How long will a Cornish Rock rooster last?

[3670wayne]

Had 25 Cornish Rocks this spring for meat. Had one rooster that earned a reprieve as he had a great personality, a great crow and was pretty friendly, would seem to hang out near me when he was outside the coop. I also wanted one rooster in with my girls. Well I found him dead the other day, apparently died overnight. My question: Is this type of bird bred only for meat and cannot be expected to live much more than the normal period until butcher? Should I not have tried to keep him as a pet? Any thoughts? Thanks, Wayne

 

[SpringChickens]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, the Cornish X tend to die prematurely - it's not uncommon for them to die close to butchering age. Some people here have gotten theirs to live to 1-2 years, but I don't think they ever live much longer than that. The ones who made it to 1-2 also had special care, including limited feedings.

Whether you should have tried to keep him as a pet, that's up to you. I'm sure he appreciated whatever extra time he got. I don't know that I would have, but its all personal preference.

 

[eKo_birdies]

Welcome to the forum!

They are bred just for meat. They are not meant to live a "normal" chicken life and go on to procreate and such. That said, there are LOTS of people out there (myself included) who have kept cornish Xs for longer than they are "supposed" to live. The key seems to be restricting their feed and allowing free ranging/exercise. However, even if you take all precautions, things like what you experienced can and will happen. Their legs, hearts, and other organs just have a hard time supporting their massive bodies.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[3670wayne]

Thanks for the reply. I probably won't try it again. I had lowered his rations quite a bit over the last few weeks, hoping to slow down his growth, but he was a monster! It was a lesson I won't soon forget. I felt awful. But, it has given another Barred Rock pullet turned cockerel the chance to rule the roost.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Welcome to BYC! The previous answers are right on the money so nothing to add, other than you might want to spend some time reading back posts on this thread to learn A LOT about the CX breed.

 

[eKo_birdies]

Quote:
Don't feel bad... it was a learning experience. It's not as if you were force-feeding him to get him to balloon out in size.
I have kept a few pullets that have lived until around 11 months, most were harvested before they died of "natural" causes, but I did find one that died in the coop. It isn't something I would probably do again either.

 

[menageriemama]

I had a cornishx pullet, "Bald Eagle", that was granted a stay of execution three years ago. She now lives with a friend of mine and is still going strong and lays beautiful brown eggs. I don't think she is the norm though...