Chicken Truck Rescue

[highcountrychickens]

Quote:
I have to say that despite all practicalities... I completely agree with this - Bless your wonderful great big heart, walkeracm, and for your reminder that doing the right thing often means not looking the other way, asking the hard questions, and following the right part of your humanity - whether it is to bathe and care for the bird for the first time, or to gently euthanize it.

This also reminds DH and I to try at all costs to eat only locally grown, or our own - would be wonderful if we could all do that, wouldn't it?

Keep us posted here, and let us know what you decide to do - either way, thank you.

 

[Airilith]

Quote:

I'm not sure this is true. If this bird was one of a number of hybrid Cornish Xs heading for the processing plant neither it nor any of its flockmates would ever be used for breeding. Instead, the carefully pre-selected parent birds are busy back on their ranch mating & laying eggs to hatch for the next batch of meat birds to be raised. These chicks are selectively bred to grow big & meaty in a short period of time and then butchered for someone's meal. Although there is some fat on these birds, most of their weight is meaty muscle tissue and diet won't affect them much.

Certainly there are some folks who have had success in keeping these birds for many months after finding them alongside the road like you did. I wish you all the best if that's what you decide to do with this bird.

I wasn't saying that the bird that was found was a breeder, though it is a possibility, just a very very slim one (the non-selected birds are brought to processing plants as well). But I worked with breeder flocks, and they do indeed put them on diets to get them back to healthy breeding weights. Even the breeder birds are selected to grow as big and as fast as possible (with only minor selection on actual breeding traits) and they can lose weight. So it stands to figure that their progeny, under careful supervision, can as well.

Either way the OP has given this bird more love than it ever received on its original farm. So more power to you!

 

[possumqueen]

I used to live near a processing plant and I collected those chickens just for fun. They're great yard birds and wonderful pets. You just have to know a few things.

Caveats:

1) They cannot have free choice feed. They're master foragers. They'll clean you out of bugs, weeds, weed seeds, and they'll make your compost heap into the finest dirt you ever laid in a tomato patch, and they'll thrive. But they'll eat themselves to death on free choice grain of any kind. Depending on your forage situation you might give them a little handful of feed now and again for a treat.

2) They might try to fly, but they'll hurt themselves if they have to jump down from anything higher than a foot. They're just too heavy.

3) Remember they're only six or seven weeks old. Just babies. The rest of your flock might be rough on them.

Good news:

4) They've been vaccinated against absolutely everything.

5) They're very calm and gentle. They make wonderful pets for little children because they're so nonaggressive.

6) It's really rewarding to rehabilitate them. They've been kept in complete confinement, so you get to watch them learn how to scratch, take a dust bath (a classic picture of chicken bliss is watching their expression the first time that cool dirt reaches the itchy skin!) and catch bugs.

I highly recommend you keep this chicken. You won't be sorry.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Put her on a diet and you can have your own version of "The biggest Loser". I would at least try and make her happy as long as she is okay. She fell off that truck for a reason, and you're IT.

Good luck.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

and

from Alaska

Your choice.....

I would have to say regardless of how you got it, it is yours now.......

and you need to do what you feel is best for the bird and your family......

I am sure it is very grateful to you already, for not allowing it to be come roadkill.

 

[key west chick]

I have rescued many chicken truck chickens. No matter the care, they never seem to live past the age of 1 year. I do restrict food intake, and they have a large pen to excersize. The hens are decent layers of large, quite often double yolkers. I gave mine a dog house with shavings for a home since they dont roost. They are funny birds and I have enjoyed the ones I have had.

 

[walkeracm]

With a very heavy heart I must report that my husband and I went ahead and put the sweet chicken (Finlay/Stinky) down.

It was very difficult for us, but after much consideration and tears, we decided it was the best thing to do, especially since we saw that it had bumblefoot on the bottom of both feet. Also, it didn't eat or drink anything at all while we had it, even though food and water was in the box with it 24/7. We didn't want it to starve to death.

She was so pretty after her bath.

I want to thank all of you for your kind and helpful advice.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I'm sorry that sorrow came to you like that, but am sure it was the best you could do for this chicken. At least it got some kind handling and loving attention, and gentle hands to help it Cross to the Other Side of the Road. A lot more than it would have gotten if it hadn't falled from that truck.

Now tell us about your OTHER chickens!