Need flock to loose weight and not lay!

[Dan nich]

I was given 4 Cornish cross chickens and they were ultra fat girls! I believe the layer feed I gave them pushed their system into overdrive! One died being egg bound one more may be egg bound also, what can I feed them to give them weight loss and egg production break? I also have them with 3 buff orphingtons I have no issue with! So they don’t need weight loss! This has made me almost given up chickens being new to it! I been given cabbage and half rations of layer and cracked corn and alfalfa any advice to get this on track?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
A couple of issues here, both diet and breed types.
Cornishx birds are meant to be in the freezer by eight weeks of age, and will fail miserably after that. Are you sure that's who you have?
Layer plus corn plus vegetable matter makes an unbalanced, protein and mineral deficient diet for any chickens, likely promoting dangerous obesity and other issues, as the birds overeat calories to make up for being malnourished.
Orphingtons are more 'normal', but can develop fatty lives if fed like this.
The calcium deficiency contributes to egg binding too.
Consider feeding an all-flock diet, with oyster shell in a separate dish, and no extras. For Cornishx birds, limit feed to twelve hours per day, not continuously being fed.
If you continue feeding layer, it's meant to be fed exclusively, for smaller leghorn type birds in confinement. Orphingtons will do better on another diet, or at least with no corn added to the layer.
How about some pictures of your birds?
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Commercial flocks are put into molt by reducing lighting and food pretty drastically, but that isn't the best plan, and you don't have leghorns!
Mary

 

[Cazook]

all-flock but ration it out (you will need to feed your other chickens separately for this to work). and no corn... corns purpose is to fatten chickens and keep them warm in winter.

 

[chickens really]

I feed 16% Grower finisher feed. Only snacks once or twice a week and free range a couple of hours a day.

 

[Dan nich]

Welcome!
A couple of issues here, both diet and breed types.
Cornishx birds are meant to be in the freezer by eight weeks of age, and will fail miserably after that. Are you sure that's who you have?
Layer plus corn plus vegetable matter makes an unbalanced, protein and mineral deficient diet for any chickens, likely promoting dangerous obesity and other issues, as the birds overeat calories to make up for being malnourished.
Orphingtons are more 'normal', but can develop fatty lives if fed like this.
The calcium deficiency contributes to egg binding too.
Consider feeding an all-flock diet, with oyster shell in a separate dish, and no extras. For Cornishx birds, limit feed to twelve hours per day, not continuously being fed.
If you continue feeding layer, it's meant to be fed exclusively, for smaller leghorn type birds in confinement. Orphingtons will do better on another diet, or at least with no corn added to the layer.
How about some pictures of your birds?
Mary

Great advice! Any brand of all purpose feed? Notice the feathers? I guess prior to my house a very abusing rooster had his way! I would cull them but I have a soft spot for chickens! I’m a hunter but these gals are different! Thank u for advice I want to do right,

 

[Folly's place]

Those are big round white birds! Amazing!
I feed Purina Flock Raiser, which is available within four weeks of milling, by mill date, at the local feed store. There are a number of brands out there, and it's a matter of finding something that works for your flock and is fresh, looking at the mill date on each bag. Then, oyster shell in a separate feeder for any laying hens.
Chickens hate change! It tends to be easier if you mix the new with the old, so there's not a sudden transition. It helps if you stop the extras, so they focus on the balanced feed too.
I don't know what will really help the Cornishx birds, but calorie restriction might.
Mary

 

[Dan nich]

Those are big round white birds! Amazing!
I feed Purina Flock Raiser, which is available within four weeks of milling, by mill date, at the local feed store. There are a number of brands out there, and it's a matter of finding something that works for your flock and is fresh, looking at the mill date on each bag. Then, oyster shell in a separate feeder for any laying hens.
Chickens hate change! It tends to be easier if you mix the new with the old, so there's not a sudden transition. It helps if you stop the extras, so they focus on the balanced feed too.
I don't know what will really help the Cornishx birds, but calorie restriction might.
Mary

Thanks Mary the fat white girls as we call them are super happy nice hens that why dinner hasn’t been served I’m about to add 5 golden comets and to cuckoo Marans in I may just build them their own retirement ranch

 

[Folly's place]

It will be much easier to manage feeding the 'big girls' if they are separated, at least at night when the don't have food available. Otherwise it's good for them to move around with the flock. Roosting is dangerous for them, as jumping down can injure joints, so be careful about that in their separate digs.
Good for you!
Mary

 

[Aunt Angus]

They are little round balls of feathers, aren't they? I've not raised Cornish, but they are meant to get fat so they can be dinner (as others have said). I've seen it work, though, but with rationed feeding and timed feeding, like you would a dog. If they do get a retirement villa, you could manage their feed and still let them free range with the rest of the flock. Nice flock you've got there!

FWIW, my Cochin looks big and fat, too. I think white birds just seem bigger. But I never tell her she looks fat. Don't want to make her self-conscious.