Rescued a meat chicken that fell off a meat truck need help!

[Toddmatlock]

Hi i watched this chicken fall off a chicken truck on the way to be slaughtered and took it home and am making it comfortable but it can't stand it tries but can't is there anything i can do to nurse it back to health?Any help would be great thanks todd.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

A meat bird headed to slaughter has been raised to grow fast, so fast that it's body mass exceeds the ability to support it. This is not reversible. The kindest thing is a humane death

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hi Todd,

First welcome, you found a great place for help.

Sadly the way meat birds are bred the bones and legs cannot support the bird when slaughter time has come.

They are bred to grow very very fast.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC I wish it were under better circumstances. Can you post a couple of pictures of it?

Likely the damage is already done, but lets see what we can do and what we're working with. Your bird is likely 6-8 weeks old and hasn't had to move its entire life. BTW, thanks for rescuing it.

@Ol Grey Mare is likely right. The issue is both the bones and internal organs can't keep up with the body mass of the bird under this approach. He's likely been on a high carb diet for the last couple of weeks, to put on more fat.

 

[Hope Hughes]

I was given 4 meat chickens and the comments are right they are bred to grow fast and big. Ours lived a good and longer life then most would but mine also free ranged with the flock. When we butchered them because we noticed they started having problems breathing and walking and one had a heart attack, we checked all of their hearts and everyone looked like they were gonna have a heart attacks. Very sad but we tried to give them the best life we could for the time they had to live. It's sad that they are bred this way.

 

[Toddmatlock]

 

[Toddmatlock]

I was thinking of taking and old one on my wife bra's and making a bouncy support or can chickens swim? if so a warm bath just deep enough that it could exercise it's legs.I don't know just thinking...

 

[Toddmatlock]

I was given 4 meat chickens and the comments are right they are bred to grow fast and big. Ours lived a good and longer life then most would but mine also free ranged with the flock. When we butchered them because we noticed they started having problems breathing and walking and one had a heart attack, we checked all of their hearts and everyone looked like they were gonna have a heart attacks. Very sad but we tried to give them the best life we could for the time they had to live. It's sad that they are bred this way.

Sad..

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

View attachment 1170378

This bird is at the point of being insalvagable. Extended lives require controlled management starting weeks before this point

 

[sourland]

Sad..

Sad indeed. Welcome to BYC - sorry for the circumstances.