are my cornish crosses sick? safe to eat?

[podunk102]

Hello, all.
I am new to this site and new to raising meat birds. I have (had) 12 cornish cross birds in the backyard. They reached 7 weeks old on commercial starter feed free choice feeding. We found one dead 3 days ago and removed/ disposed of it. Purple comb is all the symptoms i could see by the time i got home. Next morning one of the roosters was lethargic and purple comb also. I separated him with his own food/water but he died within a few hours. So i noticed a hen had wheezing and sneezing today intermittently but no discolorations or lethargy. Eating/drinking ok.
All other chickens show no signs of being sick. I butchered the entire flock today to get ahead of any possible sickness spreading.
My question would be are these birds safe to eat even after being potentially exposed?
Also, do you put your cornish crosses on some sort of feeding schedule to reduce intake? These birds were very large at 7 weeks.
Thanks for any advice you can give, and pleasd be patient with my inexperience.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Desert Brooder... that bird was probably starting to develop ascites. That is a problem in CX. That is possibly what causes the heart attacks.

 

[Desert Brooder]

If you cooked it the same day you butchered, that is the reason it was tough and chewy. We did the same thing. You are suppose to let them rest for 24_48 hours after you butcher because rigor sets in so you have to let that pass. We just bbqed the ones we butchered last weekend after setting in the fridge all week and they were very tender but I think 10 weeks is too long because of the fat. We butchered half of ours one weekend and the other half the next weekend and there was more fat on the second batch even after only a week. Mine were 7 and 8 weeks when we butchered.

 

[keesmom]

I would suspect a cardiovascular cause of death rather than bacterial/viral. Cornish X are susceptible to heart attacks especially after 6 weeks of age. I have lost a few along the way. Many restrict feed at some point to try to prevent this problem. I wouldn't hesitate to eat the birds you butchered. Disclaimer - I will say I am fairly new to meat birds having raised them for only a year, but I've had chickens for 15 years.

 

[podunk102]

Thanks for the reply Keesmom. I was thinking somewhat along those lines after reading others posts. I look forward to hearing other people's opinions/experiences with this also. What do you think about the hen sneezing and wheezing intermittently? As i said she was alert and eating/drinking right up to the end.

 

[LindaB220]

Hello, all.
I am new to this site and new to raising meat birds. I have (had) 12 cornish cross birds in the backyard. They reached 7 weeks old on commercial starter feed free choice feeding. We found one dead 3 days ago and removed/ disposed of it. Purple comb is all the symptoms i could see by the time i got home. Next morning one of the roosters was lethargic and purple comb also. I separated him with his own food/water but he died within a few hours. So i noticed a hen had wheezing and sneezing today intermittently but no discolorations or lethargy. Eating/drinking ok.
All other chickens show no signs of being sick. I butchered the entire flock today to get ahead of any possible sickness spreading.
My question would be are these birds safe to eat even after being potentially exposed?
Also, do you put your cornish crosses on some sort of feeding schedule to reduce intake? These birds were very large at 7 weeks.
Thanks for any advice you can give, and pleasd be patient with my inexperience.

Hey podunk

Sounds like you did the right thing. When they get that old and start dying of complications of their breed, it's definitely time to process. Good job. Eat and enjoy. Rest in fridge for a couple of days before cooking. Or if you've frozen already, take out of freezer a couple of days early to thaw. Good eating.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hello, all.
I am new to this site and new to raising meat birds. I have (had) 12 cornish cross birds in the backyard. They reached 7 weeks old on commercial starter feed free choice feeding. We found one dead 3 days ago and removed/ disposed of it. Purple comb is all the symptoms i could see by the time i got home. Next morning one of the roosters was lethargic and purple comb also. I separated him with his own food/water but he died within a few hours. So i noticed a hen had wheezing and sneezing today intermittently but no discolorations or lethargy. Eating/drinking ok.
All other chickens show no signs of being sick. I butchered the entire flock today to get ahead of any possible sickness spreading.
My question would be are these birds safe to eat even after being potentially exposed?
Also, do you put your cornish crosses on some sort of feeding schedule to reduce intake? These birds were very large at 7 weeks.
Thanks for any advice you can give, and pleasd be patient with my inexperience.

People do limit their feed intake and it does seem to make a difference, from what I've read. The two with the purple combs were probably cardiac-related as stated above.

 

[mmgillan]

This is my first time raising Cornish x and was wondering if anyone else has birds that look like this? I started with 6 but after constant eating, lost 1 to heart attack I can only assume from what I have read about them. They are about 4weeks old.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

mmgillan. Have you been feeding full? Or restricting? Is this right after eating or awhile. It looks like they are plenty full, or even too full. Their digestive tract might not be ever getting emptied. That might explain the red rear. As for the for the feathering that's normal from what I see. Maybe even more upper feathers that a lot of birds at 4 weeks. Remember they are bred to have loose sparser feathers

 

[mmgillan]

Yes, I was keeping feed available all the time

but now only in AM and late day if they finished it all in AM. Fatties were laying around the feeder with their heads hanging over the food! So I don't know about the red rump. It's always there now.