Overweight roo!

[Shadrach]

I have to agree with Mrs. K.
In the most brutal terms you can't consider Cornish Cross to be chickens.
They are essentially live meat waiting to die.
Some do have a lovely disposition which makes what has happened to them through breeding even more tragic imo.

 

[CindyinSD]

Yeah, I dunno, @Mrs. K . I raised CX this past summer and restricted their food (in addition to pasture, not free range as OP intends to do) and ended up with very generous fat pads plus huge (10-11 lb dressed out) birds after maybe 11 or 12 weeks. Mostly muscle, and I agree that trying to make them actually lose weight (as opposed to slowing their growth) is a bad idea.

OTOH, limiting their intake of provided feed didn’t seem to hurt mine any, nor (apparently) cause them distress. Plus, it may prolong their lives, which is what OP would like to do. They *are* friendly birds even though I didn’t encourage pet-like behavior (for obvious reasons). I agree their best use is for food. Still if some folks want to keep them as pets, assuming they know what they’re getting themselves into, why not? People do it, apparently with a decent degree of success.

As for me, I’m going with capons this year. I want something more sustainable, plus a good use for unneeded males. Something about the manufactured-ness of CX, Red Broilers, etc. just doesn’t feel right for me. Not that I’d impose that on anyone else or judge in any way... it’s just my own heart—I realize capons are kind of manufactured too... it just seems less Frankenstein’s monsterish somehow than CX, etc.

 

[Mrs. K]

I did harvest mine at the recommended 8 weeks, very little fat. I fed morning and night, but not 24 hour feed. Mine were mostly confined in a coop run with adequate space, as I did not want to feed the wildlife. I wonder if you harvested a little earlier, if you would not have been happier with the results - no judgement either.

I have done surplus roosters, and old hens, but truthfully, I think their meat works much better in casseroles and soups, not frying or broiling. But that is just what my family likes.

As to the OP - she is welcome to do what she wants with her birds, I just don't think that she can out maneuver genetics with her feed or any feed plan.

 

[CindyinSD]

I did harvest mine at the recommended 8 weeks, very little fat. I fed morning and night, but not 24 hour feed. Mine were mostly confined in a coop run with adequate space, as I did not want to feed the wildlife. I wonder if you harvested a little earlier, if you would not have been happier with the results - no judgement either.

I was/am happy with the carcasses. Fat is flavor and I like big broilers. I’m just not comfortable with raising the meat breeds again. Because... I don’t know how to put it... for me, I feel bad about what we’ve done with them—their genetics. I’d rather caponize for tenderness than raise birds with a functionally indeterminate, rapid growth pattern that will ultimately kill them unless I do it first.

I had mine in Suskovich tractors on pasture, moving 1-3 times a day, depending on their stage of growth. It worked well and was easy to do. I’m glad for the experience and I’ll have use for the tractors in any event, so it’s no loss if I don’t do the same thing this year.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

This thread has a lot of useful information: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-live-out-a-normal-full-length-life.1235154/.