of one individual on average per year is 140 eggs weighing up to 60 grams. Their color is light brown. The number of eggs that are fertilized is not much different from hatching.
disadvantages
Despite its high productivity, chickens of this breed have disadvantages:
- low hatchability, therefore, problems with industrial dilution may occur;
- puberty begins at 6 months, which affects the ability of quick breeding;
- the need for a carefully balanced diet - this is important so that the chickens are not fattening, since the quality of the meat will then suffer;
- the physique characteristics of the Cornish chicken breed (the photo shows it quite well) - a small head and a short neck - do not allow birds to fully hatch parasites;
- if the chickens are kept for more than 5 months, the meat will become harsh and lose its unique taste properties, thanks to which this breed compares favorably with others.
Conditions of detention
For breeding birds, you need to know the characteristics of the content, which require white hens Cornish, a different color, as well as representatives of other breeds. First of all, they pay attention to the fact that this bird can be grown both in cages and on the floor. However, the cell significantly improves hygiene, due to the lack of regular contact with the litter. In this case, the need for systematic costs of veterinary drugs disappears. Hens will not suffer from obsessive parasites.
Food
Feeding this breed is not a costly affair, but it must be under special control, as mentioned above. Young individuals are unpretentious in nutrition. An important factor is that the chicken eats little, and the weight (muscle mass) is gaining rapidly. That is why the daily diet is slightly limited and corn is added as often as possible. To avoid digestive problems, some ordinary sand is sometimes added to chicken food. In addition, the bird needs easily digestible protein and vitamins.
Great broilers are crossed Cornish / Plymouthrook chickens. The origin and standards of the latter breed are described below.
Plymouth breed
This species of poultry appeared in America. It was first introduced in 1869. This event took place at a chicken show in Worcester (Worcester), Massachusetts. The breed was bred by crossing Cochin, Dominicans, Pomfret, fighting hens and any bird with a striped plumage color. As a result, two types were formed: exhibition and productive. Exterior standards were established by the American Poultry Association in 1910.
Deviation from the norm is a marriage. The main difference is the color. The plumage should be striped across the pen, alternating throughout the body, with the same strip width. The lines are white and black with a touch of lilac. Plymouth rock and Cornish - hens (photos of both breeds are presented in the article), which have their own individual characteristics. For the plymouth rock, the dark color of the tips of the feathers is a prerequisite.
In a rooster, the lumbar and neck region has narrower white-black stripes. Therefore, the pattern seems lighter than that of hens. The feathers of a rooster have a larger pattern. The chicken has lines of the same width throughout the body, it differs noticeably from the rooster in the more intense color of the black stripes. The chicken head is small or medium in size.
Crossing Plymouth Rock + Cornish
The breed of chickens, the description of which should begin with the crest, is a Plymouth breed. Why with him? Because it is a characteristic feature of the breed. Her crest is low and has a pronounced leaf-like shape with teeth, which he has five. Plymouth rock's beak is short, strong and yellow. Eyes are brilliant, orange-red. The earlobes are small and deep red - this is a prerequisite. Earrings are medium in size and oval. The muzzle of the chicken has a red tint and smooth in structure.
The qualities of the Cornish chickens, the description of which was made above, are excellent for crossbreeding with Plymutroks, also having a wide chest, densely covered with feathers. Good characteristics of both breeds served to improve the quality of broilers, especially meat broilers.
However, broiler chickens require a special approach to keeping. They need a warm, well-ventilated room with a consistent light regime and special drawers with heating pads. But all the work pays off with interest. Starting from week 9 broilers can be slaughtered for meat (their weight reaches 1.6-1.8 kg).
Plymouth Rock Features
The meat of this breed is tender, tasty and healthy. However, its yellow color discourages gourmets who consider such meat not elite.
In plymouthrocks, the rib cage is slightly elevated and protrudes forward. The wings of birds are medium in size and fit snugly on the body. The back is medium length, wide, horizontal, slightly raised to the tail of a small size with a dense feather cover and slightly tilted back. Hens have braids of moderate length. They have a thick, as on wings, plumage on the hips. Metatarsus is yellow, and claws are light yellow. There are plymouthrocks of white, black, fawn and partridge color.
If the chickens of this breed have an overdeveloped, falling down comb, then this is a marriage. Dark-beaked birds are also atypical. Plymouthrocans are not prone to have white processes on the crest and lobes - this is also a marriage. Completely white feathers and brown plaque on plumage are unacceptable by standards. In no case should there be a white color and plumage on the legs.
Advantages and disadvantages of Plymouth Rock
Chickens of this species are very flexible and calm. They are not restless and do not feel much discomfort. A strong physique and average wing size prevent the bird from rising high. This is a big plus for farmers. They no longer need a high fence. The bird quickly ripens. By 6 months, ready for slaughter. At the same age, chickens are able to lay eggs. This breed belongs to the egg-meat type. Among the shortcomings: poorly developed survival instinct.
Plymouth Rock Productivity Features
1. Live weight:
- chicken - 2.7-3.5 kilograms;
- a rooster - 4–5 kilograms.
2. Egg production is up to 190 eggs per year.
3. The mass of the egg (average) is 60 grams.
4. The egg has a cream color.
5. The safety of the breed - 96%.
Plymouthrock chickens are one of the most profitable options for farmers.
Other derived breeds
There are also miniature bentamiki - dwarf chickens. They have excellent productive qualities, adaptability to conditions and vitality.
Corn chickens are still used for crossbreeding with sussex, dorking and other meat and egg species. In its pure form, it is not always possible to breed Cornish. The fact is that heavy weight with short legs impedes their natural reproduction.
Today, broilers obtained from crossing Cornish and Plymouth Rock, called Broiler-6, are very popular. In addition, Neva-2 and Baltic-4 breeds, which are also in great demand, were created with the help of cornish. Broiler meat from crossing Plymouth Rock and Cornish has 20% more healthy proteins and up to 7% fat.
Broilers and white Cornish are different species, which are sometimes confused by ignorance. They are excellent even in ridges: peas and leaf. Broilers obtained by crossing. These are four-linear hybrids of white cornish and white plymouth rock. If there is no parent herd of broilers, then insemination is used artificially. Where parent flocks are kept, artificial insemination is not used, as it is expensive and hard physical labor.
In such broods, the chickens of the down are white. In the daily age they are not distinguished by gender. However, Cornish domestic birds are, as mentioned above, not only white in color, but also in black, yellow, brown and two-edged, which is the most common among colors. Chickens of the Cornish breed, like other meat species, have problems with plumage. This is a bit lengthy process. Therefore, with a lack of substances necessary for the body, they can even die from hypothermia.
Hatchability of Cornwell chickens is approximately 70% of hatching eggs. Unfortunately, not all eggs laid give offspring. But this did not affect the popularity of the breed among farmers. Due to other advantages, it remains in the ranking of the most popular types of poultry, of course, mainly because of meat.