We have reared our own Ross Cobb chickens for the table for many years, and it makes economical sense if you choose to eat meat & if you have the land. It provides us with ‘happy meat’ that is fed on good quality food, whilst spending its days running round on grass under an (intermittent) Cornish sun.
However, having just culled the last 15 birds from this batch of Ross Cobb table birds, we (Jonny, my brother Stuart & I) are repulsed and sickened to the point of no return.
My Dad has farmed this land since the 70’s, and he opted for the commercial breed of chicken known as the Ross Cobb table bird. Every year we would take delivery of these chunky little birds with thick legs and huge feet, and watch them grow into beachballs with feathers.
The Ross Cobb weighs in at 2 kg at 6 weeks. Think about how big an egg is, and how big a 2 kg chicken is. All that growing in 6 weeks? Crazy. Ours go on for up to 12 weeks, creating a roasting bird more reminiscent of a turkey than a chicken.
I have fed, plucked and drawn enough of these birds to tell you that all too often their body mass grows quicker than their legs ability to hold them up. They ‘go off their legs’ because their skeleton can’t keep up with their obscene growth of muscle.
Several birds per batch drop dead of heart failure, due to the abnormal demands made on their cardiovascular system.
Apparently, this is farming.
Well, no more. The 3 of us have finally quit taking part in growing this kind of meat.
A fresh start
Next spring we will find a nice little trio of Buff Orpingtons or White Leghorns maybe. We’ll grow meat in a slow, old fashioned & sustainable way that makes sense to us, and we’ll eat chickens that we know lived a happy life.
If I can offer any advice to anyone still considering rearing these birds, cull them young and don’t order more than you can handle. If life gets in the way (which has happened here with Dad getting sick) they don’t pause in their relentless growth waiting for you to catch up. They just keep getting bigger & bigger.
Have you ever grown Ross Cobbs, or would you never entertain the idea?
Also, do you have any thoughts as to which old fashioned meat bird we should plump for next year? If so, please leave a comment below.
Janie x
8/4/15 Edited to add this useful comment from Stuart;
Hi Janie,
Just stumbled across this on Google.
I breed and rear these commercial type birds here in the UK on a small scale, I have a couple of dozen breeders.
I have spent many years in the poultry industry though and a lot of them on broiler farms.
These birds by design are bred to grow as quickly and as big as possible.
They should not be kept any older than 8 weeks of age, normal commercial practice is to kill hens at 5-6 weeks at around 2Kg and the males at 7 weeks at around 3.5Kg, I have never heard of them being kept longer than 8 weeks of age commercially.
They are not bred to be kept longer/bigger than that, any that are kept past that age or size will suffer from the size and weight related problems you have experienced unless fed a restricted or low nutrition diet.
Although they are often incorrectly referred to as Ross Cobbs, they will be either Ross OR Cobb, these are the two major broiler producing companies so you will either have a Ross bird or a Cobb bird, Hubbard is another breeding company regularly available but a smaller sized producer.
The pure breeds don’t come close to the performance of the commercial strains, I looked at rearing pure breeds for the table but when you cost the feed they eat to the time it takes them to reach a decent weight they will end up costing you a lot of money for very little return.
Deborah M. says
I don’t know if you’re able to get them where you live, but here in the USA there is a breed known as “Freedom Rangers” or “Red Rangers”. They are a meat bird that grow at a slower rate and unlike the commercial meat breeds, it is active and an excellent forager.
http://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/learnmore
HedgeComber says
Thank you for that info Deborah, I’ve never heard of them but will look into it.
Thanks again, Janie x
Lauren says
I purchased Freedom Rangers, I’m not a fan of the frankenbirds and we actually purchased one from a friend breeder and did a taste test, everyone perferred the Fredom Ranger. Mine were pricessed at about 14 weeks, no deaths all of them running around outside, even flying. They dressed out at 4 to 5.5 lbs. They don’t have the huge huge breasts but they had plenty of tasty meat on them. I buy them from a broker in Canada and recommend them for those of us who do find the Ross or Cobb distasful.
Pam Thompson says
cross light sussex hens with cornish game cockerel for a good meat bird.
HedgeComber says
Thanks Pam, what do you think about running a Cornish Game boy with Laying hens (we have Lohmanns)?
Outdoor tim says
you can keep commercial type birds for months or even years, but you have to treat them a bit differently. I feed mine only twice per day, with enough to keep them pecking for about 15 mins max. If they want any more they have to walk and find it. I did loose 3/25 from this batch, they were all cockerels. The rest did very well. Last years hens are now laying, and you are right, they are huge, Sunday lunch was 12lbs, dressed. Happy chickening.
ib jensen says
I get a bit worried when i read about the Cobb chickens here, i was thinking of getting some this spring, but i am not sure now, what if i leave these birds free range with little extra food will they develop stronger bones?
Ib.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey there, they are bred to cull very very young.
The last ones we put in the freezer, I have a real hard time eating. I’m not sure whether it is just because of how strongly I felt about them when we dispatched them or not, but the I’m finding the taste & texture unpleasant (I’m actually throwing the meat away from my plate, and I don’t waste food I’ve grown!). That said, my Dad raised them for many years, and I’ve eaten them for many years and had no problem with taste or texture, in fact I’ve always enjoyed it.
My advice, cull them young.
Janie x
Rosie Foster says
Our view is exactly the same-we have hatched our first batch of these birds and after a poor hatch rate, one had a hernia, another went off its legs at only 5 weeks, another appeared to suffocate and now we have 3 left-huge birds that are free range and are beginning to look tired-they cannot perch at night and now spend their days laying down to eat. This has not only put us off ever rearing this breed again, but possibly put us off eating meat altogether.
We do have some lovely light sussex, marans and now some red jungle fowl though!
Jane Sarchet says
So sad Rosie, to think that this is the strain that feeds all(?) supermarket shelves. This last batch affected me so strongly, I’m even struggling to eat the birds we have in the freezer. If you find a nicer breed to grow for meat, please let me know.
Janie x
steve says
hi
i grow Hubbards which are a free range version of the Ross Cobb and also Sassos which are a red french meat bird ideal for free ranging
Jane Sarchet says
Do they have the health problems of the Ross Steve?
Janie x
Greg says
I have just purchased 2 young birds and am already regretting buying them they seem disabled and unhealthy and without the natural curiosity and personality of the usual hens I have had they will be on the table as soon as possible and as you I won’t buy any another example of mans mistakes messing around with nature sometimes to our advantage look at high rid hens sometimes with disaster results the pug dog the cob Ross
Jane Sarchet says
So sad to hear Greg. But it is the only way I learnt what I found acceptable in rearing meat, and what I didn’t. And that is valuable experience for sure.
Janie x
Rachel Jones says
Hi, I would suggest the Dorking, much slower growing than the Cobb’s but good quality meat. The Dorking is also rare, so you could contribute to the sustainability of this breed! It comes in 5 different colours so looks attractive too!
Jane Sarchet says
That’s interesting Rachel, we did used to have a couple of silver Dorkings that were beautiful, but not much meat on them. Perhaps we need to find a breeder who grows a heavier strain of them. Do you rear them for meat?
Janie x
Ben Jones says
We breed Cuckoo Marans, which make a good laying hen and the boys make 1.6 to 1.8kg at around 16 weeks. Ixworths are a great meat bird too, they make around a 2 kg bird at the same age, the hens lay well through the winter too. Our Light Sussex are a lighter bird but ok for jointing. There are heavier utility strains around and we are crossing these into our current birds to try and up their weight a little. The Welsummers, Leghorns and Legbars don’t put enough weight on to be any good as meat birds really in my opinion.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Ben, thanks for getting in touch! Funnily enough I’ve been looking at Ixworths, we’ve tried the Cuckoo Marans in the past and whilst they made good eating, we weren’t getting great weights from them. Whereabouts in the UK are you Ben?
Janie x
Ben Jones says
We’re in Cardiff. It will depend on the strains, and feed too. The Marans are my favourite meat bird at the moment. We have had a few topping 2kg this year at 18 weeks, but average is 1.6 to 1.8.
Jane Sarchet says
Yeah, I put it down to the strains as they were ad-lib on growers pellets. Thanks for letting me know what’s working for you.
Janie x
russell benington says
hey, while i may be in New Zealand we still have these breeds, im trying to get these to breeding age…i have three pullets chicks and two cockerels, but i am worried about the whole obesity thing…i have them free ranging, and are on restricted diets…will this be enough to keep them slim enough to get to maturity
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Russell, great to hear from you! How’s the land of the long white cloud today? :)
Free ranging, restricted feed and not letting them get too old will certainly improve your chances with them. Good luck!
Janie x
michael says
Hi cobbs are really only good for a broiler house
But if you look out for hubbards they are a lot slower growing and are a comercial meat birds
Hubbard 787 free range 2kg im 8weeks but are very active
Hubbard757. Take atleast 12weeks and just like traditional birds just a lot more meat
Sent me an email if you want any more info
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks for the info Michael, good to know.
Janie x
darren says
Never had them,but did consider getting some this year,glad i did my homework.
I find the ixworths a good slow grower and good meat bird.
Jane Sarchet says
Will look into the Ixworth’s darren, thanks for that!
Janie x
Konra Mueller says
Hi, I just purchased/rescued 2 Ross Hens and 1 rooster from the auction (They were labeled Ross). My plan was to let them run free range with my dual purpose birds, and hopefully breed a bit of meatier genetics in to my mixed flock. I’m not sure if they will even breed the old fashioned way?
I have no idea how old the chickens we got are – I got all 3 for $2 so I have to assume they’re older? The rooster has had his spurs cut off. They all seem to walk around fine, but we don’t provide extra food other than treats in the summer.
We have a bunch of Jersey Giants that we like. We haven’t eaten any yet but they are a large bird. They also seem to make really good moms.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Konra, thanks for stopping by!
Please let me know how you get on with them, and I’ll be really interested to know if they do breed.
Janie x
Stuart Campbell says
Hi Janie,
Just stumbled across this on Google.
I breed and rear these commercial type birds here in the UK on a small scale, I have a couple of dozen breeders.
I have spent many years in the poultry industry though and a lot of them on broiler farms.
These birds by design are bred to grow as quickly and as big as possible.
They should not be kept any older than 8 weeks of age, normal commercial practice is to kill hens at 5-6 weeks at around 2Kg and the males at 7 weeks at around 3.5Kg, I have never heard of them being kept longer than 8 weeks of age commercially.
They are not bred to be kept longer/bigger than that, any that are kept past that age or size will suffer from the size and weight related problems you have experienced unless fed a restricted or low nutrition diet.
Although they are often incorrectly referred to as Ross Cobbs, they will be either Ross OR Cobb, these are the two major broiler producing companies so you will either have a Ross bird or a Cobb bird, Hubbard is another breeding company regularly available but a smaller sized producer.
The pure breeds don’t come close to the performance of the commercial strains, I looked at rearing pure breeds for the table but when you cost the feed they eat to the time it takes them to reach a decent weight they will end up costing you a lot of money for very little return.
Hope that helps, I have loads more useless info about chickens if you want some! :)
Jane Sarchet says
Really interesting, thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience Stuart. I took over breeding them from my Dad, and he grew them way over 8 weeks, I guess he never got the correct information at the time which is sad (especially for the birds he reared).
If you don’t mind I’ll pop your comment into the blog post for others that are in the market for a meat bird.
Janie x
David Costa says
David from Australia says
hi Jane
Has anyone tried to get to breed from the Ross.I kept some Ross chickens and roosters on restricted diet and running on 1/2 acre free range. They are the healthiest chickens I have had .They are 10 months old now hungry all the time but happy .
I hatched out 6 chicks the other day which out of 9 eggs wasnt to bad .They hatched fine, cracking the egg shell better than any eggs I have hatched from other breeds,they were fine for 4 days . Then 1 chick went down with splayed legs and grew worse followed by another and another, in 10 days they were all gone, all the same thing splayed legs. Very sad considering they were so healthy to start with .Has anyone had this problem out there
Jane Sarchet says
Oh that’s a shame David. Ours were never healthy enough to breed from if I’m honest, hopefully someone will be along soon that has more experience with them.
Janie x
Stuart Campbell says
Hi Janie,
I got an email notification about a question from David Costa in Australia but can’t see it on the comments.
He was asking about breeding Ross broilers.
It is possible, they are after all still just a chicken.
they will not breed true and you may start to see some different colours and body shapes appear in their offspring.
They will have to be heavily restricted with their food intake as David mentioned otherwise they will become overweight, infertile and indeed incapable of mating physically.
What I would do is breed the Ross hens to a large sized pure breed cockerel, they won’t be quite as big birds that are produced but they pure breed cock should manage the breeding side of it no problem.
Jane Sarchet says
I was hoping you’d be along Stuart, thanks so much :)
An Indian Game cockerel would work well I’m guessing and you’d still get a lot of meat but with happier and healthier chicks.
Janie x
David Costa says
Thanks Stuart and Jane for your comments much appreciated
I was thinking because there are another dozen eggs now I will try again and clean out brooder pen just in case of some contaminants that may have been there from my last hatchings .
The ross rooster and hens look so healthy that it seems a shame not to breed out of them ,The chicks were so healthy when first born but deteriorated very quickly , I thought the breeders had a time bomb on them .I have 2 indian game hens so will try ross rooster with them . Also have a Rhode island rooster will try that with the ross hens , if these other eggs fail which will be a shame because as I said before they are the white-est and healthiest chickens I have ever had and a few people have commented on their size and condition .
They also have the most placid temperament of all the other chickens I have, I have to catch the other chickens at night, if I have to shift to another pen , the ross you can pick up in the day one after the other and they dont care.Also nice large eggs.Many Thanks for your comments ,I will notify of any further developments , hopefully it will be better than first batch
cheers
David
Jane Sarchet says
Good luck David, I look forward to hearing how you get on.
Janie x
David Costa says
Hi Jane
Hatched out some more Ross roster with Ross hens 7 days ago 12 out of 20 eggs 3more hatched out but were bloodied upon hatching and had to be despatched 2 more cracked the egg but were to late.The 12 that hatched on the 20th and 21st are so healthy and friendly eat out of your hand but Im keeping them a bit hungry so their bones have a chance to catch up .These have no feet problems so far am keeping fingers crossed 7 days now Im relunctant now to change the breed because of their temperment .I changed the brooder and took it of the ground and have it suspended now .Will keep you posted.
cheers
David
David Costa says
Hi Janie
Hatched out some more Ross roster with Ross hens 7 days ago 12 out of 20 eggs 3more hatched out but were bloodied upon hatching and had to be despatched 2 more cracked the egg but were to late.The 12 that hatched on the 20th and 21st are so healthy and friendly eat out of your hand but Im keeping them a bit hungry so their bones have a chance to catch up .These have no feet problems so far am keeping fingers crossed 7 days now Im relunctant now to change the breed because of their temperment .I changed the brooder and took it of the ground and have it suspended now .Will keep you posted.
cheers
David
David Costa says
3 weeks now and still looking good keep fingers crossed
david
Andrew Bromley says
We are from Cumbria, and normally buy a couple of Indian Game hens from a specialist butcher before Christmas. Don’t know how they are for ease of keeping, but they’re a cracking delicacy! Much more flavour than a normal chicken, and as an old and rare breed, possibly less prone to foot problems? They are reared extensively, I am assured.
However, this year we’re buying a ‘herb-fed’ rooster from a Yorkshire producer, certified fully free-range and organic. I’ve asked what breed, and am told it’s a Ross – so it will be interesting to see the comparison.
Jane Sarchet says
Interesting Andrew, do pop back and let us know how it measured up!
Janie x
David Costa says
Hi Janie
After first disaster hatched out 2 more batches and all a doing well dont know what happened the first time but the roosters on the first batch , after 9 weeks were depatched and dressed out at 3 kilos,i was very happy ,tasted nice too a bit firmer than store bought but a lot tastier yummmmmmm
Jane Sarchet says
Great news David, enjoy those home grown birds!
Janie x
Sid Taak says
Hi
does anyone know where I may be able to purchase Ross or Cobb cockerals only around the South Wales area.
Thanks
dennis says
Hi I am dennis from western Canada I raise ross chickens and I buy and sell poultry chicks. I believe it is not the breed that determines the end result that one requires but the raising , feeding and environment that the animal is raised. If you let a 150 lb person lay around and eat all day without good diet practices and little to no exercise you would also get a negative result. Yes the ross and cobb grow rapidly , this issue can be monitored and changed by the regulating of quantity and timing of feed as well as type of feed. We pasture raise our chicken on peas and oats that we plant every season We also provide oyster shell for additional calcium as well as layer ration for strong bones to carry the extra weight. We also feed them 175g of feed per day per chicken when it is gone it is gone. foraging, rain, sunlight, and bugs are also part of their short life on our farm. When chickens get sick, crippled or die it is due to a disease, environment or animal husbandry . Chickens carry, and get any number of diseases, they are very sensitive to their environment and handling, they stress easy, and require gentle handling. With all that said if you take the BREED out of the equation you still have a large amount of information, and hard work to raise the quality of poultry you desire for yourself and others
Beck. says
I would be curious to know the answer to this question too, although I am in Victoria, Australia. Hopefully someone from Aus who has bought some will be able to tell us.
Keith Mole says
Hi Janie
I’ve read all the comments you’ve received and believe me, none of them hit the mark. Bear in mind the history of the chicken, here in England and in France. French traditionally raised chickens for meat. British traditionally wanted eggs. The overall problem is a slow growing bird becomes tough at the culling age. I’ve experimented over the years and to be honest there is only one breed that ticks all your boxes – the French Le Bresse. This bird does not grow to huge proportions and. if free ranged, will grow relatively quickly. The benefits are the flavour of the meat (nothing close) and the shape of carcass – they convert food very well. Difficult to come by. You may manage to get some eggs for incubation. Hope this helps.
Keith
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Keith, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment – it is much appreciated! I will look into this breed, thanks again!
Jane x
DARREN EVANS says
Hi Janie
we live off grid in rural mid-wales..I have grown my own meat chickens for many years + nothing compares to Indian/cornish Game in my opinion..I have tried Bresse,Barbezieux.light sussex,Cobbs,Hubbards and several other crosses but if you want chicken like it used to taste grow a few indians. The modern hybrid meat birds all contain Indian game DNA.hence the double breasts….I cull my surplus birds at 18-22 weeks old and I am getting 2.2Kg – 3.4Kg Dressed weights. This is from free range birds not shut in sheds etc…If you wish to see pictures etc I am willing to send you some,just contact me on my email.
Darren E
Jane Sarchet says
That’s awesome feedback Darren, thank you for taking the time to share.
PS LOVE mid Wales :)
Jane x
Tim says
So much effects the health of commercial broiler chicken strains. Currently Ross 708 and Cobb 700 strains are prominent. Effects start in the incubator. Eggs size in weight can effect the egg temp in relation to brooder temp as does each specific breed strain. Ross 700 will have higher egg temp than Ross 308 and the same for Cobb. Cobb will have a higher temp than comparable strain of Ross 308 to 300 708 to 700 respectively. If temps are allowed to be over the 100-100.5F by not proper segregation of eggs size or strain these can and do lead to heart immune and skeletal defects.
Moving on to feed temp and lighting.
Mail ordering getting 3-4 day old chicks misses the most critical periods in grow and development. Why it is always best to get locally matched all things being equal. In those 3 days they are not on feed. They are in the dark and not at ideal temp and high level of stress.
The more finely ground the feed is at every stage the better the feed conversion and growth rate.
The light schedule in the first 3wks is critical to over all immune skeletal and general health. Protein % and quality as well as calcium magnesium ratios are critical to skeletal development balance with LBM growth.
Lighting is more critical than most homesteaders small flock producers understand. Too little light early on leads to low be and critical early foundational growth. No much light later increases stress lower immune and improper continued skeletal development.
One way to a balanced feeding schedule is feed during lighted hours. Starts with 24r then slowly decreasing down to 12hr on off by WK 4. Differnce is its not 24 then flip to 12. Its progressive.
Issue is most want convenience and simplicity. Light can be controlled by a timer but feed is manual and takes a person.
The large spreads you see in results at all the various stages has to do with these variables to a very high degree. The hatchery does not handle the incubation ideally you are handicapped from the start. Mail ordering puts them at a disadvantage from the get go. Get the feed or lighting off and issues will be higher.
If your not willing to afford the time and dedication to this level its best to choose a less high performance specialized breed/strain. Simple Cornish/Rock to Indian/Jersey crosses will produce very good results and can be simplified if plumage color or quantity is a non factor i.e. do not need same color white birds lightly feathered. Issue is it takes 5 gens to get stability in the two crosses for standardized cross breeding line pairs. Cornish to Indian produces a smaller slower growth but high meat to carcass ratio. Simplest as well as standard Cornish to Rock.
Jane Sarchet says
Amazing, thank you Tim for taking the time to leave your informative comment.
Jane x