Chicken Truck Rescue

[walkeracm]

I found a chicken tonight that fell off a chicken truck.
I really don't want the extra work, but I couldn't just leave it in the road to get run over and possibly die slowly.
I wonder if this type of chicken should just be euthanized, or can it be rehabilitated?
It is not injured as far as I can tell, but of course since it was on its way to the slaughterhouse, it is really fat and I'm not sure if it can even walk.
I am keeping it separate from my 7 other hens and have given it access to food and water.
Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for a chicken truck fall-off?
Will it eventually lose weight and be able to walk on its really big legs and feet?
Also, it stinks pretty bad, so I think I'll need to bathe it.

Thank you!

 

[jenjscott]

give it a quick and painless death and enjoy dinner.

 

[damselfish]

There's a thread around here somewhere about some one who kept one of those chickens and things turned out fine. Let me go find it...

Edited:
Well, this isn't quite the one I was looking for, but here's a thread that discusses how to feed them, etc.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=272399

Whether you eat or keep, you've already improved the chicken's life over dying in the road. Good luck! Maybe somebody else will find the rescue thread I was looking for.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

The best thing you could do to honor its life is to humanely process it yourself and nourish yourself and your family. Or give it to someone else to do the same thing.

It will not "lose weight" or be able to walk any better. It's a breed designed to grow nice & meaty in a short period of time and then be slaughtered. Even if given the best of care it probably wouldn't live very much longer, its frame & organs are being overtaxed.

Tell us more about your other 7 chickens!

 

[walkeracm]

Thanks, all of you, for your advice! I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with my obese fall-off chicken. My daughter has named it Finlay, so she has put in her 2 cents-worth.

She (I assume it's a girl) has perked up a bit and can actually walk. My husband and I are going to bathe her tonight just so she doesn't smell so bad.

I don't think she's eaten or drunk anything yet, but I did she her pecking the ground a bit while out in a tractor today. I think I will wait a few more days before I make a final decision on her fate.

Oh, I've read that most chickens are about 6 weeks old when they make their way from the farm to the table, but this one has a good-sized comb (in my opinion). Can a 6-week old have a decent comb?

Thanks again!

 

[Airilith]

Actually they can lose weight. As the breeder flocks they use are brought up to broiler weight, selected, and then the breeders they keep are brought back down to a healthy weight. In order to do that though you must put the poor fattie on a diet.

The thing I would be most concerned about is the fact that most broilers receive vaccinations, so if your flock doesn't have any (or even just all of them) then you could be exposing your birds to different diseases. But if you vaccinate then that's null.

 

[Chick-a-roos]

I have a HUGE heart and I think Finlay deserves a chance

...and that's only my 2-cents-worth!

 

[Keri78]

AWWE! Good for you!

I think it's really cool! I would keep her as long as she's not suffering I would give her a good home and when and if the day comes that she isn't enjoying her chickie life anymore then do what needs to be done. I say this so matter of fact but the truth is neither me or Hubby would ever have the capacity to kill something! No farmer genes in us at all!

But I guess you could find someone that could handle biz if it came to it. But hey...that's just my 2cents! I wouldn't have lasted in the old days at all!

Enjoy your new little rescue! Blessings,Keri

 

[Sunny Side Up]

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.

 

[strawberryfields]

I have a cornish X and he came to me via a neighbor who could not keep him anymore.

He is the sweetest bird a person could meet.

I am NOT recommending you keep him or part with your new found chicken. I just think you have to decide for yourself and be ready to cull if need be.

Cornish chickens are prone to many problems, due to being bred solely as meat birds. They can outgrow their skin and be predispositioned to lameness.

Our particular cornish rooster was very lame when we acquired it. He is no longer lame though, and he is very, very active. He has lost quite a bit of weight being here, and no longer has trouble getting around.

So I wish you all the luck in your ventures with this bird!