Broiler hen

[mrs cluck]

A friend bought some white laying chicks & 1 ended up being a broiler. Do all broilers eventually lose their leg functions?

 

[tackyrama]

If you're talking about cornish-x they have a lot of health problems as they get older. They are bred to only live 6 wks and then die for us. Some may live longer with few problems but they are the exeption. I have a "rescue" cornish x that is 1 yr old and has difficulty walking. she is going to the freezer next time we butcher. To let her live longer would be cruel. She has had a chance to live a happy free range life for a year that most of her kind never see. She has given us lots of eggs and quite a few chicks so she has been a good addition to out flock but her time is coming to an end.

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
Just feed them layer feed instead of chick starter feed, give them natural day times and free range them, they will do fine and some are good layers...

 

[jaku]

Hmmm... that's a bit like asking if all people eventually get poor eyesight and need dentures. It's not guarenteed, but they aren't going to live 10 years like a regular chicken potentially could. As they get older, they are going to have heart issues, and probably leg issues too. As said earlier, they're really bred to last 8 weeks.