Rescued chicks from a feed store

[SilkieChicken123]

They are not leghorns. Leghorns are tall and slim, feather in very fast, and have large fan tails.

Okay!

That's awful about CCC. I didn't know that they suffered from heart and leg issues.

 

[handtmorgan]

That is really bad news, and I feel like the feed store was willing to call them anything but what they are. I've never even heard of retail ah shops selling commercial meat birds before.

 

[handtmorgan]

Give them happy healthy lives until the one bad day at freezer camp. They will love the free-range oportunity.

Seriously, I have 21 of those little raptors at home right now. They are sweet, lovable lumps that will steal your heart - but they are a terminal bird. Keep them healthy and happy until about 9 weeks old, then butcher them to keep yourself happy and healthy. Nothing quite like a homegrown chicken on the grill.

Editted to add: I keep a few the more active broilers until they are about 10 to 12 weeks old. Nothing like a 8 pound roast chicken dinner to share with friends.

My husband and daughter vetoed that idea since we already named them. Ha, one is named Mercy. Not sure I could do the freezer deed unless we were pretty hungry or to put them out of misery....so, we'll see what happens.

 

[BlueBaby]

I was thinking a Cornish Cross too, as the leg's look a bit thick.

 

[handtmorgan]

Cornish Cross makes sense with the bare feather patches and they feel very meaty when I pick them up. Yeah, legs are very thick too. I think we have a winner.

 

[handtmorgan]

Well I got 3 barred rock and 3 CX weeks-old chicks free with the 2 babies I bought. The store was so desperate to get them out that they told me "buy 1, get 6 or more free", and they really only had the height space of their body height in the little stacked trays they keep, so yeah, it was bad conditions and a rescue. I've actually never been to a store where they were kept like that (and won't go back), but after calling 5 stores, this was the only place in our town that was selling the type of baby chicks I wanted.

It was also a price decision to get free chicks to add to our little flock and was told they were faverolles that I actually wanted. I don't care if they sell meat chickens or not. I just want to be told the correct breed so I can best care for them and know what to expect. ***which is what the post was about, finding the right breed***.

Not everyone is a chicken expert right away when starting to raise chicks. I even told them I like to study the breed before buying and pulled up the information for the breeds they were listing off right there in the store and skimmed through the details.

I agree that you should be able to buy the type of chicken you need in a store, but as you said, "an emotional "rescue", which really isn't a rescue" is NOT correct. I think the problem here is mis-labeling of the chicks that the feed stores sell or telling the person anything they want to hear just to get rid of the chicks.

I very much appreciate all of the folks who helped me identify the breed. I'm not here to argue or to be insulted over chickens. This is a hobby we enjoy and want to keep it that way MissE.

 

[handtmorgan]

@handtmorgan
I think it is great that you rescued those chicks and it sounds like a great deal. I am sorry that you were mislead about what they are and you didn't get what you really wanted, but you are giving them a great home and that is a wonderful thing.

The issue with the broiler breeds is that they are a terminal breed. They will grow bigger than their bodies can handle. It may be a great learning experience for you and the kids to raise them and use them for their purpose. Learn where your food comes from. It is sad/hard to butcher them, maybe you can find a place nearby that will do the deed for you. You may have named them, but that doesn't change the fact that they will grow so large that they can break their legs just by walking, or they will die of organ failure. They will also push your other chickens away from the food as they gorge themselves. It is sad to check on them in the morning and find them dead in the pen from a heart attack ...

My friends daughter would hold and cuddle my broiler chicks and love on them, then put them back in the pen and say "see you for supper". She knows that chicks grow up to be chickens, and chicken-n-dumplings is tasty.

Thanks, I like your perspective. It will definitely be a learning experience and will do the best we can.