Bruised Cornish Meaties..

[WillieBoy]

What causes bruising of the breast and other body parts on the fast growing cornish meaties.As discussed in another thread here, some have leg issues. Some get so big so fast they have a heart attack.The fast weight gain explain some of why some cornish broilers legs can't support their own weight and they have heart attacks.But why do you think sometimes a batch of meaties will bruise so easily.They are handled as carefully as possible when gathered for butchering and killed in buteher cones.They are fed a feedhouse balanced finishing pellet, and broiler mash as babies.Still sometimes it seems a batch of them have excessive bruising over much of the bodies when process is completed...Can't understand why..!

 

[blueskylen]

maybe to powerful a plucker? we have been raising CX for over 4 years now and I don't recall ever seeing a bruised breast on any of ours. a few broken legs, but i expect that.
Also, maybe a lack of some vitamin that causes more vein bleeding while processing?

 

[remadl700]

Bruising can only come when the bird has blood in the system. It must have something to do with handling. Once they are bled out there is no way you can get that to happen.

Remember the bruise is from an impact that causes the small capillaries in the breast to break open and spill the blood into the meat.

maybe look at the food also. Do yo mix your own?

 

[booker81]

What type of housing/pen were they kept in? Bedding?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Crowding can cause them to run into feeders and waterers which can get bruises from.

 

[Saltysteele]

the fact that they are always laying on their breasts, causes bruises and abrasions.

 

[Beekissed]

They are fed a feedhouse balanced finishing pellet, and broiler mash as babies.Still sometimes it seems a batch of them have excessive bruising over much of the bodies when process is completed...Can't understand why..!

The answer is in the question. What you feed them and how they live when fed in this manner has a lot to do with their overall health and quality of life. Just because they will eat until they can no longer stand or break their own legs is not a good reason to feed them until they do. If you want a health and clean carcass, you need to raise a healthy and clean bird....raising them confined to free choice feed is the same way the broiler houses do it and it results in the same kind of product. Bruised, gangreneous, lame, sick and overly obese birds are nothing I'd choose to place on my family's table.​