Meat bird or leghorn chick???

[MrsEskew]

Yes that is definitely a Cornish X. So sorry, but it happens often at feed stores where they are mistaken for Leghorns. Some people can prolong their life a little longer by putting it on a strict diet. But eventually it will get so big either its heart just stops or its legs give out. They were literally bred to eat itself to death.

 

[Eckielady]

Children are more resilient than we give them credit for. It will be much easier to get rid of this chick now than it will to find it dead or laying with a broken leg 2 months down the road. From personal experience, she'll find a new favorite. You also could take her back to pick out her own chick? It will just be harder later.

 

[jjb1953]

Well it has been a while since I posted and I thought I would give an update.

We decided to keep the cornish as a pet.

As you can imagine she is huge. I will try to take pics at some point. I spoke with a vet about this and she mentioned she knew of another who did this when a meat bird fell off of a transport truck. She mentioned yes the bird dev health issues later .... but like most pets, they were addressed and the bird lived for quite a while.

As of now, the cornish (named lucky goose .... she has goose like qualities) seems to be in very good health ... much better than when I first posted, and a happy silly bird. She is very heavy, but very solid. She is in a very large run and runs around daily quite fast. She opts to be on the highest roost ... though I wish she would not. She can somewhat fly down ... but not very graceful. I am concern about leg issues ... but I have to say her legs are also huge and seem to be quite strong. She gets along very well with other.

I will try to update regularly for others who might be crazy enough to do this.

 

[jjb1953]

RE these birds eating themselves to death ... this certainly seemed to be the case before I realized what I was dealing with, but since I have been controlling diet (of all), she is no different than the rest of the flock.

 

[MrsEskew]

So glad to hear she is happy and dping great.

 

[omilona]

The problem is, in short order their breasts are too big for them to be able to walk more than a step or two. They have been selectively bread for exactly this genetic trait. I don't think you can manipulate the growth rate. Sorry! I would call the store. Generally, if they have one they will give you a replacement chick or a refund

 

[jjb1953]

I am curious if you have raised one? At some point I will take a vid. She has outgrown all the big girls ( including Brahma and Buff).

Re their ability to walk more than a step or two ... I would guess that applies when they are cared for the way folks typically care for a meat bird ... But we are not. Not only does she not have trouble walking ... But she is a very fast runner and runs around in her very large run as much as the other girls ..... And if I let her, she opts to roost at the highest level .... At about 4 or so feet. But I try not to let her and I put her in her own room every night with a very low roost though so she does her her leg jumping down.

Re manipulating growth rate ... We have already changed her health significantly. Our friends who do meat birds comment how healthy she looks. How she compares to another older meat bird ... I have no idea as I have not seen an adult in person ... But I have seen pics online of other folks who raised them as pets or layers. They main issues I need to keep watch for are leg injuries and heart failure.

As long as she remains healthy and happy she will be a welcomed and loved (by many) pet.

We call her lucky goose as she walks like a goose ...

 

[jjb1953]

UPDATE:
Lucky is now 7 months and still doing great!
She is as physically active as the rest. Lots of running around ..... Even in the snow.
She is a very funny girl.
She is huge ... But has dev big strong legs as well. Food is still limited.
She has the ability to jump on the highest roost and she does most nights ... But when I do nighttime checks, I put her in her own pen within the coop. Her roost is low .... This to prevent her jumping down and hurting her legs.

The problem is, in short order their breasts are too big for them to be able to walk more than a step or two. They have been selectively bread for exactly this genetic trait. I don't think you can manipulate the growth rate. Sorry! I would call the store. Generally, if they have one they will give you a replacement chick or a refund