Help! I accidentally got Cornish X

[Cecisflock]

What should I do bc I don’t want to butcher them

sell them to some who can... sorry , its cruel not to

 

[chickentrains]

Give it to a friend to cull if you don't want to.

while it can be done, it takes a lot of work. Its more humane to just butcher. Its pain free.

 

[Folly's place]

I'd like to add that any chicken you buy at the grocery is one of those birds, who didn't have the goodies you will offer yours. Enjoy their short lives, and put them in your freezer, or someone else's, by eight or ten weeks. It's best to restrict their feed to ten hours each day after three weeks of age or so, not something done with 'normal' chicks.
Hanging on to them because you feel bad isn't doing them any favors.
Mary

 

[Anime2lover]

I went to Tractor supply and I got Cornish X by accident. Can they live as pets because I don’t want to butcher them? There are 4 weeks and so kind and active.

Cornish cross aren't bred to live long. They are susceptible to heart issues, joint issues and aren't the best in winter due to them not being as keep to roost. They also get injured very easily and are known to break bones easier to.

 

[Beastie123]

Can you give them to someone who would want them for meat?

I think that I will try to keep them, but if they are getting way over weight there is a farm nearby.

 

[Hidden Ridge Farms]

Limit their food intake. Like only offer feed 3 times a day for about 15 minutes per interval as cornishx can literally eat themselves to death (been there, done that). If you have other chickens that have access to feed all the time, I would advise you either pen them separately in either their own chicken tractor or get rid of them. They are not very productive layers, have a ton of health issues due to their growth rate and often suffer from broken legs due to the fact they grow heavier than what their bones can support. I have to admit though, if you have never butchered one, you don't know what you are missing out on. There is no better tasting chicken meat in my opinion!

 

[Stayc]

The same thing happened to me at tractor supply. I purchased what I thought were 2 buff orphington and I am sure now they are cornish. I'll post pics. I am highly upset because I do not butcher my chickens either and these birds are specifically for meat and will usually not live longer than 12 weeks, at best. I am going to tractor supply today to see what can be done. I will update after.
Also, the big chest and huge feet were what made me think mine were cornish.
View attachment 2586271View attachment 2586272

Update. Just spoke with the manager at Tractor supply. He said "for health and safety regulations he cannot take the chicks back". He did say he would replace those 2 chicks and took my phone number in case he can find someone who wants them.

 

[Folly's place]

Farm stores are famous for mislabeling chicks; they end up in the wrong bins, or whatever. It's best to learn what different breed chicks look like before buying them! Not perfect, but much better to ID breeds yourself. Few breeds can be sexed as chicks, but at least having an idea of breeds helps.
Mary

 

[RosemaryDuck]

I know everyone is saying you can keep them as pets if you limit food and exercise them, but please, please don't put them through that. I posted in another thread but I'll share it here as well.

Many many years ago when I was less experienced and didn't know any better, I had a cornish x rooster I tried to keep alive. He became so overweight his legs stopped working and he could no longer move. We went to the vet countless times. We did water therapy. We used to lift him and walk him around the yard. He was suffering. The other chickens ran circles around him. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time but I wasn't. It would have been more humane to butcher him at the correct time. He passed a while after but we tried everything humanly possible to keep him alive and he didn't make it to a year.

Please just re-home them to someone who will butcher and eat them. It's unfair to them. They're bred to rapidly gain weight and aren't meant to live past a certain point.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I know everyone is saying you can keep them as pets if you limit food and exercise them, but please, please don't put them through that. I posted in another thread but I'll share it here as well.

Many many years ago when I was less experienced and didn't know any better, I had a cornish x rooster I tried to keep alive. He became so overweight his legs stopped working and he could no longer move. We went to the vet countless times. We did water therapy. We used to lift him and walk him around the yard. He was suffering. The other chickens ran circles around him. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time but I wasn't. It would have been more humane to butcher him at the correct time. He passed a while after but we tried every humanly possible to keep him alive and he didn't make it to a year.

Please just re-home them to someone who will butcher and eat them. It's unfair to them. They're bred to rapidly gain weight and aren't meant to live past a certain point.

Yup^