The Cornish Cross broilers recently underwent a noticeable change in their feather cover. They are still bald under their wings and on their bellies, but their backs and wings better resemble normal chickens.
Their appetites are immense. These birds are the embodiment of hunger and fall upon the feeders with manic enthusiasm. After gorging themselves, they waddle away and lie panting wherever they drop. They sometimes don’t even sit like chickens do, but will lay down on their sides. They remind me of the Far Side cartoon about the boneless chicken farm.
The Cornish Cross broilers are so large that Melissa cannot hold with with just one hand. In the picture, she is holding a 12” ruler alongside the bird for scale. We weighed this broiler and found him to be 5.5 pounds. So, the broilers will soon be ready for harvest.
The surprise chick has also had a change in feathering. In his case, it was mainly a change of color, rather than in the degree of cover. Unfortunately, he was too unruly for Melissa to hold with one hand. In consequence, you can’t easily see that he has a red collar of feathers around his neck and a red-and-black checkered pattern on this body.
Based on his plumage and size I would suspect that he is a Golden Campine bantam. However, his comb is a v-shape, rather than single comb. That observation leads me to postpone making a final determination on the matter.
I like seeing the close-up picture of the chickens you describe. I can imagine warming up to the surprise chick, but only the promise of much meat supply draws me to the
Cornish Cross bird! Picture it roasted, on a platter, crispy dark skin – yum!