This year, we crossed some Red Laced Cornish hens with a White Rock rooster and hatched the chicks in our incubator. Some are red-laced but bigger, some are white and big, but have a tight feathering like a Cornish. They are nice chicks, but are not even. That takes several further crosses to get a stable breed of meat birds. But we are happy with the growth and looks of this year’s birds. We’ll butcher most of the roosters and give away most of the hens to friends, saving the rest to cross back next spring. We’ll see how that goes. The bottom line is we have some nice meat birds that know how to dig in the dirt, roost on poles, and all have lived! I’m sure they’ll taste great, too. — Jackie
