Cornish Chicken Breed Information, Characteristics, Temperament

Last Updated on February 9, 2021 by Pauline G. Carter

​Cornish Chicken breed originated from Cornwall County in England. The same chicken breed is called the “Indian Game” in Australia. It is also the most –used breed in the chicken meat industry.

First, Baronet Sir Walter Gilbert developed this chicken breed in 1820. In 1893, it was accepted and included in the list of American Poultry Association as Indian Game.   According to Sir Gilbert, he was able to come up with this breed by crossing Red Aseel and Black Breasted Red Game of the Lord Derby type.

This chicken breed has two varieties – the Cornish Game and the Jubilee Cornish Game.  The first variety has the color of dark-green. Hens have white patterns. The 2nd variety, Jubilee Cornish Game, is less stocky and much lighter than their counterparts. They have the color of light-wheaten and light brown patterns. Cornish chickens are considered the bulldogs of all of the chicken breeds.

People tried to come up with a fantastic fighter of a chicken breed. They crossed the Asian Game breeds with old English Game breeds. What they came up with is this fantastic meaty bird – the Cornish.

​Cornish Chicken | Breed Profile

Characteristics Of The ​Cornish Chicken

​Cornish Chicken lays brown or tinted medium to large eggs and is heavy and muscular. It has widely spaced hips that, most of the time, cause them bad legs injury. It is precisely a popular show bird and comes in many color variants.

They have deceptive size. One glance, and you may think they are lighter than they really are.

This is because of their heart-shaped body. The standard weight of a Cornish cock is 3.86 kg, the hen is 2.57 kg, cockerel and pullet are both 1 kg. For the Bantam variety, a rooster weighs 2 kg while hen weighs 1.5 kg.

Young birds or Cornish Game Hens can be harvested early due to their muscular nature. They can produce a small, tender, and meaty one-pound bird. They want more space and are not advisable for the small living environment. They are more prone to parasites because they have thinner feathers (or close feathered) than other chicken breeds. Because of this sensitivity, they need extra or separate shelter.

What unique about this chicken breed is their identical male and females features. Their skulls are notably wide, and legs are set wide apart. Their necks are of medium length, and shanks are thick and short.

Behavior/ Temperament/ Use

​Cornish Chicken can produce 160 to 180 eggs per year. To enhance meat production, this stocky, large chicken breed is usually crossed with other breeds.

This chicken breed is silent. They make good mothers, though, and are easy to handle when tamed. Cornish hen has superb table qualities – meat and egg-wise.

What We Liked/Pros

• ​Muscular and meaty in general.
• ​Hens can be harvested at an early age.
• ​Can lay 160 to 180 eggs per year.
• Can be crossed with other American breeds to produce another chicken breed.
• Good mothers to their chicks.

What We Don’t Like/Cons

• ​Poor to fair layer of brown/ tinted eggs.
• ​Heart-shaped body gives little room for egg laying capacity.
• ​Not hardy, not prolific and not fast growing.
• Closed feathering provides less insulation.
• Not for cold climate areas.
• Grows fairly slow considering the fact that they have ample appetites.
• Not ideal for small/ confined spaces.
• Prone to parasites, thus needs extra shelter.

Is Cornish Chicken Good for You?

​Considering Cons are more than Pros, I believe Cornish Chicken breed is not suitable for those who have less space. However, this can be beneficial to those who want to harvest chicks at an early age. Cornish chicken meat can be harvested even at a young age. This is because of their muscular nature. Cornish chickens are tamed.

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