Can a broiler bird live out a normal, full-length life?

[HeiHeisMom]

The runt of four broilers, Reese, is 10 1/2 months old and wants so desperately to be a " normal chicken".
Tonight she wanted held so I put her in my lap. Reese crawled her way up to roosts on my shoulder ( all 11 lbas of her)!!

Don't know if I can hold out too long!

 

[featherhead007]

She's a good lookin plump kinda hen. I love friendly birds. All mine are!

 

[HeiHeisMom]

She's a good lookin plump kinda hen. I love friendly birds. All mine are!

Very loving and thinks she's a dog.
Doesn't like the chicken coop, wants to run and hang with our Beagle and Yorkie.

 

[featherhead007]

Well then, don't tell her she's a chicken. That will be our little secret!

 

[Willowspirit]

If we kill animals because they are way fat, I had this girlfriend once who..........never mind!

Yeah. I stopped producing eggs some time ago and am overweight at least partly because of a chronic pain condition. I I had to free range for my food i would die. Some parts of this thread are making me a little uncomfortable.

 

[Fishkeeper]

An animal shouldn't be killed because it's too fat, no, but you do have to consider quality of life. It doesn't have to be functional as a wild animal, just functional and not in pain. If we're talking about a bird that's gotten to the point where its legs can't support its weight, where its bones break just from it living, where it can't move or do anything but continue to eat and continue to be in pain, the only humane thing to do is put it out of its misery.
We're not talking about disabled humans here. We're talking about animals. If an animal is to the point where it is no longer capable of doing things that it should reasonably find enjoyable, if it's in severe pain that can't be helped, and if its quality of life can otherwise be reasonably assumed to not be good, euthanasia should be strongly considered if not carried out. Sometimes, leaving an animal alive is a greater cruelty than killing it. That goes for terminally ill animals, it goes for animals that have been so severely injured that their recovery is unlikely and will be extremely painful, and it goes for animals which have such a severe genetic issue that they are going to be crushed under their own weight.

If you can keep your cornish X birds at a reasonable weight, if they still move without pain and aren't injuring themselves, then great. Keep them alive. If they aren't functional any more, or are rapidly heading that way, don't prolong it.
I don't think these birds should be kept in commercial situations, since the commercial places aren't going to afford them the courtesy of closely monitoring them and making sure they don't suffer- it's more profitable to get them to grow as fast as possible. I'm not really sure they should be kept as pets, either, or grown by the average farmer- they aren't going to live long even in the best circumstances. Sure, some people can keep them in an ethical manner, where they grow at a slightly more reasonable rate and don't suffer because of their own bodies, but most people won't bother.

 

[ScarletinaVixen]

This is Ruby. She is an Ideal Poulty Black Broiler. She was hatched January 10th. So far, no issues. She is "thick," as the kids say, but she runs, tries to jump for treats, cuddles, and lays eggs like a champ. My only concern with her is how often she tries to entice the rooster, Richard (Ree- SHARD, to mate. By that I mean, she tries to play with him, then starts backing into him regardless of his thoughts on the matter.
She eats layer feed, weeds, bugs, and kale stems. She is in a covered run because my hawks are BOLD. Roughly 8ft by 20ft. She is active. She likes to splash in the water dish (rubber horse dish).
I hope this helps your decisions.

 

[ScarletinaVixen]

A less blurred one

 

[featherhead007]

Ruby looks very tame and just such a beautiful hen!