Cornish chickens: description and characteristics of the breed, breeding and care, diseases

Cornish chickens are stocky, broad-breasted beauties, rightfully occupying a leading position in amateur poultry farming. To match them cockerels, which will be the decoration of any chicken coop. Beauty, good external quality indicators, unpretentiousness in maintenance and care, high productivity constantly attract new fans of this bird.

History of Appearance

The beginning of the creation of the breed was laid in the 1830s in England, in the county of Cornwall by crossing red Azil hens with Old English fighting. The bred chickens did not receive recognition because they had small weight and egg production.The resulting cross was crossed with Malayan chickens, which made it possible to obtain specimens of a larger mass with tender juicy meat. At first, Cornish chickens were called Cornish fighting, then Indian fighting. The final name became established as a slang derivative of the name Cornwall.

The bird has spread all over the world. It was brought to the Soviet Union in 1959. Used in industrial poultry farming. Currently, the Cornish breed is bred by amateur poultry farmers.

Description and characteristics of the breed

Cornishes are beautiful, they have a calm nature, high productivity.

Bird Exterior

Cornish chickens are easy to distinguish from other chickens by their bright colors. Colorful appearance.

External data:

• plumage close-fitting, smooth, legs without feathers;
• pea comb;
• short, squat, legs short, thick, chest broad;
• ring size 27/22, for dwarfs 18/15;
• varieties of plumage colors - black with double border, blue with double border, white with double border, white.

Feather Character

The character is calm with an aggressive appearance, inherited from fighting ancestors. Chickens are good hens. Getting used to the climate is fast.

Breed productivity

Farmers value Cornish chickens for their high productivity and versatility.

Key indicators:

• live weight of adult roosters 3.7-4.5 kg, chickens - 2.7-3.2 kg, dwarf form 1.5 / 0.9 kg;
• egg production 70-160 eggs per year;
• cream eggs, weight 55/30;

Advantages and disadvantages of Cornish chickens

The main advantage of Cornish chickens is meat. With proper observance of the feeding regime, it turns out to be moderately fatty, juicy and tender .

The bird is rapidly gaining weight. Ready for slaughter by 2 months. The carcass weight of roosters by this age reaches 3 kg, hens - 2 kg. At the same time, 140-160 g of feed is consumed per head, which is much less than when fattening a broiler.

Given the much lower mobility compared to other chickens, the rate of planting Cornish in the chicken coop is increased by 30%, which has a positive effect on saving space.

The bird, thanks to its exterior, is an adornment of any chicken coop. The broad body and short legs give the Cornish a resemblance to dinosaurs. Despite the aggressive appearance, there are no serious fights between roosters. Skirmishes resemble a ritual dance.

Lack of Cornish chickens - at an early age with an improperly selected diet, a violation of the diet, their growth of muscle tissue is ahead of the growth of bones of the skeleton. This leads to a decrease or loss of mobility, obesity, diseases of the limbs and internal organs.

The specific body structure of Cornish roosters does not allow normal fertilization of eggs. Chick hatchability is low.

Chicken meat becomes tough and less tasty with a long fattening period. Therefore, they have to be slaughtered before the onset or during the molt, which makes it difficult to pluck.

Features of keeping birds

Cornish chickens are easy to care for, they are unpretentious.

Poultry

Place Cornish chickens better in a permanent building. Recently, OSV boards and panels made of them with internal insulation have become a popular material for the walls of a poultry house.The thickness is selected depending on the temperature regime in the region. It is 100-150 mm. The roof is covered with galvanized corrugated board.

The area of the poultry house is calculated according to the norms for keeping meat chickens. They make up 5-6 goals per 1 sq. m. with outdoor content. The floor is better to do concrete.

To minimize the harm from rodents, it is recommended to add broken glass to the solution when pouring.

The floor is made with a recess of 15-20 cm from the threshold level. This space is filled with hardwood sawdust or chopped straw.

Perches are optional. Cornish feels comfortable on the litter. For laying hens, nests are installed in the poultry house at the rate of 1 for 5-6 hens. They are wooden boxes with dimensions of 400x400x600 cm with a half-open front wall for entry. Straw or hay spreads to the bottom.

Cornish easily tolerates cellular content. The cages used are the same as for broilers. They are equipped with their own drinkers and feeders.

Patio for walking

Attach close to the chicken coop. The design is a frame of wooden or metal racks covered with mesh. It is better to take galvanized steel. Foxes and polecats can live nearby, which easily tear the plastic fence. Walking is equipped with a separate entrance.

The top is made closed. Cellular polycarbonate is suitable for this purpose. A manhole with a door for closing at night is equipped from the poultry house. If it is made high above the ground, then a ladder is constructed so that the chickens are not injured.

Feeders and drinkers

Installed indoors and outdoors. For convenience, automatic devices are suitable. Bunker feeders, bulk with a capacity of 2 to 18 kg, depending on the number of hens. They are hung, or placed on a hard, level surface.

Nipple drinkers. They are economical and eliminate the spillage of water. Vacuum drinkers are installed on the paddock. It is necessary to ensure that there is always fresh water in the drinking bowls, and they are available at any time of the day. An adult Cornish drinks 400-500 grams of water a day.

Indoors, containers are installed for the ash-sand mixture and mineral additives - chalk, crushed shells, clay, coal, gravel.

Seasonal molt

The first, juvenile molt in Cornish chickens begins at 5-6 weeks and ends with the start of laying. Seasonal molts occur in autumn and spring. They are associated with a decrease or increase in daylight hours. The bird prepares for a change in temperature and acquires an additional or sheds an extra feather. In this way, she protects herself from freezing and overheating.

Experienced poultry farmers sometimes send their wards into forced molting.

Planned herd replacement

Cornish hens' egg-laying capacity declared by the breed standard is maintained for 3 years. In some hens, it decreases earlier. Therefore, it is recommended to replace individual individuals at the age of two. A complete replacement of the herd is done at 3 years.

Breed diet

Cornish is an early maturing breed. Therefore, the diet is based on this indicator.

Adult chickens

From the age of 7 weeks to slaughter, if chickens are fattened for meat, they are fed with PK-6 compound feed for broilers. You can use PC-12 for young turkeys. If chickens are transferred to the category of replacement young animals, then from 12-14 weeks they are transferred to PK-2 compound feed for laying hens and a grain mixture of wheat, barley, and crushed corn.

In the absence of high-quality feed, they are prepared independently. Mineral and vitamin supplements, fish, meat and bone or blood meal, nettles and other greens and vegetables are added to the grain base.

Chickens

On the first day of life, chickens can not be fed. They have enough to feed the residual yolk. 10-12 hours after hatching, they are given water with a solution of glucose and ascorbic acid. Boiled water is given for up to 10 days. From the second day up to 7 weeks feed PK-2 or PK-5 compound feed. These are starter feeds that provide growth and strengthening of bone tissue and rapid weight gain.

To improve bowel function, chickens from two weeks of age are given yogurt or whey.

Breeding rules

With proper care, Cornish chickens grow quickly and rarely get sick.

When puberty hits

Puberty in the Cornish breed occurs at 7-8 months. However, it is recommended to allow hens to incubate, and it is recommended to select an egg for incubation no earlier than 10-11 months. Roosters are matched with hens 2-3 months older.

The nuances of caring for chickens

From the first days of life, Cornish chickens require more attention than young animals of other breeds. They fledge much more slowly than their relatives at the age of 1.5-2 weeks. In a sudden cold snap, they can get sick or injured when huddled together. Therefore, in a brooder or chicken house, there must be a source of additional heating.

It is desirable for older chickens to arrange free range covered with grass. To reduce the risk of obesity, these beauties should move more.

What breeds are Cornish chickens crossed with

The Cornish chicken breed has long been the biological material for crossing with other meat and egg breeds, mainly Plymouthrock and Sussex, to produce broiler crosses. Some breeders experiment and cross the Cornish breed with Barnevelder, Leghorn, Wyandot, Rhodeland.

Possible diseases

These include diseases of the digestive system arising from malnutrition. If such diseases are suspected, chickens are transferred to a sparing diet. The diet should contain a predominance of fiber and vitamins. This is a germinated grain of oats and barley, nettle. Give milk return. They try to keep the bird free range.

To prevent coccidiosis, Cornish chickens at the age of 14 days are fed with Baycox for 2 days. At least twice a year, chickens should undergo anthelmintic treatment. The best drugs are Tetramizol and Alben.

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