Do Cornish Cross Chickens Lay Eggs: All About Meat Chickens Jenny Graham, November 20, 2023November 20, 2023 Cornish Cross chickens are are a hybrid breed developed for their rapid growth and meat production. You may be wondering though do Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs? Do Cornish Cross Chickens Lay Eggs? While Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs, their egg production is not as prolific as the more popular egg production breeds like Leghorns or Rhode Island Reds. If you are interested in egg production, it would be more practical to choose a breed specifically bred for that purpose. Should You Keep Cornish Cross Chickens to Lay Eggs? Cornish Cross chickens are known for their rapid meat production. They were not bred for egg-laying but for meat production. While technically you could keep them for egg production, their shorter life expectancy and health problems make them better suited to their original purpose. Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs poorly. If Not for Egg Production, then What For? You should consider raising Meat Chickens from Hatchery to Butcher Day if you are looking for quick meat production. Cornish Cross chickens are often the breed of chicken you find being sold at the grocery store, as their rapid growth will give you a nice, plump broiler chicken with lots of breast meat, in just 8-10 weeks. Are Cornish Cross Chickens Right For You? If your goal is to stock your freezer quickly with fresh chicken, then Cornish Cross broilers may be a good choice for you. Realistically, you can easily raise a years worth of chicken for your family in just a couple of months. What Exactly Is A Cornish Cross Chicken? The Cornish Cross is a hybrid breed of chicken developed for meat production. It is a cross between the Cornish Indian Game chicken and a White Plymouth Rock chicken. These birds are bred to grow rapidly and efficiently, converting feed into muscle much faster than a traditional chicken. History of Cornish Cross Chickens The hybrid chicken cross of the Cornish Indian Game and Plymouth White Chickens dates back to the 1950’s. The success of creating the Cornish Cross hybrid breed changed the poultry farming industry into what it is today. Cornish Chickens (Eggs, Appearance, Height, Size and Tips) Since these broiler chickens are not your standard breed of chicken, their appearance, growth, and care are slightly different from your backyard chickens. With a few adjustments you can easily raise Cornish Cross broilers for meat production. What Do Cornish Cross Broilers Look Like? As day old chicks, they are exactly like traditional baby chicks. However, within just a few days you’ll notice their rapid growth. As they quickly lose their feathers, young birds become quite ugly. They then grow quickly into a wide bird with short legs and solid white feathers. How Big Do Cornish Cross Meat Chickens Get? At just eight weeks of age you may be surprised at how large they are. With their big and bulky but short stature they will be in full waddle mode by the time they are ready to process What Is The Average Weight Of A Cornish Cross Chicken? By the time they have reached their maximum growth rate, they can have a market weight of 4-7 pounds. The males will weigh in the heaviest, which is why we choose to purchase sexed chicks form the hatchery. How Many Eggs Do Cornish Cross Chickens Lay? If you are wondering if Cornish Cross Chickens lay eggs, please know that their egg laying capabilities will not be great. If egg production is what you are after there are much better choices than Cornish Cross hens. Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs inconsistently. When Will Cornish Hens Start Laying Eggs? Since Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs poorly and most are slaughtered at around 8 weeks of age, most will never lay eggs. They are capable but most do not live long enough due to health problems. Will Cornish Cross Hens Lay Brown or White Eggs? Since both the Plymouth Rock and the Cornish Indian Game hen lay varying shades of brown eggs, you could assume that Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs that are also brown. Cornish Cross Chickens Lay Eggs That Are Often Unfertile They usually don’t end up living long enough to reach sexual maturity. If they do reach sexual maturity, they are often too big to reproduce. Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs that are often unfertilized. Do You Need a Cornish Cross Rooster to Get Cornish Cross Chickens To Lay Eggs? No, a rooster is only needed if you want to have fertile eggs. Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs on their own, without a rooster, if they are able to reach maturity. These eggs will be unfertilized eggs. The Problem With Breeding Cornish Cross Chickens You may wonder if you can breed Cornish Cross chickens since Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs. While they have all the required anatomy to breed, since they are a hybrid breed you may not get all the qualities of Cornish Cross broilers. How To Raise And Care For Cornish Cross Chickens Raising and caring for Cornish Cross chickens is a little different than egg laying breeds. With a few minor adjustments you can successfully raise these meat birds on your homestead. Starting with Day Old Chicks Most meat chickens will come from a meat bird hatchery. You’ll receive them as 2-3 day old chicks. They need to be raised in a chick brooder for 2-3 weeks, depending on your climate, with a heat lamp. Did Somebody Say Food? Just like any other living creature, meat chickens need clean water and plenty of food. Their feeders need to kept topped off around the clock for the first week. After that, feeders should be full from sun up to sun down. What Type Of Chicken Feed Is Best For Cornish Cross Chicken? I like to start my day old chicks on a game bird starter crumble, which has 28% protein. After a full week of that, I switch them to a regular chick starter from the feed store, with 21% protein. They are kept on that, along with fresh water, until they are ready to butcher. Best Housing Setup For A Cornish Cross Chicken Cornish Cross chickens can be raised a few different ways. They can be raised in a chicken coop, in a chicken tractor, or as free range meat chickens. The Benefits of Raising Meat Chickens in a Chicken Tractor Raising meat chickens in a chicken tractor is beneficial for many reasons. This is the preferred way to raise meat chickens of many homesteads and poultry farmers, as it provides more of a free-range environment. Cuts down on the feed bill by giving the access to pasture, supplementing their diet with fresh grass and bugs. Eliminates the need to feed chicken grit, as they will usually find enough while foraging. Eliminates the need to clean a chicken coop, as they are moved to fresh grass daily. Provides more protection from the elements and predators vs the little protection that free range meat chickens have. Best Chicken Tractor for Pastured Poultry There are several styles of chicken tractors out there. Over the years I have used several different styles. More recently I’ve been using this metal chicken coop that we modified by adding wheels to. You can read my full review here. Can Cornish Cross Chickens Free Range? Every homestead or small farm has a different set up and different priorities in raising their animals. If having free range meat chickens is a priority, it absolutely can be done. We free range our meat chickens for 2-3 weeks before butcher day. Predator protection is a must. They must be big enough to not be swooped up by a chicken hawk. We also keep one of our livestock guardian dogs with our meat birds while they are out on pasture. Keeping Broiler Chickens in a Chicken Coop Cornish Cross broilers can be raised in a chicken coop, if a chicken coop is the only option you have. It’s not the preferred method, as you will find yourself having to clean the coop on a daily basis. Meat chickens poop a lot. Keeping them in a coop also means that you have to provide 100% of their chicken feed and chicken grit, with no grass or bugs to supplement. Hardiness and Health Problems of Cornish Cross Chickens Cornish Cross chickens are not known for their hardiness. They can be finicky little birds that will die easily if wet in cold weather. On the other hand they are not suited for extremely hot weather either. They also have other health problems that contribute to their short life span. Raising them on pasture can help with their overall health. What Health Issues Do Cornish Cross Chickens Have? These meat chickens have a couple health problems that are worth a mention. Due to their rapid growth and body weight they often have leg problems. Its not uncommon to have a meat chicken with a slight limp. Typical Problems Raising Cornish Cross Meat Birds Not only do they have leg issues due to their rapid growth and body weight, they also can have heart problems. Meat chickens that are left to mature to an older age will often die of a heart attack. What Is The Lifespan Of Cornish Cross Chickens? This hybrid breed was bred for meat production, giving them a shorter life span. They are typically ready to butcher at 8-10 weeks. On a rare occasion, you may have one bypass butcher day and live longer. We had a Cornish Cross rooster live to be 3 1/2 years old. Temperament of Cornish Crosses Since this hybrid chicken is bred for meat production, it’s also bred to consume lots of chicken feed. When these birds are hungry and ready for feed, you’d better be prepared with jeans and boots on. They will peck at you while you are putting out feed for them. Are Cornish Cross Chickens Friendly? While some people say they are one of the lazy docile breeds, I have found the opposite to be true. They can be quite vicious, caring only about food and fresh water. And lots of it. Different Breeds of Chickens For Meat Production While the Cornish Cross chickens are the standard for a lot of homesteads and commercial meat production, there are other breeds that are a equally good choice. Lets take a look at a few others. Other Popular Meat Production Chicken Breeds Big Red Broilers: Also a hybrid meat chicken, matures at 12 weeks (a little longer than Cornish crosses), good foragers, fewer health problems, lots of flavorful meat, will also lay eggs. Breese: Heritage breed that lays blue eggs, dual purpose, matures at 16 weeks, slightly smaller grow out than Cornish cross, but with flavorful meat. Turken: Good dual purpose chicken, matures at 20 weeks at a good size, excellent egg producer. Ginger Broiler: Grows just as well as the Cornish Cross chicken but with fewer health problems, mature at 8-10 weeks. Jersey Giant: Heritage breed with slower growth, matures at 20 weeks, but grows to a giant 10-12 pound bird. Delaware: Dual purpose heritage breed, excellent egg layers with a smaller finishing weight, matures at 16-20 weeks. Heritage Breed vs Commercial Production Hybrid Breeds While they both have there pros and cons the answer will be different for every homestead or small farm, as everyone has a different set of circumstances and needs. Your heritage breeds will be slower growing and sometimes have a smaller finishing weight but will have excellent egg production, be able to reproduce on their own, and have fewer health problems. Where as commercial hybrid breeds will grow out quickly and consistently with large amounts of meat. Qualities of Heritage Breeds You may find that the good qualities outweigh the lesser qualities of heritage breeds. If a self sufficient sustainable meat source is what you are looking for you may want to consider the heritage breeds. Dual-Purpose Chickens for Meat Production and Egg Production Many of your heritage breeds will be excellent choices for dual purpose chickens, being a good choice for egg production and meat production. Throw in a rooster and you will have a sustainable, high protein egg and meat source out of one backyard chicken flock. Notice that the Cornish Cross chickens lay eggs nowhere near as good as these breeds and does not make the best dual purpose chicken breeds list. Best Dual Purpose Chicken Breeds: Wyandotte Buff Orpington Plymouth Rock Brahama Delaware Speckled Sussex Dominique Jersey Giant Some of the Best Egg-Laying Breeds If you choose to raise the standard meat chicken breed, like the Cornish Cross, you’ll want to add some great egg laying hens to your backyard flock of chickens. This list of the best egg laying breeds will give you a good start on figuring out what breed will work and how many chickens you’ll need for your homestead. Happy Homesteading & Chicken Keeping, Jenny @ The Graham Stead Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Chickens Homesteading Livestock