Are these really white leghorns?

[manychitlens]

Oye. So sorry this is happening! Like the others have said though you gained tons of experience, and it was definitely not a waste! These birds lived happy, albeit short, lives. That us worth something! I love Ol Mare's advice of trading with someone. Or even just selling them/giving them away. We also have a place here that will process birds for a small fee, if that were an option for you. We have lots of feed stores here that still have chicks, and TONS of breeders in the area that have chicks coming out of their ears from great bloodlines. I hope that is an option where you are too, don't give up for this season!

 

[BantamLover21]

Unfortunately, your birds do appear to be Cornish crosses, which are used primarily for meat. Unless you severely limit their feed, they will likely develop heart/leg problems at an early age.

 

[chicchic25]

Hope won't change what is.......these *are* Cornish Cross. That doesn't mean this was a waste, though. Process them and you have meat for your family, or sell/trade them to someone who wants meat birds ready to process and get yourself the layers you wanted. Either way, they need to be processed soon...to not do so at this point would be a cruelty.

(edited for spelling and punctuation courtesy of trying to post from phone)

Not trying to impose on azchickenz thread but can you explain why people process "meat" chickens at 8 weeks....that seems so young to me. Guess I'm comparing them to ours (different breed and are layers) that will be 7 wks on Saturday.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Not trying to impose on azchickenz thread but can you explain why people process "meat" chickens at 8 weeks....that seems so young to me. Guess I'm comparing them to ours (different breed and are layers) that will be 7 wks on Saturday.

Not all meat birds are processed at 8 weeks. Cornish X managed the standard way are because they have been so drastically modified that they have massive growth and weight/tissue gain resulting in a bird that reaches processing weight in just 8 weeks (this is a huge benefit for poultry producers as the shorter the turn around time, the more birds they can run through in a year). Management also plays into this - for production purposes, the birds are fed to support this growth and raised in a way that there is no "ranging" so no exercise - they often just plop themselves down by the feeder and eat themselves silly - not moving around - and their bodies become unable to support much mobility due to massive size and undeveloped support systems. If managed differently (serious feed restriction, able/forced to move about and exercise, etc) their growth rate can be more controlled and result in a bird that is able to live longer.
With "oops" birds like the OPs it is often already too late to use the modified management approach by the time the unsuspecting chicken keeper realizes what is going on. Those who are unfamiliar with these birds and had no reason to believe they were buying a meat bird are easily caught unaware.
Rangers, etc are meat birds too, but have not been so drastically modified. They reach their processing size at 14-16 weeks or more and do not suffer the same indignities as Cornish X as they grow. They are also more easily raised in a way that makes them able to live beyond the processing weight/age.
The photos in this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/975030/my-three-hens help to illustrate the differences - birds are the same age, you can see the difference in the development between the white (a Cornish X) and the layer birds it is growing up with.....these are three birds who have had the exact same management/care.

ETA - here is a great explanation of the various birds that are grown for meat purposes and the differences in the types.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ld-i-raise-whats-the-differences#post_5449752

 

[chicchic25]

Not all meat birds are processed at 8 weeks.......

Thank you Ol Grey Mare, that helps to explain the differences tremendously. I appreciate your comments.

@ azchickenz I hope you find a good solution for your family/chickens. I know this is of little consolation but by posting your experiences and the experiences of everyone on BYC it really helps us all to learn from each other and carry that forward in our own lives.
Best of luck to you and hopefully you can go get some more baby chicks!!

 

[azchickenz]

I'll see what I can work out. But in the mean time this brings a question to mind. I have been feeding them a medicated starte/grower so far. Would this cause problems with processing and safety to eat. The bag is just about gone and actually will probably be finished today. Would they need to be off medicated feed for a certain length of time before they are safe for someone to eat?