I need help/advice on rescued chickens.

[Matejka]

this will be long so everyone has as much info as possible.
Fair project for ffa.
16 yr old girl, no farm experience got 25 meat birds for ffa fair on Aug 15, so birds are 8 weeks old and huge.
I DO NOT WANT TO SLAUGHTER, would like to have them as a flock.
Possibly cornish cross-white
She has 8x10 dog kennel and used plywood floor then tarp then shavings (unknown what kind). Birds sat on floor
After fair she brought me her 4 favorite girls to keep (I think 1 is cockerel), other 18 processed for meat.
Got birds yesterday right before dark., big fat, slow and very dirty dried poop on undersides, missing feathers and red irritated skin. No sign of lice or mites-will look more thoroughly today.
Never been in a coop-mine is elevated with run below-5x9. Dirt floor. I have no birds at this time. They have never been off the plywood floor.
I picked them up and put in coop last night
I know they need cleaning (bath) but should I wait till they settle in a day or so?
Also norther blew in last night. It was 72 yesterday a.m. and 88 for high, now it's 57.
ARE THEY FIXABLE?
Diet? I would like to slow weight gain, and let bones catch up-does that make sense?
I will get pics today of birds and irritated bottoms.
HELP?
I am open to all advice, comments, thoughts, help.

 

[sourland]

Limit feed, try to increase activity, but I fear that the inevitable has been programmed into them genetically.

 

[ladybrasa]

Unfortunately this will be very hard at this point. The Cornish Cross aren’t bred for survival beyond 2-3 months. They have leg problems and heart problems. The damage is already done, especially with leg issues. I’ve not read about how to reverse effects of feeding for slaughter. Definitely they need to get moving and foraging for their own food, but that will be hard because it sounds like they are already hurting. I guess portion feed layer feed? Don’t let them have free choice. I’ve not read about how to get a chicken to loose weight and muscle mass. I’m sorry I don’t have any positive words to offer.

Here is a recent post about someone successfully raising Cornish Cross, but she started from day old chicks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...bout-the-cornish-cross.1421892/#post-23374483

 

[NatJ]

--Might be hopeless. Those birds really are bred to be slaughtered young, and will usually not live very long. And yours are already big and fat. Killing them really might be the kindest thing.

But if you want to try, here are the things I can think of:

--Dirty: I would not give them a bath. Let them live in a clean area, with access to a dust bath (which they might use or might not use), and they will probably be a bit cleaner in a few days, and much cleaner in a week or two, without the stress of being bathed.

--Diet: probably best to use a starter/grower food, maybe one marketed for layer chicks rather than meat birds. I don't know exactly how much food is right, but you could try putting it out for 5-10 minutes in the morning, and again in the evening, and taking it away the rest of the time. Do make sure all birds can eat at once.

Another possible way to give them food plus exercise: measure out how much food they should get in a day (might be 1/2 cup per bird, might be more or less than that), then several times each day sprinkle part of that into their pen, so they move around and pick and scratch to get it.

--Diet & exercise: they are not used to walking around scratching for their own food, but if you strictly limit the purchased food, they should soon start looking for other things to eat. So access to grass, or a compost pile to scratch through, or even just a run with plenty of dead leaves to scratch in, will probably be good for them. (The idea is that being hungry makes them look for food, and looking for food gives them more exercise but not much actual food.) Do make sure they have access to some grit, to help digest whatever they find.

--Treats: it's probably fine to give them as much lettuce and other leafy green things as they want, but watch out for long stringy grass that can tangle in their crop. Grass works better when they bite their own off the plant, so it's in short pieces. Watermelon rinds, apple peels, and so forth should also be fine. But I would stick with plant-based treats that are mostly water, so they get very few calories from these. (Not corn, not scratch grains, not mealworms, not even scrambled eggs.)

--Housing: do not expect them to ever fly up & down to a roost. They will probably sleep on the floor, or you could try putting a board on the floor for them to "roost" on if they choose. I would keep the "roost" lower than about 6 inches if you use it at all, because they can so easily hurt their legs when they are so heavy.

--They will probably not know to go in and out of a pen, to sleep inside and forage outside, or to go in away from rain.

--Big as they are, they are still babies in age. So for behavior, they're still about the stage many people finally take chicks out of the brooder and put them in the coop! Just really big, overweight babies

 

[Matejka]

Unfortunately this will be very hard at this point. The Cornish Cross aren’t bred for survival beyond 2-3 months. They have leg problems and heart problems. The damage is already done, especially with leg issues. I’ve not read about how to reverse effects of feeding for slaughter. Definitely they need to get moving and foraging for their own food, but that will be hard because it sounds like they are already hurting. I guess portion feed layer feed? Don’t let them have free choice. I’ve not read about how to get a chicken to loose weight and muscle mass. I’m sorry I don’t have any positive words to offer.

Here is a recent post about someone successfully raising Cornish Cross, but she started from day old chicks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...bout-the-cornish-cross.1421892/#post-23374483

Thanks for the insight. My thoughts also but gonna try.
Better to try and fail than never try at all. 8 weeks-their still babies. So limit food, exercise,
I need to try to get them healthy, then free range.

 

[NatJ]

So limit food, exercise,
I need to try to get them healthy, then free range.

Free range might be a problem-- they will always be white, clumsy, and slow, which means predators can easily catch them. You might have to compromise on a large run, fenced and covered to keep out predators.

Other than that, it sounds like you've got it figured out, if its possible at all.

 

[Matejka]

--Might be hopeless. Those birds really are bred to be slaughtered young, and will usually not live very long. And yours are already big and fat. Killing them really might be the kindest thing.

But if you want to try, here are the things I can think of:

--Dirty: I would not give them a bath. Let them live in a clean area, with access to a dust bath (which they might use or might not use), and they will probably be a bit cleaner in a few days, and much cleaner in a week or two, without the stress of being bathed.

--Diet: probably best to use a starter/grower food, maybe one marketed for layer chicks rather than meat birds. I don't know exactly how much food is right, but you could try putting it out for 5-10 minutes in the morning, and again in the evening, and taking it away the rest of the time. Do make sure all birds can eat at once.

Another possible way to give them food plus exercise: measure out how much food they should get in a day (might be 1/2 cup per bird, might be more or less than that), then several times each day sprinkle part of that into their pen, so they move around and pick and scratch to get it.

--Diet & exercise: they are not used to walking around scratching for their own food, but if you strictly limit the purchased food, they should soon start looking for other things to eat. So access to grass, or a compost pile to scratch through, or even just a run with plenty of dead leaves to scratch in, will probably be good for them. (The idea is that being hungry makes them look for food, and looking for food gives them more exercise but not much actual food.) Do make sure they have access to some grit, to help digest whatever they find.

--Treats: it's probably fine to give them as much lettuce and other leafy green things as they want, but watch out for long stringy grass that can tangle in their crop. Grass works better when they bite their own off the plant, so it's in short pieces. Watermelon rinds, apple peels, and so forth should also be fine. But I would stick with plant-based treats that are mostly water, so they get very few calories from these. (Not corn, not scratch grains, not mealworms, not even scrambled eggs.)

--Housing: do not expect them to ever fly up & down to a roost. They will probably sleep on the floor, or you could try putting a board on the floor for them to "roost" on if they choose. I would keep the "roost" lower than about 6 inches if you use it at all, because they can so easily hurt their legs when they are so heavy.

--They will probably not know to go in and out of a pen, to sleep inside and forage outside, or to go in away from rain.

--Big as they are, they are still babies in age. So for behavior, they're still about the stage many people finally take chicks out of the brooder and put them in the coop! Just really big, overweight babies

Since brand new home, new keeper (me), no more crowding 25 down to 4. I need to keep in run awhile to let them get used to new surroundings.
HOW LONG?
Also, red irritated skin? Leave it alone? Clean? Neosporin?

 

[Matejka]

A Few pictures.
I will try to get individuals later. It's chilly out there. 59 with 20 mph north breeze.

 

[kinkajou34]

I used to own a meat bird rooster but within a year of keeping him free-ranged, he just gorged himself to death. He was extremely friendly and we used to paint his nails but he often just sat in a nice grassy spot and eat all day occasionally getting up to drink water or to go nap with the hens.

 

[NatJ]

Since brand new home, new keeper (me), no more crowding 25 down to 4. I need to keep in run awhile to let them get used to new surroundings.
HOW LONG?
Also, red irritated skin? Leave it alone? Clean? Neosporin?

I would just leave it alone. Once they are in a clean place, and not crowded, I think the dirtiness and irritated skin will probably get better by itself.

Probably at least a week before you let them out of the run.