Oops!

[ashferrell]

Hi all! Ok I have one Cornish cross meat chicken in with my flock of laying hens. She does great with them. She is about 15 weeks old and wasn't supposed to be a meat chicken. Anyways, my buff rooster has been paying her a lot of attention and tonight he bred her. Does this mean she's going to lay eggs? We're very new to this so any help would be great!

 

[Habibs Hens]

Hi all! Ok I have one Cornish cross meat chicken in with my flock of laying hens. She does great with them. She is about 15 weeks old and wasn't supposed to be a meat chicken. Anyways, my buff rooster has been paying her a lot of attention and tonight he bred her. Does this mean she's going to lay eggs? We're very new to this so any help would be great!

Cornish don't tend to live long they are designed to be fattened quickly and that causes crippling


all female chicken are capable of laying but weather your CX reaches that age is another thing

its best to use the bird for meat then to waste it if she dies

 

[BCMaraniac]

Hi all! Ok I have one Cornish cross meat chicken in with my flock of laying hens. She does great with them. She is about 15 weeks old and wasn't supposed to be a meat chicken. Anyways, my buff rooster has been paying her a lot of attention and tonight he bred her. Does this mean she's going to lay eggs? We're very new to this so any help would be great!

A friend had CX last year, and planned to butcher, but weather went from very hot to very wet, so they didn't process them as planned. She had one pullet that had a bad leg, and didn't get around well, so she kept her separate from the others. One day she went and found a pullet egg in the grass. Unfortunately she didn't have her secure, and something got her shortly after that. So if your pullet lives long enough, she may lay eggs. Is her comb really red now?? That usually indicates that she is maturing, getting ready to lay.

If I were you, I would process her, as she is probably big enough to roast. A rooster breeding her could kill her, and because she was bred for meat, the general consensus is that butchering is the humane thing to do because of the high incidence of congestive heart failure rather than letting them suffer a death from heart failure.

 

[ashferrell]

We planned on buttering her once we realize she was a meat chicken. We've been out of town the last few weekend and had our neighbor keep an eye on them so I think we're going to butcher her this weekend. I guess my other question would be is there a certain way to do it. Like I said earlier we are very new to this and I've never butchered a chicken before? Thank you!

 

[NikonD2xer]

I just read a thread on butchering.... some great info in there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/777712/most-important-aspect-of-butchering/20#post_11150717

well worth the tome to read it over especially if new to butchering.

 

[ashferrell]

Thank you so much!!

 

[Habibs Hens]

every one has their own way to butcher

you need to find yours


look at link above and make your choice

 

[jen85]

A guy I bought some chicks from had a Cornish x hen running around with his flock. He said she was a good egg layer. I've never tryed it.

 

[stevodod]

15 weeks old? Dang thing must be 9lbs by now! Harvest that bird!

 

[ashferrell]

We did end up butchering her. I didn't want her getting sick or anything from being so big. Thanks for all the help!