Hen is dangerously overweight. Help!

[tuesdaylove]

Thank you for your input, everyone. I'll think this over, but for now, I just can't imagine anyone eating Darcy. My plan for now is to keep her as happy and healthy as I possibly can until she dies as peacefully as she can, naturally. If she appears to be in too much pain, I may change my mind.

 

[Joe.G]

Most die young like everyone else said they are made this way. I do know of some that are around two years old at this point and are big but act like normal chickens, but that is not the norm. If she can't walk and get around she will be suffering and a target from other birds and animals.

 

[chickenreferee]

I've raised a few frankenchickens from babies to their end. Mostly they were school incubation projects and got sent home to me after hatching because I'm the chicken lady. My two most successful birds lived to 8 months(roo) and a little over 1 year(hen).

RC, the cockeral, fell off the truck on his way to slaughter and I wound up stopping and bringing him home with me. He was aprox. 8 weeks old at the time and already huge. He lost a wing, but other than that lived a pretty good life sunning on the deck with the cats and ranging about the yard. I limited his feed and he had to be mobile to keep up with his cat friends. RC didn't live with the rest of my flock due to his size and inability to protect himself from the others. Because he was a frankenchicken he often fell over on his back and was unable to right himself. Overall he got around quite well and I feel like he lived a good life, short as it was. He passed away one afternoon in his favorite spot with his best buddy, Screamer the cat.



Daisy came to me as a chick and lived just over a year. Her set up was much the same as RC's: she ranged about the yard, got limited feed, and the cats were her buddies. She did grow up and live with a small flock of RIR pullets for the first 8 months of her life- I think that helped keep her active. She was the head hen of that bunch until they were sold. Daisy even laid eggs. I'd get at least 4 -5 big light brown eggs a week from her. She passed away just about a month after her 1st birthday during the night, in her coop.



The rock crosses are some of the sweetest, friendliest birds you could ever meet. I don't advocate trying to raise them as pets, but I do think if circumstances find you with one you can do things to make it's life a pleasant and well lived, all-be-it a short one. I know 'real farmers' think I'm an idiot for trying to raise a broiler, and that is their opinion, but I wouldn't trade my experiences with these two birds for anything....and I don't believe for a second that they lived miserable lives.

 

[Cassidy]

Where did you get her?

 

[RedDrgn]

Limit the amount of feed you provide for her to only what she needs and keep her moving (free ranging would be best). That's the only way to keep them on the lean side (relatively speaking) and in better condition. I know one person who has a 3 year old CornishX, but that's truly something akin to a miracle. Keep in mind that you're in a constant battle with carefully developed genetics (as others have explained so well already) so even doing your best won't give her the longevity of most breeds. Still, as long as you can keep her moving most of the time and she looks healthy (bright comb/wattles, good plummage, bright eyed, etc.), then I'd say leave her be and give her the best life that you can for as long as you can.

 

[suezqz_64]

What everyone says is true. It is not the destiny of a Cornish Cross to become anyone's pet, they are strictly intended for the table.

 

[klmclain1]

Well said CMV. I choose to not eat my chickens - although I am not a vegetarian. HOWEVER, although it hurts ME, I refuse to allow any of my animals - dogs, cats, gerbils, chickens, etc - to suffer. When they are in pain and suffering, I put on my big girl panties and help them out of their misery as humanely as possible. To do otherwise, in my opinion, is inhumane.

This girl was bred to get as big as possible, as quickly as possible in order to be butchered as soon as possible. If you withhold food, then in her mind she's starving. And if you don't, she'll get so big she'll be in pain and will die a slow, miserable, death. Unfortunately, these breeds are the wrong kind to choose for a pet. I totally understand you didn't actually choose this breed since she's a rescue, but at some point I would hope you'll do the compassionate thing when it's time.

 

[gamzee]

if wanted i could take her . i only have 5 hens who are in top shape and i could try to get her to loss weight. you just might need to put her in a big cage and feed her little amounts about the day (did this for a large rooster) but still you should let her out every once and awhile so she doesnt get lonely.

 

[tuesdaylove]

I've raised a few frankenchickens from babies to their end. Mostly they were school incubation projects and got sent home to me after hatching because I'm the chicken lady. My two most successful birds lived to 8 months(roo) and a little over 1 year(hen).

RC, the cockeral, fell off the truck on his way to slaughter and I wound up stopping and bringing him home with me. He was aprox. 8 weeks old at the time and already huge. He lost a wing, but other than that lived a pretty good life sunning on the deck with the cats and ranging about the yard. I limited his feed and he had to be mobile to keep up with his cat friends. RC didn't live with the rest of my flock due to his size and inability to protect himself from the others. Because he was a frankenchicken he often fell over on his back and was unable to right himself. Overall he got around quite well and I feel like he lived a good life, short as it was. He passed away one afternoon in his favorite spot with his best buddy, Screamer the cat.



Daisy came to me as a chick and lived just over a year. Her set up was much the same as RC's: she ranged about the yard, got limited feed, and the cats were her buddies. She did grow up and live with a small flock of RIR pullets for the first 8 months of her life- I think that helped keep her active. She was the head hen of that bunch until they were sold. Daisy even laid eggs. I'd get at least 4 -5 big light brown eggs a week from her. She passed away just about a month after her 1st birthday during the night, in her coop.



The rock crosses are some of the sweetest, friendliest birds you could ever meet. I don't advocate trying to raise them as pets, but I do think if circumstances find you with one you can do things to make it's life a pleasant and well lived, all-be-it a short one. I know 'real farmers' think I'm an idiot for trying to raise a broiler, and that is their opinion, but I wouldn't trade my experiences with these two birds for anything....and I don't believe for a second that they lived miserable lives.

Thank you for sharing, and I must say, you sound like quite the wonderful person to do that for those two chickens. It seems like most people, online and in real life, think I'm completely crazy for wanting to let Darcy die naturally, but I feel like it's not my decision to end an animal's life, it's God's decision. I doubt very seriously that your birds were ever miserable, and I doubt that my Darcy will be.

Where did you get her?

At school. Darcy originally came from a bunch of chicks that were given out to some kids at the elementary school (I don't know why, science projects maybe?) and the chicks that were left over were sent to the high school. The agriculture class took them in and was giving them out to whoever in the school wanted one, and by the time I got there, Darcy was the last chick. She was very weak, almost dead, and sitting in filthy conditions. Someone else had already claimed her, but he said he was going to take her home and kill and eat her as soon as she was big enough, and I didn't want that to happen, so I bought her off of him.

Limit the amount of feed you provide for her to only what she needs and keep her moving (free ranging would be best). That's the only way to keep them on the lean side (relatively speaking) and in better condition. I know one person who has a 3 year old CornishX, but that's truly something akin to a miracle. Keep in mind that you're in a constant battle with carefully developed genetics (as others have explained so well already) so even doing your best won't give her the longevity of most breeds. Still, as long as you can keep her moving most of the time and she looks healthy (bright comb/wattles, good plummage, bright eyed, etc.), then I'd say leave her be and give her the best life that you can for as long as you can.

I'm going to start taking her out of the pen with the bantams during the day, but I'll put her back in there at night. The bantam pen is the only part of the yard that has a top, and therefore, it's the only place for them that's safe from predators. We have a severe problem with foxes and coyotes where I live, and we have thick woods literally right behind the house, so I wouldn't want to leave Darcy in the backyard (which is fenced in but does not have a top), as I'm pretty sure that foxes can climb fences. Also, I don't think Darcy can fly, but I don't want to risk anything. She might try and fly out of the yard at night while I'm not looking. She appears to be healthy, and she'll get even better now that she's out of the bantam pen, which has a tendency to get really muddy sometimes. Her comb and wattles aren't very bright red yet, but they're not done growing. Her feathers and eyes look fine, too.

Well said CMV. I choose to not eat my chickens - although I am not a vegetarian. HOWEVER, although it hurts ME, I refuse to allow any of my animals - dogs, cats, gerbils, chickens, etc - to suffer. When they are in pain and suffering, I put on my big girl panties and help them out of their misery as humanely as possible. To do otherwise, in my opinion, is inhumane.

This girl was bred to get as big as possible, as quickly as possible in order to be butchered as soon as possible. If you withhold food, then in her mind she's starving. And if you don't, she'll get so big she'll be in pain and will die a slow, miserable, death. Unfortunately, these breeds are the wrong kind to choose for a pet. I totally understand you didn't actually choose this breed since she's a rescue, but at some point I would hope you'll do the compassionate thing when it's time.

I'd like to point out now that twice before, I've made the very painful decision to end an animal's life. First was my hamster Rosie, who was almost four (very old for a hammy) and had suffered a stroke, was paralyzed, had somewhat recovered, and then had another stroke. I could tell that during her second stroke, she was in a lot of pain and I couldn't stand to watch her suffer like that, and I knew that she was too old to ever recover, so I took her next door and had my grandfather inject her with insulin (it was nighttime and we don't have any nearby vets). The second time was with my cat Ammo, who was young but had feline herpes and leukemia. He struggled with painful eye infections ever since he was a kitten, and one day, he began yowling and screaming, and falling over and generally looking very disoriented. I don't know what was happening, but I knew he was miserable and I took him to the vet and had him euthanized. Both times, I was terrified and it was very, very sad.

When I rescued her, I didn't know a single thing about chickens. If I had, I'm sure I would've let the guy keep her and slaughter her when she was old enough. But no, I didn't know anything, and I was assuming that Darcy would be a pet I could keep for many years to come. In the future, I won't adopt any breed that's meant to be a meat bird.

I would never be inhumane to an animal, and I don't believe I'm being inhumane to Darcy. She does not, in any way, appear to be suffering, aside from the occasional trouble she has getting up and down and walking, which I believe was caused by the splayed leg she had as a chick. She always runs up to me when she sees me and she likes to rub her head on my leg and peck at my shoes, and she follows me everywhere. Darcy is a very happy chicken and as long as she's happy, I'm going to let her live.

 

[tuesdaylove]

Update: apparently, Darcy is NOT a Cornish cross, but a White Rock, meaning she should have a much longer lifespan.