Meat King Pet Advice

[SillyBird]

Hi,
Interested in hearing from anyone who has a meat king (cornish x) kept back as a pet and what they feed it. I have two five month olds. I am feeding them 1 cup of layer mash in the morning, about 1 cup of ground up carrot noonish (with a bit of layer mash in that), and 1 cup of layer mash in the evening. I am feeding layer mash to them as we have a few laying hens so just decided to use that. I have no idea if this is satisfactory or not, but I know if they don't get 'lunch' they are absolutely out of their minds at supper time. They are, unfortunately, not free range, and have a coop and small outside area at present. I also put some ground kelp meal in a container for them that they finish each day (about 2 tablespoons), and some grit (just in case). I won't starve them to keep them around longer, but I don't want to kill them with kindness either. Thanks.

 

[ArcticMermaid]

My understanding is that to keep them as pets you have to limit their food to only what can be eat in 20 - 30 minutes twice a day. Also give them more vitamin B and they need room to move. Even though they are quite large they usually get picked on by other chickens because they cant move that fast.

 

[SillyBird]

Thanks Arctic Mermaid. And yes, when I briefly put the meat king hen, Coconut, in with our three laying hens back in September to see if they would all get along, one laying hen plucked out a few feathers...poor Coconut. So she came right out of there. I'll google sources of vitamin B for them, but are there any obvious ones you know about? : )

 

[Free Feather]

I have kept many Cornish rocks as pets over the years. Mine free range all day when there is not snow on the ground, and when the forage is good I feed them nothing. When there is no forage I feed ones that are sexually mature at most half of a cup a day. I alternate between 15 percent protein and 20 percent protein depending on how they are looking. You can give them aspirin for their heart if they get big. I feed them high calcium feeds, and adding niacin and other vitamins is a good idea. Cornish x are timid and docile, and are very easily bullied by other chickens and this will make them hide (and come to love you instead of other chickens...). They need to be in a stable, docile flock to keep them unstressed as running away from danger can cause them to injure themselves, and I like to prevent strain on their delicate hearts. The Cornish x pullet I have now, Foxy, had been owned by a neighbor selling live meat chickens, and she was already butchering age when I got her. I put her on a diet, and have had to fix her up after getting mauled by a dog and getting fly strike, so I am afraid all this together will shorten her life. She is going on ten months old and has yet to lay eggs.

 

[ArcticMermaid]

Thanks Arctic Mermaid. And yes, when I briefly put the meat king hen, Coconut, in with our three laying hens back in September to see if they would all get along, one laying hen plucked out a few feathers...poor Coconut. So she came right out of there. I'll google sources of vitamin B for them, but are there any obvious ones you know about? : )

Enfamil Poly-Vi-Sol Multivitamin Supplement Drops without iron a couple drops orally I dont remember how often but i am sure someone else will

 

[SillyBird]

Thank you also, Free Feather, for all your very helpful information. Your birds are lucky to free range. We, unfortunately, cannot do that as we have two dogs who will, without a doubt in my mind, chase and hurt or do worse to them, so they are confined to coops with an area outside. In the spring we will make a much larger outside spot for them so I hope they make it that far. : )