8 week old CX won't stand...

[jodeep]

We have 15 CX--this is our first run with chickens, and with meatbirds. They are almost 8 weeks old--we had planned on butchering this weekend, as they are all between 7 and 8 lbs. This morning I went out to feed them, and noticed one getting trampled. He is sitting with one leg fully extended, and can't/won't stand on his own. I moved him to a separate area, and gave access to water, but I'm not sure what is wrong with him. My husband said we'll butcher him tonight--which works fine, but it would be nice to know what happened to the little (big!) guy. My husband rotated both legs fully--and they don't appear to be broken. Any idea what went wrong?? Thanks so much for any advice!

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

This is a condition, slipped tendon, that can become a problem in meat chickens of that size. Most meat birds are slaughtered at an average weight of about 5.5 lbs and to take them beyond that the industry employs different rearing practices to prevent the problem. Slavaging him now is the thing to do.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Yep, you just get to sample your work a few days early.

A tip I picked up on and am trying right now is to make sure the chickens always need to stand up to eat, this apparently encorages strong legs from an early age. If they get to sit and eat the legs just don't develop the strength to support them. Obviously this is no 100% solution to the problems of meat bird genetics but the logic sounds good.