If you get 25 birds or more you will see all the conditions you listed within that group. But they are bred to grow meat and are not a good forage bird. We've raised over a 1000 of them over a few years in chicken tractors out in the pasture. They eat some grass and bugs but also ate lots of commercial feed. If you want to let them loose and forage their meals then they aren't the bird for you. Tom

Roberta, there is a man named Tim Shell who has been working on this very thing...trying to develop a fast growing broiler that could be raised on pasture and would free range a bit and be hardier. I think one of his crosses is Cornish x Delaware. Anyway, his farm is called Pastured Peepers and I think one of his crosses is also called that, one is called Corndel. Do a Google for Tim Shell, Pastured Peepers, and Corndel and you'll know as much as I do about the subject. :~D (In other words, I haven't tried any of these birds or even raised my own broilers yet....just been researching and learning!) Here's a link to an article he wrote:

http://www.apppa.org/Raising%20Your%20Own%20Meat%20Flock.doc

Thanks so much for that link!!! I have visited several pastured poultry farms, and I know for sure there is a difference in the strains of Cornish Crosses. When you witness a whole batch of lethargic birds at one farm and a batch of active ones at another (and they are all called Cornish Crosses) there just has to be a reason.

OK, even my wife said I was wrong. And we have acutally bought some different strains of Cornish Cross. The Corndel sounds interesting. Tom

Tom, I don't think you are really "wrong." From my reading and learning from folks who have raised lots of broilers, I gather that the work this guy is doing trying to establish a slower Cornish cross that will forage some is because you are exactly RIGHT....most of them are lethargic birds with growth problems who won't step 5 feet out of their way to take a drink of water when they're keeling over from heat stroke, much less catch a bug right under their noses! :~) I gather that his project is somewhat new and that these Cornish X birds who might grow a bit slower and forage a little better aren't widely available yet.