My Rhode Island White is unusually heavy and sits down a lot - is she ok?

[PortlandUK]

I have two 18 week old R.I.Whites, one of whose gait is rather ungainly, her walk is slow and she sits down a lot - the other one is almost 30% lighter and she gets around 'normally'. Snowy has been eating fine with her sister and they both have a matched healthy appetite. Snowy is in molt at the moment but because of sitting down a lot she is virtually bald on her belly. She appears alert and healthy otherwise.

At the weekend, both RIWs were introduced into the main flock but today I have had to 'rescue' Snowy due to finding her with wounds and blood on her feathers. I have assumed the others have found her to be an easy target. I've taken Snowy and her sister out of the large pen and brought them up to the house together so that Snowy has company and they seem perfectly happy. I wormed them both this week with Flubenvet as part of my normal 6 monthly routine.

However, I am concerned that Snowy may have a condition that is causing her 'slowness'. She is not lame but is extremely heavy and seems to struggle to get around with any agility, which has made her an easy target.

Does anyone else have experience of this heavy breed? Am I worrying over nothing? I've heard that broilers can struggle with walking due to growing too quickly - could this be the same problem with my Snowy?

I would be most grateful of any support and advice.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Would you be able to post a photo of the bird?

 

[PortlandUK]

Shes settled down for the night in a bloody box in the house now as its 10pm over here but i'll take her photo tomorrow and post it on here. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago but u cant really see her well.

 

[PortlandUK]

Shes settled down for the night in a bloody box in the house now as its 10pm over here but i'll take her photo tomorrow and post it on here. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago but u cant really see her well.

 

[PortlandUK]

it was meant to say broody not bloody, sorry!

 

[Fred's Hens]

She's certainly not a RIW. She looks for all the world to be a broiler. A meat bird.

 

[PortlandUK]

Really?! I was sold the two as RIWs when they were 12 weeks. The smaller one is only slightly different in that she is much lighter and her tailis held higher.

 

[PortlandUK]

Really?! I was sold the two as RIWs when they were 12 weeks. The smaller one is only slightly different in that she is much lighter and her tailis held higher.

 

[PortlandUK]

What are the implications if she is a broiler?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Do they have single combs? A RIW has a rose comb.

The size of the body and legs on the bird in question are enormous. This is typical of a cross-bred bird intended for slaughter at an early age. These cros-bred broilers are very hard to even keep alive for a longer period of time. They often eat themselves into a heart attack at very young age.