Fat girls

[Jo Bird]

I purchased what was called Red Rangers, several months ago just to add to my flock. I couldn’t find any definite answers as to what breed of chickens create them except that they are raised as dual purpose birds. These two girls are now five months old and are 6 to 7 pounds. They are so chubby they look like ducks waddling. They are both very good eaters and will try pretty much everything I offer the flock. Even when the rest of the girls turn their nose up at it they will eat it. Can a hen be too fat? They even have a lot of trouble jumping up on the roost at night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can a hen be too fat? They even have a lot of trouble jumping up on the roost

You are on the meat bird forum so you are in the right place.

Cornish X are bred to grow really fast and be butchered at around 6 to 8 weeks when fed the way meat birds ae usually fed. Even then you often restrict feed to avoid them growing so big so fast their heart give out or their skeleton breaks down. You can keep them longer but you really have to watch how much they eat to have any consistent success.

Rangers are also a meat bird. They are bred to grow a little slower than the Cornish X and rely more on pasture instead of feeding them everything they eat. If you feed them a meat bird diet they probably should be butchered somewhere around 12 weeks old. With more restricted feeding they can go longer. But they also are bred to put on a lot of weight. They can also grow so large that their heart can give out or their skeleton break down. For a large bird that large jumping down from a roost is a challenge. It can easily lead to a damaged leg, probably more at risk for being dislocated rather than broken, but broken bones can happen.

Females that age can have a fair amount of fat in them, much more so than the boys, but most of what you are seeing is probably more meat than fat. They are bred to produce meat.

There are threads on this forum where people have tried to keep Rangers alive long enough for them to mate and produce hatching eggs. Many people do manage that but it takes work. Most say those hens do not make it to a second laying season.

Rangers are bred to put on a lot of meat and to be butchered young. They are not bred to be kept as a long term member of a flock.

Good luck but I think you are fighting a losing battle. It is likely to already be too late to restrict their feed. It is a pretty fine line to not feed them so much that they eat themselves to death but yet eat enough to stay healthy.

 

[Painted Calls]

Birds bred for meat (broilers, CX, etc) must have a restricted diet if you're not planning on butchering them. Just like any other living animal, chickens can and do become obese. Meat birds will absolutely become obese in a very short amount of time. Limit their feed, increase forage. Otherwise you're going to have obese birds with organs shutting down, and legs breaking down.

In the future, I wouldn't buy a meat bird to keep as a layer/pet.

 

[sourland]

Great to the point posts from @Overo Mare and @Ridgerunner. They are developed as meat birds and life span as such tends to be limited.

 

[cherrynberry]

I pick each bird up every day just to give them a once over and it’s very obvious that they are twice as heavy as the other girls I have.

Good thing chickens don't care if you talk about their weight in public...

 

[Xouie]

I purchased what was called Red Rangers, several months ago just to add to my flock. I couldn’t find any definite of answers as to what breed of chickens create them except that they are raised as dual purpose birds. These two girls are now five months old and are 6 to 7 pounds. They are so chubby they look like ducks waddling. They are both very good eaters and will try pretty much everything I offer the flock. Even when the rest of the girls turn their nose up at it they will eat it. Can a hen be too fat? They even have a lot of trouble jumping up on the roost at night.

Yes a bird can be too fat. It can be tricky getting them into shape though when they’re part of a larger group. I’m not sure how to restrict food for just a couple of flock members without isolation.

 

[Jo Bird]

I’m not sure, as I don’t get to see them before I leave for work in the mornings. I will make an effort to check them Saturday morning

 

[Jo Bird]

I’ll get some recent ones posted tomorrow

 

[Jo Bird]

I pick each bird up every day just to give them a once over and it’s very obvious that they are twice as heavy as the other girls I have.

 

[Tonyroo]

Try letting the red rangers forage so there not constantly eating the feed or limit the amount you place out there. That's one way to trim down a bird since your not going to eat them.