Experimenting with a few meat birds as pets

Hey guys! Though I'd update!
Doodle and Smudge are doing great! Were eating the Nuggets soon, and Doodle and Smudge will be able to go into the tractor were they used to be. Otherwise, they've been a pain since they have no coop lol! We have a huge garage, its full of all the building equipment, so its open all day so we can use tools from it. We also store the feed in there, and Doodle and Smudge have figured it out. So when they're hungry, they go into the garage and try to break into the feed bags lol! If they can't, then they lay next to the feed bags until I kick them out. That leaves LOTS of poop in the shop. I'll say that finally being able to put them in the tractor will be a relief. Lol!
Its also impossible to keep them slim. As soon as I get them down to a good weight, they'll break into the duck house and gorge themselves on 20% protein feed. Or, a family member once put them in with the other meat birds, the Nuggets, and let them eat the 22% protein feed! "They were hungry" they say. :he So thats been difficult lol!
So, they're pretty fat right now, hahahaha! I've been giving 1/2 cup morning and night, since I need to get their weight down. They free range most of the day, though most of the time they're planning a break in into the duck house, or sitting, doing nothing. 🤣

To help them loose weight, I want to harness train them. I have a harness for my other chickens, its a Yesito, but I hate the way it fits. I never trained my other chickens, so never got to really use it on them. I think I'm just gonna sew something up for them at some point. Then I'll be able to make it custom fit.
My next hurtle with them, is that Doodle sprained her ankle. 😥 Poor girl. I have no idea what happened, but when I found her she had been walking on it all day, and its swollen, and super warm. I've been trying to lock her in a crate, but there are cons to that-
A. She poops A LOT, so she dirties the bedding immediately, and sits in her poop all day. Her belly feathers are super nasty right now for that reason.

B. She's just sitting there. If she isn't moving, she isn't burning calories or losing weight. So that doesn't help he weight loss journey.
I've mostly been letting her sit outside in the sun, because she HATES a sling. Then, she mostly just lays there, and I can carry her to water, etc. She can also move out of her poop to keep herself clean.
I'll keep you posted on how she heals up, and how they continue to do. Thanks for following everyone!
 
Hey guys! Though I'd update!
Doodle and Smudge are doing great! Were eating the Nuggets soon, and Doodle and Smudge will be able to go into the tractor were they used to be. Otherwise, they've been a pain since they have no coop lol! We have a huge garage, its full of all the building equipment, so its open all day so we can use tools from it. We also store the feed in there, and Doodle and Smudge have figured it out. So when they're hungry, they go into the garage and try to break into the feed bags lol! If they can't, then they lay next to the feed bags until I kick them out. That leaves LOTS of poop in the shop. I'll say that finally being able to put them in the tractor will be a relief. Lol!
Its also impossible to keep them slim. As soon as I get them down to a good weight, they'll break into the duck house and gorge themselves on 20% protein feed. Or, a family member once put them in with the other meat birds, the Nuggets, and let them eat the 22% protein feed! "They were hungry" they say. :he So thats been difficult lol!
So, they're pretty fat right now, hahahaha! I've been giving 1/2 cup morning and night, since I need to get their weight down. They free range most of the day, though most of the time they're planning a break in into the duck house, or sitting, doing nothing. 🤣

To help them loose weight, I want to harness train them. I have a harness for my other chickens, its a Yesito, but I hate the way it fits. I never trained my other chickens, so never got to really use it on them. I think I'm just gonna sew something up for them at some point. Then I'll be able to make it custom fit.
My next hurtle with them, is that Doodle sprained her ankle. 😥 Poor girl. I have no idea what happened, but when I found her she had been walking on it all day, and its swollen, and super warm. I've been trying to lock her in a crate, but there are cons to that-
A. She poops A LOT, so she dirties the bedding immediately, and sits in her poop all day. Her belly feathers are super nasty right now for that reason.

B. She's just sitting there. If she isn't moving, she isn't burning calories or losing weight. So that doesn't help he weight loss journey.
I've mostly been letting her sit outside in the sun, because she HATES a sling. Then, she mostly just lays there, and I can carry her to water, etc. She can also move out of her poop to keep herself clean.
I'll keep you posted on how she heals up, and how they continue to do. Thanks for following everyone!
Do you have new pictures?
 
They're so sweet! This is there favorite spot to lay recently. They appreciate the shade. ☺️
Ps. Their faces are black because they've been dust bathing in the fire pit ash.
IMG_1838.jpeg

Doodle on the right, Smudge on the left. Smudge is the friendliest so far. I love them. 🥰
IMG_1841.jpeg

Smudge 💕
IMG_1842.jpeg

Doodle 💕

They're the best! Enjoy the photos!
 
Wow! They look good!
I hope Doodle’s ankle heals without issue.
Thank you! As long as I can keep her from doing a ninja break in into the duck coop, its not to hard to keep a Cornish X chill lol!
I'm glad you say that! I've been concerned about their weight gain, but I don't think its to bad. I can still feel a keel bone, but theres definitely some chub there as well. Lol! 😂😂
 

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