Cornish Broiler Chicks Care

[marlaw]

Hi! Long story short, I've got a couple of cornish broiler chicks that need some TLC. Right now they are about a week old. I work for a place that sells chicks and these 2 haven't been doing well when mixed with the main population, so they've been hanging out with me in the back of the store.

One chick is just a little unsteady on it's feet (not sure why), but it gets trampled by everyone else. It's getting stronger everyday so I think it can boot and rally if given enough time. The other, for whatever reason, it getting picked on by the other chicks--they pick at it until it bleeds so I have it in the area with my wobbly one and they are sweet together. Since these chicks probably won't sell, my plan is to take them home with me long enough to get them through this rough patch they are having. I know people that raise chickens so I am sure I can rehome them when they are out of the woods.

I see how big they get--fast!--and:

1) I'm looking for a feeding regimen for them so they don't gain so much weight they can't walk. I think they are currently on a 24% protein chick starter. What weight maintainence regimen should I be switching them to as they get older?

2) There is a chance I might want to keep them for myself as pets...not grown for meat or anything like that. Is there a minimum amount of chickens generally required to keep them "happy"? I know they are social and I could probably house up to 6.

I'm going to do some research on taking good care of them (first chickens of my own), but I am a little concerned about their diet since they are bred to be so big. I am still searching the forums for answers and insight, but most of the threads I'm seeing are focused on raising them as meat birds. Any input appreciated!

 

[jolenesdad]

Search the forums for breeding toads. It’s based off people keeping Cornish cross to breed, so principles apply for you to lengthen their life.

24% is WAY too high for them if you want them to sustain their weight. Find the lowest protein chick starter or all flock feed that you can find. Luckily they are slow now so they may not have been going after the 24%, but switch them stat.

They will need exercise. Since you have the resource st work and potentially the space, you could try to raise them with laying breed chicks. It would be best for those chicks to be OLDER than the Cornish, but with their rocky starts, same age is probably fine.

And lastly, these chicks (Cornish) are not hardy when young... or really anytime. They are bred to be in extremely controlled environments, and sometimes they can’t recover from early stresses like other breeds.

 

[marlaw]

Thank you--I have been checking out some of those threads. I thought 24% protein seemed too high, but wasn't sure.

Been reading tonight about all the problems they have...yikes! Seems very intimidating for a first timer. I'm hoping to get them through this rough patch while they are still at the store so they can maybe go to one of my regular customers.

Thanks for your help!

 

[jolenesdad]

Most of the problems come from their huge weight and size. But there’s a lot of weight to the thought “just because they can live a certain way doesn’t mean they should.”

They can definitely live better lives than many give them, but the way their bodies are destined to grow through YEARS of very expensive corporate breeding, Anything beyond a meat bird is likely a disservice to the birds. I would plan on passing them along to a customer. You’re doing a really great thing because even being a “meat bird” with a shorter life expectancy, it totally deserves to have a fulfilling existence during that time.