I am so bummed....can you help me id these??

[mom_to3cuties]

Ok, I am a new chicken mommy and have fell in love with our 2 new chicks. Dd hatched them in class and we brought 2 of the 9 or so home.

I didnt know what breed they were and figured we would figure it out as they got older. Now I am thinking that they are cornish rocks.

Are they really only good for eating? We were hoping for these to be pets that would be around for a bit and maybe lay some eggs as a bonus. I dont want to keep them around if they arent going to be comfortable.

Here are a few pics...they are about 6 weeks old...

A few charactaristics that are hard to see...they have HUGE feet, they have grown really quickly, the pullet is bigger than the cockerel. I dont know if those things make a difference or not.

Thanks for any input.

 

[homechick]

WOW! HUGE fat feet! Ha. They are cute! I bet they will be much more comfortable not being eaten. ha ha. Do they seem friendly? you got really close to take the pic. I am NOOOOOT an expert but I would say.. if they like you and you like them and they won't peck your eyes out.. why not keep them?

 

[AnnaXLA1]

they look like cornish rocks to me and sadly they are bred for rapid weight gain, and should be butchered young, eventually one of two things will happen their legs will go out on em because of thier size or they could have a heart attck again because of thier weight and the stess of that on thier heart.

 

[mom_to3cuties]

We totally want to keep them but I dont want them to be miserable because they arent meant to live past a few months old! KWIM? I have read that cornish get so heavy that they cant walk well.

I would love if someone could id them though!

 

[BeckyLa]

I'm sorry to say, I think you're right about the breed. Here is a link you can check out, but I think your chicks match these pretty well.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Broil/BRKMeat.html

You might want to consider going to your local feed store and getting a few new chicks to make the loss of these a bit easier. I know they can't replace them but everything seems so quiet when the peeping stops. At least for me.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yep, thoes are cornish crosses. Tasty meat birds they are... If you want to try to keep them alive for the longest as possible. Restrict their feed and let their crops go almost empty before feeding again. That should slow their growth and give their bones a chance to keep up with their bodies. Even so though, they won't be prolific egg layers if they can get that old, and you always have to keep an eye on how much they eat. Good luck now. I am sure someone here has done it before because I heard of someone's cornish rock becoming broody!

 

[M.J]

I have Banty cornishes and they are cute and sweet the one is over a year and the other is just a year there very sweet and are fine you just have to watch what you feed them but they make sweet pets to... even if they were made for butcher

 

[mudhen]

They are cute, what peep isn't? Hope you enjoy their company while you can. I agree with BeckyLa, get a few more to ease the ache when they have to go.

 

[Llysse]

They ARE made for rapid weight gain and eating... but if you watch what you feed them, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to keep them as long as they're happy and healthy. Try to keep them active. You'll know if they're miserable and sick and in pain. Lots of people "save" cornish and cornish crosses that were destined for the supper table, and some live long lives as pampered pets.
I think they look adorable.

What are their names?

 

[tiffanyh]

I agree...what do you have to lose by retricting their diet to keep down on medical concerns and keep them as pets. Personally, I wouldnt hesitate to give that a try!