# difference between cornish game and cornish cross



## mare (Aug 31, 2006)

i decided to raise cornish game hens this year instead of the cornish cross. what is the difference between these. i get they are crossed but with what. do the cornish game hens have all their feathers by the time they need to be butchered? i also ordered buff orph's cocerels for butchering later in the year--i am hoping this will be a good breed for that.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

The Cornish Game Hen is the same as the Cornish Cross Broiler, just usually butchered sooner.


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## Buster (May 31, 2009)

Are you sure you didn't just order standard Cornish? What do they look like? Standard Cornish are frequently called game hens, but the game hen you buy in the store is actually a CX butchered at a young age.

If you are talking about standards (Dark, White Laced Red, etc.) they are indeed very different birds from the X bird.


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## mare (Aug 31, 2006)

the phamplet says they are cornish game hens and the description says: these are cornish broiler pullets butchered at 3 weeks of age when they are 2-2 1/2 pounds live weight.


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## Buster (May 31, 2009)

Well, they are definitely Cornish X, then, and if you grow them out to be 6 to 8 weeks they will be broilers. Same animal, different marketing.


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

And the cornish is crossed with a plymouth white rock.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

CornishX WAS the mix of a Cornish over white rock but that was SOOOOOO LONG ago that the stock used to produce these "birds" would no more look like a Cornish OR a Rock than a cow would look like a goat, the name is misleading to say the least they have become their own creature, if you cross a cornish with a rock now you will get a good meat bird but it will NOT look, grow, act, smell, talk, or think like one of these CornishX


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

KSALguy said:


> CornishX WAS the mix of a Cornish over white rock but that was SOOOOOO LONG ago that the stock used to produce these "birds" would no more look like a Cornish OR a Rock than a cow would look like a goat, the name is misleading to say the least they have become their own creature, if you cross a cornish with a rock now you will get a good meat bird but it will NOT look, grow, act, smell, talk, or think like one of these CornishX


Does anyone where I can get the breeding stock for the Cornish X?


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Nowhere. They don't sell breeding stock to individuals.


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