I really want to keep my cornish x as a pet

[ozarkchicks]

Hi I'm new to chickens and we have five hens (1 buff orpington, 1 plymouth barred rock, 1 cornish x, 1 red production, and 1 black sex link). We really want to keep our cornish cross as a pet and I need advice on how to do this. Also I have read that if you do keep them as a pet keep them away from roosters because they can't handle the stress. The problem is we want our other ladies to have a rooster and we free range. We can't really seperate our cornish x from the rooster if we get one, is it crucial she doesn't have a rooster if we want her to live a long healthy life???

We really love all our ladies and would feel bad to seperate her, and advice at all on raising her as a pet, we don't want to eat her!!!

 

[PoultryGirly]

Cornish X's are raised and bred to be eaten. They won't even live up to be a year old with perfect care becaus they get SO big SO fast. If you let them live too long, they will get "bedridden" and won't be able to walk, stand, etc., and will eventually have a heart attack.

 

[skeptic7]

I'm a long time lurker, and I don't have any chickens so I can't speak authoratively. However there are threads where people mention keeping Cornish X's for over a year. Mainly they limit the food and increase the excercise so the chicken grows slower and develops more muscle and better habits.
I think you can keep your chicken as a pet. After its three weeks old try putting it out to pasture so it can run around and look for food. Feed lower protein food < 20%, once a day so if the chicken gets hungry it will have to run around. Make sure the chicken has plenty of shade and clean water especially in the summer.
I hope you have good luck with your chicken and look around some more for other examples of older healthy Cornish X's.

 

[Mikedero]

wrong kind of chicken for a pet period. Some can and live longer but there are mush better looking and better tempered birds out there to consider.

Sure some can make it but it is breed for the purpose of growing fast and dying young