6 week old broiler suddenly unable to walk

[jmurno]

Hi, just wondering what you guys thought. 6 week old rooster. Yesterday I noticed he would walk a bit, then take a break, repeat. This morning he was unable to walk out of his mobile coop and can't seem to walk at all now.

This particular bird has noticeably less-developed feathers compared other broilers. has some odd looking, subcutaneous, dark splotches. Seems alert. has healthy apatite. What do you guys think? Is this something in particular, or just a broiler that developed health problems as some broilers do.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

How big is it?? (Like weight)
Kinda sounds like he's having leg issues...
However my Broilers definitely laid around A LOT and were barely active....

However, I also culled one that was less developed and likely was failure to thrive....

She got weaker and weaker as time went on

 

[Mountain Roost]

I like to separate any broilers that have trouble. I lucked out and one with an injured leg actually got better after a few weeks of isolation and I was able to put him back in the mobile tractor.

The trouble with leg problems is getting to the water dish. They will eat laying down just fine but not drink. This bird's isolation mate wouldn't walk at all and did eventually perish. Also, in isolation they must be kept clean of their own poop. I have a small mesh bottom coop with a rubber mat (covers some of the floor) that gets rinse off every feeding. An injured bird that lays in its poop develops skin sores.

Its hit or miss once a meat bird gets injured. Not seeing the dark splotches I can only guess, but sometimes that is a scab from getting clawed by the other birds when they are excited about feeding time. Out of 100 I have about 4 that we call feather-less and they are smaller than the others. I wonder if this is just a genetic flaw in the crossing of the Cornish X.

Every meat bird gets a chance to survive until proven otherwise. If it is healthy enough, but not gonna make it, we harvest early.

Good Luck!

 

[BastyPutt]

Any pictures? A Cornish cross or red ranger id presume?

At 6 weeks I would process him. If you goal is a standard 8 weeks, you won't gain much by Nursing him for another two.

The feather development on broilers is ideally slow or non existent. Less to pluck.

Make sure to take a good look at his organs and such if you do. Make sure you don't see anything suspect.

 

[jmurno]

I like to separate any broilers that have trouble. I lucked out and one with an injured leg actually got better after a few weeks of isolation and I was able to put him back in the mobile tractor.

The trouble with leg problems is getting to the water dish. They will eat laying down just fine but not drink. This bird's isolation mate wouldn't walk at all and did eventually perish. Also, in isolation they must be kept clean of their own poop. I have a small mesh bottom coop with a rubber mat (covers some of the floor) that gets rinse off every feeding. An injured bird that lays in its poop develops skin sores.

Its hit or miss once a meat bird gets injured. Not seeing the dark splotches I can only guess, but sometimes that is a scab from getting clawed by the other birds when they are excited about feeding time. Out of 100 I have about 4 that we call feather-less and they are smaller than the others. I wonder if this is just a genetic flaw in the crossing of the Cornish X.

Every meat bird gets a chance to survive until proven otherwise. If it is healthy enough, but not gonna make it, we harvest early.

Good Luck!

Thanks. This is helpful. This rooster seems like he really cant walk at all. Have to put the water right in front of him for him to drink. I will see how he is tomorrow and then probably cull him and see if there is any internal signs of illness.

For sure the cornish cross birds are prone to ailments. I had one last time die of a heart attack. When I butchered him there was a big bubble pocking out of his heart.

Any pictures? A Cornish cross or red ranger id presume?

At 6 weeks I would process him. If you goal is a standard 8 weeks, you won't gain much by Nursing him for another two.

The feather development on broilers is ideally slow or non existent. Less to pluck.

Make sure to take a good look at his organs and such if you do. Make sure you don't see anything suspect.

Cornish cross.

I ended up butchering him today. He couldn't get to water that was 8 inches away so...

Organs looked fine. Meat looked fine and tasted fine. Really not sure what was wrong with him. There is Marek's Disease, but it says online that doesn't set in until 10 weeks of age or later. No idea.

 

[BastyPutt]

Thanks. This is helpful. This rooster seems like he really cant walk at all. Have to put the water right in front of him for him to drink. I will see how he is tomorrow and then probably cull him and see if there is any internal signs of illness.

For sure the cornish cross birds are prone to ailments. I had one last time die of a heart attack. When I butchered him there was a big bubble pocking out of his heart.

Cornish cross.

I ended up butchering him today. He couldn't get to water that was 8 inches away so...

Organs looked fine. Meat looked fine and tasted fine. Really not sure what was wrong with him. There is Marek's Disease, but it says online that doesn't set in until 10 weeks of age or later. No idea.

Yeah very rare for Mareks disease to ever be a problem in broilers for that reason.

Sounds like a well bred broiler. Gained weight so quickly that it couldn't even move.

 

[Mountain Roost]

Thanks. This is helpful. This rooster seems like he really cant walk at all. Have to put the water right in front of him for him to drink. I will see how he is tomorrow and then probably cull him and see if there is any internal signs of illness.

Good Decision. I spotted a broiler limping and then sitting down to feed today in the tractor. He sits back on his hocks with his feet up. This type of injury is cull worthy. We will be having him for lunch tomorrow...