Problem with my Cornish rocks

[SIMZ]

Probably a broken leg due to weak bones. When I butcher mine I catch them by the legs. I had several snap when picked up by the legs. The leg turns all different colors of green, purple, red immediately and has to be thrown away.

If you had 11 pound chickens at butcher weight (which is just a few weeks) then it's no wonder their legs were snapping. Their bones are still pretty soft because they're so young, and all that weight will dislocate their joints picking them up like that. They usually don't move fast enough to catch them by the legs when they're that big. Maybe just pick them up the next time - it'll save them some pain and save you some meat.

 

[SIMZ]

double post!

 

[rswojo]

If you had 11 pound chickens at butcher weight (which is just a few weeks) then it's no wonder their legs were snapping. Their bones are still pretty soft because they're so young, and all that weight will dislocate their joints picking them up like that. They usually don't move fast enough to catch them by the legs when they're that big. Maybe just pick them up the next time - it'll save them some pain and save you some meat.

I raised mine for about 16 weeks but that was years ago. I want my chickens to be able to free range so they get a varied diet and taste better. All they did was flop back and forth between the feeder and the waterer. They couldn't walk so they couldn't go outside at all. Breast feathers were full of chicken poop from rubbing on the bedding. Disgusting, especially after dipped for plucking. I go into the coop before dawn, zip tie their legs together and lay them in the grass prior to butchering. Catch is a bad choice of words because they couldn't escape if they wanted to. Just the act of picking them up broke a couple of legs. I went back to White rocks and never looked back.

 

[lizanne]

I haven't had very many leg problems with of mine. I've had 2 (out of 28) that looked like they were starting to have some issues, but they were over 12 weeks at the time. We just processed them as soon as we noticed. I have 1 pullet left, and she is 23 weeks old. She's been laying for over a month now. She gets around just fine, and will come over for treats and scratch in the dirt for bugs. I stopped doing the feed restrictions when they were all about 6 weeks old. I'm extra careful with her when it gets really hot (we've had a couple weeks with temps consistently over 105), but she does fine at temps under 95.

 

[mstricer]

My CX free range. I don't feed them where they sleep. They are let out every morning.. they have to walk to get water and food. I start the food and water right outside their pen (water is always available in the pen they sleep) every day I move it farther away, until it is over 50 ft where they sleep. They learn to eat grass and chase bugs. Every now and then I get a lazy one that once it finds the food will gorge itself and not share with others, I just figure that is the one that is wired to eat,eat,eat,poop, drink, eat, eat,eat etc.....

 

[rswojo]

I may be wrong but I think the Cornish X Rock hybrid was developed for the cage raised factory farm operations where they needed a bird with big breasts that didn't need to walk, same as these artificial factory farm turkeys that have to be artificially inseminated because their breasts are so big they couldn't breed if they wanted to. As an aside, what a job, artificially inseminating turkeys?

They are not a bird suitable for home raised chicken operations. Stick with purebreds. IMO if you raise Cornish X Rocks you gain the benefit of antibiotic free, arsenic free chicken. Other than that they taste just like store chicken. If you want real chicken flavor get purebreds and let them run.

Same with eggs, if want good eggs the hen HAS to free range.