Is this normal???

[GrandmaCluck]

I am new at the chicken raising thing. I have 19 meat birds - started out with 20 but 1 turned up still in the morning a few days ago. They called them Jumbo Broilers. They are now 5 weeks old. 1 of them - a hen - can barely walk. Her legs can hardly support her. I move her and later I will see her in another place so I know she can move. Although I have to pick her up to get her out of the coop in the morning and carry her back in early evening. I feed them 12 hours on and 12 off. They have access to a fenced in grassy area. Is this hen going to die - should I butcher her now or is this normal? Most of the chickens are very active. I think this was a lazy one. She weighs about 3 pounds. The larger birds are weighing in around 5#. When do I know the right time to butcher?

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

First let me say

from Michigan.
I have raised cornish x broilers. My kids did a bunch for 4-H and we have started over again this year for ourselves. We always gave them vitamins in the water and never had any leg problems. It's called Durvet Vitamins and electrolytes. You can find it at Tractor supply if there is one near you. We just butchered 4 meaties a few weeks ago at 12 weeks old. Usually you can do this at 8 to 10 weeks old. Good luck.

 

[cassie]

Process your lame chicken now. She isn't going to get better. At least I don't think she is. Are you putting vitamins in the water? Murray McMurray has something they call Broiler Booster and Welp has a broiler vitamin pak. These really help prevent leg and other problems. Most people seem to butcher their meaties at six to eight weeks of age or so. We hold ours to about ten to 12 weeks but by then they are pretty big. Small turkey size.

 

[GrandmaCluck]

I got a pack of the vitamins and electrolytes. I called the manufacturer to see how much I give them - they told me to give it to them for 5 days once a month. So from the posts I've read, I should be keeping them on it all the time?

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I give it to them all the time. With the kind I use, I put about a half teaspoon of it with a gallon of water.

 

[GrandmaCluck]

Thanks much! BTW, I'm in Wisconsin.

 

[cassie]

The vitamins I use call for a quarter teaspoon per gallon of water. It is Murray's Broiler Booster and it is formulated for meat chickens. Has extra niacin in it or something. It is used from start to finish. I use Broiler Booster simply because I bought my chickens from Murray. There are other vitamins out there that are probably just as good.

 

[jaku]

Yeah, I don't know for sure if they actually work, but I always use the Broiler Booster from McMurray, and I like it a lot. I don't even get birds from there, just the vitamins. I use it from day one until butchering day.

 

[deerman]

Best to butcher at 8 weeks, after that they eat more feed to put on weight. feed to meat best the first 8 weeks, I butcher some at 12 weeks, eat lots of feed, but they looked like small turkey.

Dont give them high roost, foot high if any, they damage their leggs coming off high roost.

Yes butcher the little one now.