Processing sick birds

[PulletMullet]

Hello all!! I am a first timer to processing meat chickens. I have had to do it over the course of several weekends and in between weekends, some of my meat birds started wheezing. I suspect they might have a virus or infection. We are raising them without antibiotics. I was wondering if it is I’ll-advised to process them while they are sick. Also, how should I treat them and how long should I wait before processing them?

 

[Isadora]

Any other symptoms besides wheezing?
If by meat birds you mean Cornish cross, they can be prone to a number of health issues, especially if you free feed. I'm wondering if maybe they're just super heavy.

 

[PulletMullet]

Any other symptoms besides wheezing?
If by meat birds you mean Cornish cross, they can be prone to a number of health issues, especially if you free feed. I'm wondering if maybe they're just super heavy.

Yes Cornish Rocks.They sneeze every once in awhile too. They are pretty heavy I think. The ones I have harvested so far have been 7-9 lbs. These are two weeks older now.

 

[cassie]

Process them before they keel over. Antibiotics in this case wouldn't help. I did use Broiler Booster, available from Murray McMurray, on my Cornish from start to finish. It is a vitamin electrolyte supplement formulated for meat birds. You put it in the water, and it really seems to help.