Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[RockerHen]

My poor little "Fatty" died, it looks like he hopped over the side into the duck pool and drowned

I skinned him using my hands (The skin is just like paper, easy to tear) and fed him to the dogs, it was astonishing how much meat he had at 4 weeks, he looked like a small store bought 'cornish hen'! Which begs the question: are 'cornish' hens in stores really just young CX? I wouldn't think actual cornish would be raised commercially.
Here was a picture last week.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm sorry you lost Fattie.

 

[jajeanpierre]

It is growing, but not much. It is 1/4 the size of the others. It has wing feathers, but no other feathering yet. I will give it the chance to grow, but I don't expect it to make it. If it lives past the others going to the freezer, I can raise it with my Easter chicks. It's been 3 weeks, wouldn't failure to thrive occur (and die) earlier than 3 weeks? I've never had a failure to thrive chick before.

Here is the picture again:

Maybe it simply isn't getting enough to eat with the others pushing it out. That's a lot of mass at the feeder and it is smaller and lighter than the others. it might be getting enough nutrition to survive but not enough to grow. More room at the feeder might help it..

 

[Happy Chooks]

Maybe it simply isn't getting enough to eat with the others pushing it out. That's a lot of mass at the feeder and it is smaller and lighter than the others. it might be getting enough nutrition to survive but not enough to grow. More room at the feeder might help it..

They usually aren't that crowded at the feeder. It was because they ran out of feed through the night. So they were really hungry this morning. It was like that for about 15 minutes, then a bunch of them went to sleep in the sunshine. I have 2 feeders out, this was just the first one that got filled up.

Thanks for your thoughts though.

 

[BCMaraniac]

My poor little "Fatty" died, it looks like he hopped over the side into the duck pool and drowned

I skinned him using my hands (The skin is just like paper, easy to tear) and fed him to the dogs, it was astonishing how much meat he had at 4 weeks, he looked like a small store bought 'cornish hen'! Which begs the question: are 'cornish' hens in stores really just young CX? I wouldn't think actual cornish would be raised commercially.
Here was a picture last week.

I am sorry for the loss of your chick. It is always difficult.

You are correct. Cornish hens are CX pullets that are processed at 1 1/2 - 2 pounds.

 

[hogster160]

I like them too, for the same reasons. I wasn't expecting them to have much personality, but they have surprised me there.


As for the little peanut, it's a Cornish X - I was studying it a bit ago and it has the same distended abdomen that the others do. I think there is something wrong internally with it. I don't expect it to live to maturity (meaning freezer), but we'll see.

I had a small one like yours. It never really did get much larger than maybe a 10-12 week old dp, she went towards making stock. She also had the same look as the other cornish x, wide stance lack of feathering. And boy did she eat. She may not have always gotten her share of FF but she was a very good forager! She always had a full crop!

And they have wonderful personalities if given a chance at free ranging and not just sitting at the feeder. Mine ran and flew everywhere over my 2 acres and back in the neighbors field. They loved their time here. They would greet guests that came over to the house. We had to put some scratch down just so the guests could leave lol. They were as bad as the turkeys as far as the greeting of people went lol. Just normal everyday friendly chickens! My house sits a little ways off of a busy highway, and when peoples cars broke down out front, we would have to go and coral the meaties as they would go up to the people and expect food and attention lol. I loved having the cornish x, will be getting more soon, I'm thinking!

Enjoy yours, they are a lot of fun!

Deb

edited to add: I had mine processed and 13 weeks and fed FF and free ranged the whole 13 weeks

 

[Beekissed]

I love this story.....so true to CX. Moochy birds...friendly and moochy.

 

[lawatt]

They usually aren't that crowded at the feeder. It was because they ran out of feed through the night. So they were really hungry this morning. It was like that for about 15 minutes, then a bunch of them went to sleep in the sunshine. I have 2 feeders out, this was just the first one that got filled up.

Thanks for your thoughts though.

I hatched three silver campine chicks last summer, and the pullet was small at hatch, gave her vitamins & she stabilized, but never grew as fast as the other two (both cockerels), and by the time they were 12 weeks or so she was less than half their size -- she was always alert and actually much more personable than the other two, only grew incredibly slowly. I think she made it to around 15 weeks or so and then passed away one night.

so, failure to thrive seems to take many forms!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Good to know, thanks Laura and Ron!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I had a small one like yours. It never really did get much larger than maybe a 10-12 week old dp, she went towards making stock. She also had the same look as the other cornish x, wide stance lack of feathering. And boy did she eat. She may not have always gotten her share of FF but she was a very good forager! She always had a full crop!

Thanks for sharing!