Virtually all chicken meat purchased at the grocery comes from the Cornish X which is a cross breed of chickens to produce the most white meat for the least expense in raising. Similar to the stupid white turkeys bred for Thanksgiving, these chickens are ravenous eaters without the smarts to know when to stop. They are typically large enough to butcher within about two months, unlike heritage meat chickens that may take as long as six months.
I enjoyed reading the Queen of the Red Double Wide's experiences with raising Cornish Cross. She has the eight week progress report of growth and, well, life experiences of dealing with these funny, quirky birds.
Based on the first two days of having these fluffy yellow chicks, I can assure you that they are not the most instinctive chicks in the bunch. Normally, I have the warmer on one side of the brooder with the food and water near the light. Typically, within six hours, the chicks have figured out how to navigate between warmth and food. Not these guys. They huddle around the feeder, and forget that there's warmth nearby. Multiple times, I tried to get them to the warmth, only to have them all gravitate back to the food and then huddle there, again.
Trying a different set up with the warmer under the light, and the food in the middle of the brooder? We'll see if that works better. Oh, yah. Only purchased six since I'm not too certain what to expect.
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