Cornish crosses?

[ChickaBamBam]

We bought our chicks at a local Ag store. They were supposed to be Mixed Layers. So far we have gotten one Roo out of the batch. These two larger white birds have always been much bigger than the others, have always had huge feet and just lately the biggest of them (which I say is a roo) doesn't even walk anymore. This one has always laid in front of the food but now it rarely moves. I thought it got hurt somehow and started hand feeding it. The smaller of the two walks very bowlegged.

Until stumbling into a thread I had assumed these were going to be Leghorns...now I am thinking it best to find out what they are to determine their fate.

All of the chickens shown are 14 weeks old today. Probably too old to cook which is just fine, these were bought to be layers....were given names and get pet/held a lot.....I could not bring myself to consume them but don't want them to suffer either and from what I just read living to adulthood is hard on Cornish crosses.

Thanks in advance

 

[akcountrygrrl]

Yep, those are Cornish crosses and you have a cockerel and a pullet. It isn't too late to cook them. I know it's hard to think about doing that to a pet but it's better than having them end up dying due to heart attack or being unable to walk because their legs aren't strong enough to support the body weight. If they are kept on a restricted diet, Cornish cross growth can be slowed which allows the bones time to keep up with the muscle growth and they can lead a fairly normal life. It needs to be started early on though like at 1 week.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Yep cornish crosses

 

[ChickaBamBam]

Thanks to both of you.
This explains the mouth breathing and the funny way the waddle.
Off to tell hubby and kids to quit teasing me about overfeeding my chickens and making them fat

....these were bred to be fat.

 

[donrae]

Yeah, they're pretty much bred to eat themselves to death, poor things.

If you don't want to eat them ( totally understand, you don't eat pets) you might want to find someone who would want to butcher them and give them a humane end.

 

[ChickaBamBam]

Thanks donrae,
I did find someone who has meat birds to take them. They were so surprised that we didn't want the meat (14 lbs!!) and knew my 14 yr old daughter was sad about the pullet mistakenly named "Eggs" having to go that they brought her a 6 wk old white Rock who she has named "Rocksie".