[Ayupmeduck]

Hi all  I've been offered some Cobb girls for practically free, they are laying and though are nearly as big as my Brahma girls appear to be ok on their legs.  I'm wondering if a cross with a better tasting cockerel is viable as an eating bird.  I'm not concerned about the eggs as I've got my hard working Warren ladies for that,  but if they are only suitable for the pot then it looks like a huge vat of korma is on the horizon!

 thanks for reading and advice or opinions are all graciously accepted 

[joyfull]

Ay up me duck and welcome,
really I would have thought they should have been culled before they got to the laying stage, they will lay but really they are bred for meat. How old are they.

[Ayupmeduck]

Thanks Joyfull 
Well thats the thing I'm not sure at all about their age, though the chap who has them thinks they are about 20 wks I'm not sure what sort of age this breed starts to lay.  To be honest I think he may have had a mixed age batch from the grower as he says he gets about 9 eggs from 20 birds daily, so who knows who's doing what.  Thay are all in generally good condition as regards feathering and general health.  Could they have been breeding stock?  I'll try and get a photo uploaded as I'm assuming they're Cobbs,  big, white, beefy
bruisers from Lincoln way    They also lay a big white egg if thats any help 


              thanks for your time 

[GrannieAnnie]

Table birds should be dead by that age.  We still have some of our Hubbard 757's and I got an egg from one yesterday, even though they aren't 16 weeks yet! 

Ours got to killing age at 10-12 weeks, but we've had rather more than usual, so its taking longer to get them all in the freezer!

Yours may look nice and healthy, but these birds are not bred to live long and they could drop dead of heart attacks any time now  .

[Ayupmeduck]

Thanks for the advice, at least the korma is still on then, I'd best get the freezer on standby! :happy:

[GrannieAnnie]

 

[Casey76]

I have a Cobb-type hen, she is a year old, and at the moment is being a very good mum to a surrogate chick.

She does lay very pale tinted eggs, about 3 or 4 times a week, but no matter what I try the shell quality is the pits.

She is very breast heavy, so she can't jump any more than a foot high, and she doesn't perch at all.

She did suffer horribly with a mucky bum, but since she has been on wheat and chick crumb (whilst being broody) it has cleared up really well

This is Rosie as a pullet:


And now: