New coop stress caused a tousle

[OllieBollie]

We finally finished our coop 3 days ago and moved our Cornish cross chickens in there. The first night we were rushing to get them in before dark and had to adjust a couple of things on the door. I was concerned about them becoming stressed, so I sat with them, held the two “cuddlers” and talked softly to help soothe them.
I check on them 2-3 times from dusk until I go to bed myself. I can’t help it, I’m an overprotective chicken mama. Lol.
The next morning when giving breakfast in their run I noticed two of our chickens had splotches on their comb and wattles and a tiny scratch on the neck. I started worrying, and checking them all over. Luckily it hasn’t happened again.
I did notice one of our bigger girls is having trouble walking. She’s starting to limp. Poor peanut!! We’re giving them lots of love, rationing their food, and will take any time we get with them.
Has anyone else raised Cornish cross as pets? How long did they live for?

 

[1muttsfan]

How old - and large - are these birds? I wouldn't worry about minor scrapes or abrasions, probably just due to disorientation in the dark, and they will quickly become accustomed to their new digs.

 

[OllieBollie]

They’re Cornish cross, 9 weeks old, the largest chick is about 6 pounds.
I had read on this forum about stress inducing fights, so I assumed that’s what it was. I left a small flashlight headlamp inside their coop at the roof level, with minimal light for the last couple days. It auto shuts off after 2 hours. So they could get acclimated with a bit of light. We’re looking at getting a couple solar lights for outside their coop and around their fence so we can maneuver around in the run/coop when the days get shorter. I’d like to put a solar light inside their coop as well. Something that turns off automatically after an hour or two.
Does Anyone else use some type of solar light in or around their coop? Are you happy with it?

 

[WindingRoad]

We finally finished our coop 3 days ago and moved our Cornish cross chickens in there. The first night we were rushing to get them in before dark and had to adjust a couple of things on the door. I was concerned about them becoming stressed, so I sat with them, held the two “cuddlers” and talked softly to help soothe them.
I check on them 2-3 times from dusk until I go to bed myself. I can’t help it, I’m an overprotective chicken mama. Lol.
The next morning when giving breakfast in their run I noticed two of our chickens had splotches on their comb and wattles and a tiny scratch on the neck. I started worrying, and checking them all over. Luckily it hasn’t happened again.
I did notice one of our bigger girls is having trouble walking. She’s starting to limp. Poor peanut!! We’re giving them lots of love, rationing their food, and will take any time we get with them.
Has anyone else raised Cornish cross as pets? How long did they live for?

Just curious? Why are you rationing feed?

 

[Ab1010]

We finally finished our coop 3 days ago and moved our Cornish cross chickens in there. The first night we were rushing to get them in before dark and had to adjust a couple of things on the door. I was concerned about them becoming stressed, so I sat with them, held the two “cuddlers” and talked softly to help soothe them.
I check on them 2-3 times from dusk until I go to bed myself. I can’t help it, I’m an overprotective chicken mama. Lol.
The next morning when giving breakfast in their run I noticed two of our chickens had splotches on their comb and wattles and a tiny scratch on the neck. I started worrying, and checking them all over. Luckily it hasn’t happened again.
I did notice one of our bigger girls is having trouble walking. She’s starting to limp. Poor peanut!! We’re giving them lots of love, rationing their food, and will take any time we get with them.
Has anyone else raised Cornish cross as pets? How long did they live for?

Cornish cross are not pets. They don't live long and will eventually suffer and die. They grow so big they have a hard time even standing. Their hearts are too small for their body size and a heart attacks looms around the corner. They can not out run or out fly predators and they will never stop eating. I understand wanting to keep them as pets because I have some and I wish i could do the same. They are so sweet and funny to watch but at the end of the day they were not created for that. Ive heard very few cases where people were able to keep them alive for a year

 

[OllieBollie]

We are rationing their feed because we are not raising them for their meat. I read some other posts on here regarding broiler chicks as pets and it recommended rationing food or they will eat until they die.

While we understand these birds were bred specifically for the meat industry, we don’t wish to. We want to give as great of a life as we can for the girls we have.

We do plan to have silkies after these girls.
It may sound crazy to hear someone attempting to raise an animal like this and not be utilizing them in the way they were meant. But for me and my husband and kids it makes perfect sense.

I truly appreciate the wealth of information on here and al the experience of veteran chicken parents.

 

[Ab1010]

We are rationing their feed because we are not raising them for their meat. I read some other posts on here regarding broiler chicks as pets and it recommended rationing food or they will eat until they die.

While we understand these birds were bred specifically for the meat industry, we don’t wish to. We want to give as great of a life as we can for the girls we have.

We do plan to have silkies after these girls.
It may sound crazy to hear someone attempting to raise an animal like this and not be utilizing them in the way they were meant. But for me and my husband and kids it makes perfect sense.

I truly appreciate the wealth of information on here and al the experience of veteran chicken parents.

I hope the best for you. Honestly I'm a vegetarian. I only got the first bird to rescue it because it had pasty butt and I felt bad for it. But after extensive research I did not find the answers I was hoping for. I dont free feed mine and they are still so big at half way grown they lay more then stand and can't fly more then 10 inches in the air to 1.5 feet if they really jump. I am now raising them for my family who eats meat so they stop eating industry meat where they torture animals. So truly I do hope you guys manage.

 

[Ab1010]

https://thepampanews.com/agriculture/cornish-cross-broilers-butcher-or-not-butcher

 

[OllieBollie]

Thank you all for your input. We are handing it a day at a time. We will do what we need to for our girls, whatever that may be, as long as it’s in their best interest.

Bottom line, I’m grateful we could provide a loving and safe home for these birds, as so many of these birds aren’t given that chance.

 

[1muttsfan]

As far as lighting, it is best to allow the light to fade naturally at sunset. There is no reason to provide lighting beyond that, as these are not egg layers, so there is no reason to extend their day. They will more easily find their way to their bed area (they will be unlikely to be able to roost as they get bigger) if the light is allowed to fade naturally.

Cornish Cross can be very sweet and friendly, and I do not blame you for offering them a home for as long as they can stay comfortable. Best of luck.