Help with my Pet Meat Chickens!!

[NateIsTrash]

I raised meat chickens for FFA livestock show, unfortunately I didn’t win but I decided to keep one Rooster and one Hen as pets. I am aware that they will not live long but they are currently 6 months old and I hope they last longer. My problems are:
The rooster keeps trying to mate with my hen, but my hen doesn’t want to so he keeps pulling at her feathers, is this normal? If not.. then what do I do?! I do want baby chickens but I don’t like that he’s being “rapey”
2. My Rooster wheezes and it sounds like he’s having trouble with breathing, he’s also developed black spots on his comb! I gave him VetRX but I’ve read that’s only temporary and it’s more like chicken Vick’s. What should I do? Should I give him anything?
They are both free range, I do not over feed them either. Therefore my rooster has lost a lot of weight and is now able to run freely. But even so, is he “too big & heavy” to mate with my hen? I don’t want him to hurt her.. please help! Thank you!

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

You should get 9 more hens or process them, they will eventually break their legs most likely and have a terrible life, I would process them

 

[The Dapper Duck]

I had the same thought once and tried to keep some cull birds from a local organic meat bird farm. They didn't make it long. Riddled with lice and one broke its femur under it's own weight. And these were the ones that were too slow growing to keep on the meat farm. Better to butcher, or if you can't do it, give them to someone who will.

 

[Norcal527]

A lot of people here will tell you to kill these birds but you certainly do not have to. I volunteer at a farm animal rescue that keeps a flock of rescued broilers and they are just fine. They are careful not to overfeed them and while they may not survive as long as others, these birds are certainly capable if living a good life. A poster earlier found a broiler that fell from a transport truck and she has actually started laying eggs for him.

Now I wouldn't concern yourself with the mating behavior unless your hen is being injured. If shes being over mated you could always get another couple of hens or separate them. Now the black comb spots on the rooster could be a sign of a circulatory problem. If so theres not much you can do except control his weight and let him live his life as long as he can. A vet may be able to offer other suggestions.

Good luck to you and your pets

 

[chrissynemetz]

The dark on the comb could be from heart failure and not getting enough oxygen. There really isn't much you can do for heart failure.

 

[annageckos]

Because of how large the males are he can hurt your pullet trying to breed her. Most people when trying to use a Cornish X meat bird for breeding use the females because of the males size. I'd also worry about the damage already done internally, I assume you didn't limit feed while they were growing because you were showing them. The breathing of your cockerel could be an RI or heart failure possibly. The black spots sound worrying, possible fowl pox, but I don't know much about it.

Honestly I would separate them. Your cockerel can really harm your pullet because of his weight, whatever he has could also be contagious.

 

[ThracianHorse]

I raised meat chickens for FFA livestock show, unfortunately I didn’t win but I decided to keep one Rooster and one Hen as pets. I am aware that they will not live long but they are currently 6 months old and I hope they last longer. My problems are:
The rooster keeps trying to mate with my hen, but my hen doesn’t want to so he keeps pulling at her feathers, is this normal? If not.. then what do I do?! I do want baby chickens but I don’t like that he’s being “rapey”
2. My Rooster wheezes and it sounds like he’s having trouble with breathing, he’s also developed black spots on his comb! I gave him VetRX but I’ve read that’s only temporary and it’s more like chicken Vick’s. What should I do? Should I give him anything?
They are both free range, I do not over feed them either. Therefore my rooster has lost a lot of weight and is now able to run freely. But even so, is he “too big & heavy” to mate with my hen? I don’t want him to hurt her.. please help! Thank you!

Might I suggest next time you don't raise meat birds? Keeping them as pets is invariably doomed to failure as they get bigger and bigger and their systems start to fail. If you want pet birds, get egg chickens, or a meat bird type known for having an actual lifespan. Not something intended to be - for all intents and purposes - a fast-growing bag of flesh.

That said. Others have pointed out your rooster can absolutely hurt your hen - this is true when you have mis-matched sizes of non-meat birds as well. Best option would be to separate. It also sounds like he is already starting to head down the path to system failure. I suggest starting to think about either processing, or humane dispatch if you don't want to eat him. Healthy diet and rigorous exercise is often not enough to keep CX alive.

 

[NateIsTrash]

Wow I am so sorry I haven’t replied, this was my first post and I was so lost as to how to see the replies to my post, now that I am having yet again ANOTHER problem I remembered “WAIT I POSTED SOMETHING BEFORE.. HOW DO I SEE THE REPLIES” my big brain just found out hehe..

ANYWAYS yes I am aware that someday their legs will give out and they will die on me, pretty soon. I know that they won’t live long so I’m ready for the day to come but I am trying my best to give them a good life, I want them to live as long as they can. My rooster still has those black spots but they sometimes go away and then come back, he doesn’t wheeze so much either and when I tell you he runs around so much and forages just like any other chicken does, he just looks so happy along with my hen. I can’t just kill them, I will kill them and bury them when something like paralyzation happens or when I see them suffer, then for sure I’ll get them out of their misery. But for now I am limiting their feed, I clean up their coop as much as possible to keep them healthy and the rooster has calmed a bit down on harassing my hen as well, he’s never left her any bald spots or made her bleed or anything like that, he just kept chasing and trying to get on top of her, pulling one or two feathers out. & im sorry I got into FFA because I want to be a vet and that seriously helps me in my future, but I hated knowing all the little chickens I raised would be processed after 4 months, so I kept two to keep as pets! I love animals and I didn’t like the idea of them having to be killed but that’s nature I guess.. anyways I will not be in FFA any longer! It was just a one time thing to help me become a vet! Thank you for all the replies! I’m sorry I didn’t reply earlier

 

[NateIsTrash]

Oh and! I am having another “problem” I mean I don’t mind it but I guess my neighbors do? They haven’t said anything about it but I honestly believe in a matter of weeks or maybe even days the city hall people are gonna knock on my door like crazy “YOU CANNOT HAVE A ROOSTER IN YOUR BACKYARD, THIS IS A CITY, NOT A FARM AREA AND IT IS CAUSING NOISE DISTURBANCE BLAH BLAH” So yeah.. my rooster is crowing like crazy now that it’s almost 7 months haha big boys growing up, but yeah I don’t know what to do but it’s not SO BAD I guess, considering no one’s snitched yet. I’m just afraid the neighbors are gonna snitch on me someday.. any tips?

 

[ThracianHorse]

Oh and! I am having another “problem” I mean I don’t mind it but I guess my neighbors do? They haven’t said anything about it but I honestly believe in a matter of weeks or maybe even days the city hall people are gonna knock on my door like crazy “YOU CANNOT HAVE A ROOSTER IN YOUR BACKYARD, THIS IS A CITY, NOT A FARM AREA AND IT IS CAUSING NOISE DISTURBANCE BLAH BLAH” So yeah.. my rooster is crowing like crazy now that it’s almost 7 months haha big boys growing up, but yeah I don’t know what to do but it’s not SO BAD I guess, considering no one’s snitched yet. I’m just afraid the neighbors are gonna snitch on me someday.. any tips?

Know your city/subdivision/housing ordinances. If it's illegal to keep a rooster, it's illegal to keep a rooster and it will say so in the laws - in which case, hope your neighbors don't file a nuisance complaint, or you will have to give up your rooster. You may try a no-crow collar, but the ethics behind doing so are at best, questionable, and there is no guarantee it will work. I would argue restricting the breath in any way in a CX would be a terrible idea.

You should not let the experience of these birds taint your experience with chickens. I strongly suggest to stay in FFA, but perhaps try a heritage breed of bird that does not self destruct at a couple months of age. There are plenty of meat (or dual-purpose) type birds that can have a long, normal lifespan. Among the meat types - Dark Cornish, White-laced red cornish (Not to be confused with Cornish Cross), Jersey Giant, Bresse, Delaware... there are others, but that's all that come to mind right now.