Pure standard-bred White Cornish, brought over from England 110 years ago and preserved through Frank Reese's Good Shepherd flock in Kansas. Our foundation birds.
The White Cornish — historically called the Indian Game — was developed in the shire of Cornwall, England from Malay, Asil, and Old English Game bloodlines. The breed reached America in the 1890s; the White variety was admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1898.
A century later, industrial breeders crossed the Cornish with the White Plymouth Rock to create the "Cornish Cross" broiler that fills every supermarket. That hybrid is a genetic dead end — it cannot reproduce naturally and dies young. The standard-bred White Cornish is the pure heritage bird those hybrids were built on, and it is still very much alive.
The Livestock Conservancy lists the Cornish on its Conservation Priority "Watch" list. Fewer than 3,000 head are recorded in the United States. Our foundation flock is a small piece of that number.
Heavy across the chest, short thick legs set wide apart, a low powerful stance. Compact but dense — much heavier in the hand than the eye expects.
"Hard feathered" — plumage sits close to the body with little down. Pure white on our stock. A pea comb keeps them clean-headed and cold-tolerant enough for the Ozarks.
Their game-bird heritage shows. Hens are curious foragers and hold rank in a mixed flock; roosters can be assertive. Not a lap chicken — a working bird.
Ready for harvest at 12 to 14 weeks, grown at a natural pace. Higher proportion of white meat than most heritage breeds, with a fine, firm texture and real chicken flavor. Better omega-3 to omega-6 balance than a supermarket broiler.
Medium-sized cream to light brown eggs. Standard-bred White Cornish hens are steady, moderate layers.
A standard-bred rooster and hen produce a next generation just like themselves. No hatchery, no artificial insemination, no proprietary strain — the flock renews itself year after year.
We drove up to Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas and came home with our start. Frank's grandfather brought the line over from Cornwall roughly a century earlier — the birds have been in that family and now ours the whole time.
The White Heritage Cornish here are breeding stock. We keep them to keep the line going. We only sell the pure White Heritage Cornish on a first-come first-serve basis while stock is available. Contact us for more information.
The bird we sell — the White Heritage Cornish crossed with the White Heritage Rock. Slow-grown, standardbred, organically fed.
Local sales only, appointment only. No shipping. Contact us to reserve.