To eat or not to eat.. that is the question.

I'm really new to this, so not too sure how much help I may be but... I had one pretty much the same, but mine were going to the proccersser in a day or 2 so I just let it be... The proccesser "culled" not fit to eat. He said it was probley the runt, it sometimes happens. But mine also go to a spot that has a food inspecter on site, the rules here in Canada may be different. So the inspecter was the one who said it had to be culled.
Intersting enough when I pulled up with the truck loaded in thier crates, he pointed it out within 10 sec. How he could even see it surprizes me. But he said he would look at it orgins when it got to the other side, and it didn't make it?
I dunno...

 

If he is runty and sluggish I would suspect heart problems, and worry that he might be filling up with fluid, in which case you won't be able to eat him anyway. If you pick him up, does his abdomen feel squishy? Ascites -- when the body cavity of a broiler fills up with fluid due to congestive heart failure -- is sometimes called "water belly." When it happens its really noticeable. (I had a chicken -- not a broiler -- die of this last week, and she had symptoms for weeks that I wasn't paying close enough attention to.)

If he continues to be sluggish and isn't eating I would cull him sooner than later. Personally I don't think I would eat him given that chickens going off their feed tends to be a sign of sickness of some sort.

 

I butcher out any bird of eating size that starts to show some signs of ascites/leg problems or other issues. If they are runts, I'll butcher them as soon as they are cornish hen size.


I did have one that had ascites. I ate it anyway. Tasted fine.


I wouldn't wait until they're really distressed tho'. My litmus test is food. If it can't/won't eat for a day, I will do it in.