OK, My wife bought 3 Pekins, and 10 Cornish Cross. I've built a small pen for now, but if anyone can give me some more hints and tips (we have only an acre total land). Will the Cornish be any good for eggs? From what I have read, they will be good for meat.

-- Brendan K Callahan (sleeping@netins.net), April 21, 2001

Answers

Response to Cornish Cross & White Pekin

Cornish X Rocks grow very fast so are the standard commercial meat birds. They tend to have leg problems (some can't stand), & also have a short life span (even when you don't eat them) do to heart problems, all caused by their fast growth. If some managed to live long enough to lay eggs (they have brown eggs), production is poor & the birds tend to die (heart attacks mostly) not long after. You might be lucky to get one years (depending on laying length) worth of eggs. And if you are trying to breed for chicks, they won't be the same as the parents (not true to type), as the parents were themselves mixed. I would suggest you try some other breed for eggs. Most of the brown egg layers are dual purpose in that they make a good meat bird, though they grow much slower then Cormish crosses. Rocks (come in various colors), Sex-links, New Hampshire Reds, & Rhode Island Reds, (to name a few) are regular (brown) egg machines, & can lay equal to or very close to the same production as Leghorns (also various colors & white eggs). (With the exception of the Leghorns, as they tend to be small & light weight) the above mentioned breeds also make very good eating.

I hope this helps.

animalfarms (IN)

-- animalfarms (jwlewis@indy.net), April 21, 2001.

Response to Cornish Cross & White Pekin

OK, so these should just be slaughtered at age(?), and then frozen for later use. Works for me :)

-- Brendan K Callahan (sleeping@netins.net), April 21, 2001.

Response to Cornish Cross & White Pekin

Brendan, You can butcher your Cornish at 8 - 10 wks. for fryer/broilers and grow them a little longer ( 3 mos.) for roasters. Best chicken you'll ever eat!! I have Pekin ducks, but have never butchered them as we don't care for duck. I just like to watch them! They lay JUMBO eggs and so far mine have been reasonably good setters. Normally, tho I don't think they are. Good luck!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 21, 2001.

Response to Cornish Cross & White Pekin

If you live where it is hot, you probably don't want to go past about 8 weeks on the Cornish Cross. After that, you start losing them. Our one Pekin also was a good setter.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), April 21, 2001.

Response to Cornish Cross & White Pekin

OK, I'll get used to what info to give as I go along. I'm in Grinnell, IA. Temperatures at this point still drop in the 40s at night, w/ highs in the 65-75 range right now, with lots of wind :) I'm not sure how to tell if the Pekins are male/female--one person told me males tail feathers curl up--if so, is appears I have 3 males.

-- Brendan K Callahan (sleeping@netins.net), April 21, 2001.

You're right, the males do have a tale feather that curls up. You can also tell by their voice. A female makes a real quacking, like Donald Duck(They actually say Quack Quack Quack), but a male has a quieter, sort of under their breath sound. If you have both, you can definitely tell the difference by this.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), April 22, 2001.

Brendan, Guess you don't have to look for eggs from your ducks now do ya?! Hope you can find a female or two for your boys.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 22, 2001.

I have a Cayuga drake I'd ship ya in a box if my granddaughter would let the dumb thing go! The hens are all pekins, and he chases the newest ones constantly. They are almost full grown size, but he is constantly trying to romance them. I kept them separated until they were large enough to defend themselves, but he hardly wants to let them eat! The pekin we have that is his same age, 1 yr, is a good layer, but doesn't set. The tail feather that curls is closest to the ducks' back, not under the tail, so it's easy to spot. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), April 26, 2001.

Well, I thought I'd give an update on the Pekins :) They are beautiful animals, and I sit and just watch them at least an hour a day! I'm still not usre what sex we have, but we bought four more-- looks like 2 buff orpingtons(?? Brown ones), and a black and yellow (yellow is turning white). 7 ducks--I should have at least one female, right?? LOL

we also bought some egg layers, RIR, a couple we can't identify, and those black and white ones (let me know if that's too technical a description ). They all seem to be doing fine, and keep me busy!

-- Brendan K Callahan (sleeping@netins.net), May 19, 2001.

Brendan, I would think that out of seven ducks you would have at least one female!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya. Ducks are lots of fun to watch, especially when they're eating the slugs (snails) that were headed for your garden!! I have a bantam Cochin hen that just hatched out two Pekin babies and it's quite funny to watch how upset "mama" gets when her babies enter the stream that runs behind our house!! Have fun.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), May 19, 2001.

well, i don't really know n/e thing bout Cornish but i know a lot about pekin. ok, if your keeping them as pets, try 2 bond w/ them as much as u can. and please make sure nothing can get into their pen and kill them. it happened to me. also if u have some girl pekins, u have to give them calcuim pills to mnake sure they don't over egg them selves when there old enough to have eggs.And that's mostly what you need to know, HAVE FUN!

-- Erica Sereni (Angel_love013@hotmail.com), May 30, 2001.