Cornish Rock chick - raising as pet?

[A_Fowl_Guy]

You're definitely not making me feel any better

You wanted the truth. Cornish rocks are not a good bird for longevity.

 

[Lyndssxo08]

Isn't she cute!
Some people have been successful in raising CornishX past the butchering age, I don't know much about that, but controlling diet and exercise would be key.
Someone like @HeiHeisMom may be able to give you some tips, I believe she has a pet Meatie.

Thank you! Any help on this would be amazing!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

I have had some that lived to be a little older 4 years old.

The girls were dust bathing on this day.

My girls were too big to fly on the roost. I sometimes would put them on the roosts, if at coop closing time, their eyes were sparkling with envy to get on the roost. I would lift them up and place them on the roost. I had to take them off and place them on the ground the next morning. Sometimes, they just chose to sleep on the ground in their chicken house. I made their ground sleeping arrangements as comfy as possible.

I took my time and studied the breed to find out how I could keep them around longer. Of course there was very little information to no information out there because no one really keeps this breed around a long time. There are a few other people on this forum who have raised Cornish as pets and I am one of them. My girls had an excellent chicken life. Anyone who knows me know that my animals have 5 star status in terms of health, nutrition and living arrangements. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is what I did that allowed them to live so long.
1. Do not overfeed.
2. Free range as often as possible (daily if you can). Free ranging also promotes exercise. They have to walk and run to get those juicy bugs.
3. Place feeder several feet away from them, so that they have to walk (exercise) to get their food.
4. Feed healthy snacks (fruits & vegetables)
5. Make sure that their living arrangements are functional for their needs. Some cannot fly on roosts at night. They may have to sleep on the floor.
6. Do not place FEMALES with roosters. Roosters will try to mate with them. Their legs cannot take the extra rooster weight on them and neither can their stress level.

I can give this information because I have experience in raising Cornish as pets.

To answer your questions:

Hucklekree wrote:
So down to the actual inquiries:
How old can cornish x get? Mine lived past 4 years old

Is it a good idea to let them get older or should they be processed? That is a personal choice. If they are not having any problems or not suffering from any leg problems, you can let them live to be older.

Is is worth it to let them breed? I don't know because I didn't let mine breed. The extra weight on them to breed would be too much for them to carry on a daily basis (in my opinion). Possible leg problems could arise.

Are they even interested in breeding? If I were a Cornish hen, I probably wouldn't be interesting in breeding.

I would probably want to live my life out in peace and harmony without a rooster putting his extra weight on me to breed all the time.

Good luck with yours. Keep us posted.​

Found this on an old page. Might not live long but here’s something you can do.

 

[Lyndssxo08]

Found this on an old page. Might not live long but here’s something you can do.

Thank you! I will take a look at it!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Thank you! I will take a look at it!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you! Any help on this would be amazing!

It is true that meaties are not bred for longevity. They will gain weight and are very large. Being prepared that she may not live a long time is being realistic. They can have heart problems and their legs may not be able to support their weight once they get to a certain point. If you know these things going in, then you can be prepared for what may be to come. If she develops problems, then of course, the humane thing would be to end her suffering.

Whatever time she has, whether it's weeks, months or a year - I'm sure she will be well taken care of and loved, but you will do the right thing for her when the time comes.

 

[Lyndssxo08]

View attachment 1698123

Amen! Lol

 

[Lyndssxo08]

It is true that meaties are not bred for longevity. They will gain weight and are very large. Being prepared that she may not live a long time is being realistic. They can have heart problems and their legs may not be able to support their weight once they get to a certain point. If you know these things going in, then you can be prepared for what may be to come. If she develops problems, then of course, the humane thing would be to end her suffering.

Whatever time she has, whether it's weeks, months or a year - I'm sure she will be well taken care of and loved, but you will do the right thing for her when the time comes.

I will try my best that’s for sure!

 

[MelissaRose]

I had a meat bird hen that we kept and she lived to be two or three. I think she was similar to a cornish rock, meant to grow very fast. She was very heavy and I don't know that she laid to many eggs but she had a happy life.
She did die of a heart attack though.
We also had a rooster that was the same kind of meat bird. he lived to be at least two or three also, but he was so mean that we had to kill him. I'm pretty sure he would have lived longer if we hadn't. He would do all kinds of bad stuff, the biggest thing I remember is him chasing my 3-5 year old brother around.
Good luck with your chick, I hope he/she has a good life, even if it's only two or three years long. Do you know if it's a he or she?

 

[Phaedra Winters]

There's a sanctuary I know that has several cornish rocks. They live because they are on daily heart medication I believe.