Cornish x bullied?

[potatoesgonnapotate]

My Cornish cross is dying I think, I could use some help in deciding whether to cull or try to save. She’s struggling to breathe and is obviously in pain. Under her wings she’s bleeding to. This is odd because everyone was fine yesterday! Help! I washed her off and am drying her to try to help her. What would you do?

 

[potatoesgonnapotate]

She died, but I’d love to get some insight as to what it may have been. Is she safe to eat? I’m guessing no, but I’m still learning.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
I'm no expert on meat birds but she should not be that purple colour. Was she like that all over or just where the other birds have attacked her. How old is she and how old are the others? Is she the only Cornish x you have?
I would not eat the meat because it has clearly been badly bruised, but she may have been picked on by the others because she was sick.... other birds are more able to detect these things than we are and will try to run a sick bird out of the flock, but in a pen the sick bird cannot get away and it sometimes becomes a blood bath. Poor girl!

 

[potatoesgonnapotate]

That’s my thought; she got picked on because she was sick. She was very poorly oxygenated, she could barely breathe when I got to her (I check them as soon as I get home every day). When I opened her up (I butchered her just in case it was determined she was edible; I was present at the time she expired and immediately processed her.), she had a bunch of yellow ascites fluid in her. My guess is the 22% protein feed is just too high for their livers. I’ve switched all 4 remaining cornish crosses to a mix of 18% and 22% protein to reduce what they’re getting. I restrict feed so the new mix will begin tomorrow. I may shorten them to 8 hours instead of 12 of access to food. I really hope to not lose any more, but I really think I know what went wrong. If the rest just hold on another 2-3 weeks I think they’ll be ready to harvest. In the future if I see this I’ll just cull them to put them out of their pain. She was about 5 weeks old, and yielded a nearly 2 lb carcass. I wish I had the space to not pen them up, but they’re in my back yard in my somewhat suburban area. I figure losing one out of my first experience with meat chickens isn’t too horrible? I mostly feel badly that she suffered. I may plan on eating these birds but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to give them the best life I possibly can. I failed this poor girl.

 

[rebrascora]

Don't beat yourself up! None of us come into an interest with 100% knowledge.... we learn a lot as we go on but the biggest learning opportunities are our mistakes and failures. That said, I am not overly convinced that the protein content of her feed was too high or the cause of her issues. Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome is linked to the production of large deposits of fat in the body and particularly impregnating the liver and causing it's structure to become unstable and haemorrhage. Fatty deposits in the body are more likely to be attributed to a high carbohydrate feed than too high protein ..... Was there much fat inside her? Did you take any photos of her internal organs? I would be interested to see what she looked like inside if you have any.

 

[potatoesgonnapotate]

I didn't get any pictures of her organs, I should have! Her liver seemed pale compared to what I expected, and her heart looked pretty good, but maybe a little enlarged compared to what I'd expected it to be. Other than the ascites, she looked pretty good inside. Her crop was totally empty so I know she hadn't eaten recently. She was very lean, and there were no yellow or white fatty deposits anywhere. I will say her breasts are HUGE. (I know how that sounds, haha). I'll see if I can get a picture of the final product attached. Overall I feel the meat looks pretty good, but if there's a chance of it being ruined and making me sick, I don't want to necessarily risk it. I don't want to waste her either...maybe I could grill or roast her up for my dogs? Does bruised meat pose a health threat? I appreciate your kind words in regards to my learning things still.

 

[rebrascora]

You are right, the carcass doesn't look bad at all although I would guess I am looking at the good side, not that purple flesh in the previous photo. If I am honest, I would probably eat her after cooking her very thoroughly but I'm a little cavalier about my food and would not necessarily encourage someone else to do something that might be considered risky. Some cultures also have issues with meat not being bled during the butchering process and particularly chicken. Since some of the meat appears pretty bruised it will be particularly infused with blood. That will impact on the look, texture and keeping ability of the meat (it will go off quicker) but if you are going to cook it straight after resting it should be fine. If the breast looks unharmed, I would be tempted to split the carcass with the dog and you use the breast and give the dog the damaged flesh. It is your choice. Do what feels right to you, but make sure you cook it thoroughly if you do decide to eat it.

 

[potatoesgonnapotate]

Absolutely, and I understand the need to be cautious when advising someone on that. I was thinking I may take what looks good for myself and anything bruised will be a tasty treat for my 3 pups. I planned to rest for 2 days then cook right away. Hopefully I caught it and was able to change the feed before it impacted anyone else too heavily. They were all up and about this morning and seemed fine, but I'll be keeping a close eye on them.