CornishX as a pet?

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RedJasper

RedJasper

In the Brooder
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Does anybody have and CornishX chicks that they have decided to keep as a pet bird? I have one that is the sweetest little thing and would like to keep around. McDuff is about 1 1/2 weeks, and I know I will have to watch the diet so doesn't bulk up too quick.

Can anybody offer any advise?
 
I decided to keep two hens and one rooster as a breeding pair for future birds to slaughter a few years ago. Everything went fine till about lets say at week 16-20, the rooster got down in his legs and couldn't walk so I separated him and tried to get him back to health, after about two weeks of attempting to get him back to health he died of probably a heart attack. About one to two months later one of the hens showed signs of being ill, I tried to help her through it but about two-three months later she died on me to. The final hen lived to be just a little over two year old when one of my other roosters while trying to mate with her hurt her side, I separated her and keep trying to get her back to health for about a month, but finally one day when I had her out in the yard feeding her by hand and giving her water she died in my arms. That hen gave us all very good memories of having her around because she was so different than the other chickens and we all loved her very much. With that being said I will never raise Cornish cross past about 10 weeks old again no matter the circumstances, they just get too big and eventually die of a heart attack. They grow too fast for their internal organs to develop with their bodies and this is what gets them. I hope you decide not to try to keep them as pets, but if you do the short time you get to spend with them will be unforgettable, if you can get past the part of losing them.
 
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I've got some cornishx myself and must say you shouldn't get attached. They are breed to be meat birds and only meat birds, the only way you can keep them alive results in them being half starved all the time. Even then they just sort of fall apart. I would highly recommend looking at a heritage bird if you want a bird around for a while or maybe even look at those Freedom bird people have been talking about. Still a meat bird, but can live many many years.
 
We had a hen & a rooster and they were the sweetest things. My husband and I loved them so much and we miss them everyday!!
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My girl died when she was 6 months old. She died very peacefully in her sleep. We found her the next morning and it just looked like she was sleeping. Our guy died at 8 months old. He was 25 lbs!! We think he had a heart attack. We restricted their diet but they certainly didn't starve. We take comfort in knowing that we gave them a good life while they were here. They never suffered - they went quickly. I don't think I would ever raise them as pets again as they just have the sweetest personalities and you just fall in love with them.
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Whatever you decide to do just know that they probably won't live long so be prepared.

Good luck!
 
wow! i feel so badly for those birds! i DO understand needing meat birds and i do love PET chickens as well as BAKED chicken.....but i still feel badly that there's a breed out there that has been bred to grow at such an unnatural rate.....i'm not against it, and i know there's a place for them (the dinner table)....but still.....i feel kinda bad.......i'm so glad those birds had loving people to help them and be with them.
 
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I took 5 home from school that a nice farmer had brought into show the kindergarten classes. They were wonderfully sweet and gentle birds. They did grow very fast. We ended up with 3 roosters and 2 hens. The first rooster lived about 4months and died peacefully. The 2 hens lived about 6 and 8 months. One of the roosters had severely crooked toes and as he gained weight made it diffcult to walk, but he was such a gentle rooster and we showed him so much love. He lived about 1 1/2 years. The last rooster weighs about 20 pounds and he is still alive after 2 years. He walks slowly and is showing his age, but crows at the top of his lungs and enjoys getting to free range in the evenings with 2 hens. He loves treats, of course, but only healthy ones. We also received a chick that someone dropped off at our house last May and she was a meat bird. Her name was Chloe and was raised in the house for about 4months since she was our only chick. She was loving as well and we were very attached to her. She had a heart attack at 8 months. The first 5-6 months she acted like she was starving and acted as if she could never get full. We loved them all dearly, but due to getting attached and the losses we will never raise another meat bird. When they came this year to school, I turned the other way because I knew that I could not endure the heartache.
 
Wow...they sound like really sweet birds! I think as long as a person knows that they have a very short life expectancy, they would make good pets. I mean, you know when you get a pet rat that it's probably only going to live about 2 years...and you know that you may have your pet yorkie for 16 years, but will probably only have your dane for 8. Let's face it, it always hurts to lose a sweet pet, whether you've had them for 6 months or 6 years...actually I think it's easier to deal with when you've had them for a shorter period of time.
 
They really are sweet. They let you hug and kiss them. They are gentle giants. Our guy used to follow my husband everywhere. He called him his "buddy". If my husband was working on something in the yard he would just sit right by him and wait for him. You certainly will be loved by them.
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I concur - I have one now who is about a month old and is by far the most laid-back personality of any of my chickens. She lives with my layers and does not get the "meatie treatment". In other words, she eats the same food they do, when they do, and runs around with them too. What has surprised me most is that of the four she lives with, she is the least dedicated to eating. Being a meatie, she seems to have a good conversion ratio and is growing quickly, but doesn't just lie around and eat all day like I thought she would. She's the only one who will not move away when I try to pick her up and I admire her tenacity in keeping up with the others. That said, she will be humanely processed in a few weeks when she is big enough for dinner, as that was her purpose from the beginning. I'm just glad to have had the chance to give her a better life than most meaties.
 
I got my 4 from TSC almost a month ago. Not knowing what they were, except cute little chicks, I brought them home. Oh, are they sweet! I was eventually planning on raising some meat birds but not right off the bat. I wanted experience with layers first, just to kind of get my feet wet. It's going to be hard but what must be done, must be done. They're already separated from my other chicks, they got picked on, mostly their tail feathers.
They're already almost 4 times the size of my others and eat the same feed. I can't express enough how sweet they are and they love to be petted. It's great to hear them clucking and almost purring when they're happy. I'll miss them but from everything I've read, it's best not to wait too long. Before I knew what they were, one was named Sweetness, it turns out, she's a she. the other 3 are roos. It's much easier to tell with the Cornish X's then the others I have.
 

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